How complex is a ceasefire? | Bangkok Post: opinion

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EDITORIAL How complex is a ceasefire?

19 Jun 2013 : The chances of a peaceful, quiet Ramadan seem to be getting weaker every day, instead of stronger. Last Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, the government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) peace talks delegates were upbeat about a month-long ceasefire during the Muslim fasting month.
PostbagChalerm running scared

19 Jun 2013 : Incredible. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung looks the other way when his red-shirt men rally and intimidate people, but he now is in a panic because an anti-government group has grown from 300 to 3,000 and is gaining support daily. Mr Chalerm is reacting like a scared rabbit. I wonder what he'd do if he was ever turfed out and brought to charge.

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City condo buyers must proceed with care
19 Jun 2013 : Atraffic light shines in just one of three colours. But Bangkok's condominium market has hundreds of intersections, and at any given time, some lights are green, some yellow, others red. So if you are shopping for a condominium, or already own one, or work in banking or real estate, it's worth trying to view the big picture, to judge how the city's traffic now flows.
Sustainable rice prices are set by the market
19 Jun 2013 : Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom is under fire for his lack of transparency in disclosing information about the losses incurred by the rice-pledging scheme.
COMMENTARY
Nothing new about monks living it up
19 Jun 2013 : Monks living in a cocoon of luxury is not news. Just drop by the dwellings of any elders in the clergy to see how they live.
THINK BOX
Me, myself and I
19 Jun 2013 : The summer has rolled in with a quiet tremor. I have yet to adjust my alarm clock. Slothing through my morning routine, I quickly scrolled through the recent uploads on Instagram.
CURRENTS
Orwell that ends well
19 Jun 2013 : The online privacy debate has been shattered by revelations that the US is spying on everything people say, email and browse. This must be a conundrum for supporters of Wikileaks, who assert that everything anyone says or does should be open for all to see and hear, but these same people _ including founder Julian Assange _ get very angry as soon as people start looking into them.
Who really benefitted from the rice scheme?
18 Jun 2013 : Better late than never. The Yingluck government is finally back-peddling on its most ambitious and, perhaps, most destructive populist policy, the rice pledging scheme -- which set the purchase price of paddy about 40% above market price and cost taxpayers 136 billion baht in losses, according to official estimates, in just the first year, with more to come.
EDITORIAL
Reality bites ruling party
18 Jun 2013 : Voters and the Democrats have put another hitch in the strut of the ruling Pheu Thai Party. The loss of the Don Muang by-election on Sunday is the party's second setback in a row in high-profile polls in the Bangkok area.
Postbag
PM keeps bad company
18 Jun 2013 : The recent assault and beating of white-mask protesters in Chiang Mai by red shirts was a reminder, if any were needed, that red shirts are willing and able to inflict violence on those they disagree with. The Chiang Mai case is special, however, as that chapter of the movement, Rak Chiang Mai 51 (RCM51), has been particularly notorious for its intolerance.
POLITICS
Real power still lies in the hands of the few
18 Jun 2013 : For a long time, many commentators in Thailand argued that the massive inequalities in our society did not matter. That has changed. Our fierce political conflict has done that. In fact, income inequality _ the gap between rich and poor _ has improved slightly over the last decade, but it has improved very slowly and is significantly worse here than in neighbouring countries.
COMMENTARY
Boonsong fails the Jolie test, dismally
18 Jun 2013 : Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom wouldn't be able to pass for Angelina Jolie. He obviously does not have those lips or the acting skills.