Photo source: CNN By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Myanmar’s crisis has dragged on into a protracted and embittered conflict between the junta government, run by the Tatmadaw, and a disparate range of opposing forces with competing agendas – from pro‑democracy dissidents to ethnic armed organisations in states such as Kachin and Shan. Since the military coup in 2021, estimates suggest that more than 50,000 people have died, including thousands of civilians. The Tatmadaw tentatively maintains its grip on power in core territories such as Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw, but its influence in peripheral regions, especially in the north, is increasingly tenuous. Popular disillusionment and internal splintering within the military have contributed to inefficiencies and the effective failure to maintain control across roughly half of the country’s territory. Against this backdrop, Myanmar’s neighbours, particularly Thailand, face mounting pressure to assume a more robust role in ...

Photo source: New Mandala By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront What began as a student led protests, in a military classroom, in August 2020 against a military revolt, over the behaviour and attire of students, ballooned into full scale protests against the sweeping range of issues at the heart of Thailand's inequalities. The growing crowds that assembled in various cities cited three demands, which was encapsulated by a slogan ‘Resign, Rewrite, Reform’. They were calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former army chief and the architect of a 2014 coup, the overhauling of the constitution, and bringing the monarchy under the purview of the constitution. A ten point formula for change was even read out at one rally. Hunger games, Harry Potter and Hamtaro (a famous Japanese cartoon) all had been used as motifs in the protests. As the protests have grown, Prayuth had adopted a more conciliatory approach. But, the protesters appear to be unmoved, in a coun...

Photo Source: Amnesty By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Up Front Whenever there has been a military junta ruling a country, and making amendments to the constitution, a repression is almost inevitable. The regime in Thailand seems one of those brutish examples: the Thai regime had attained power in May 2014. Before this, 2006 military coup made news headlines. A year later, in March 2015, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha replaced the Martial Law Act of 1914, with Section 44, which made him enjoy full impunity, without any accountability from the judiciary, administration and the legislature. The Thai government, in their official narratives, argues about the freedom, they have given to their people, through the constitution, most notably, in the 1997 amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees an addition of forty rights, as compared to fewer rights that were drafted in the 1932 Constitution. However, many countries including the United States, Japan, the European Union...