More to lose than their chains | Bangkok Post: opinion

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EDITORIALMore to lose than their chains

19 May 2013 : The guarantee last week from Corrections Department chief Suchart Wonganantachai that his department will unshackle all prisoners serving maximum jail terms in prisons across the country within three months is a positive step and long overdue. On Wednesday, 563 prisoners had their shackles removed during a ceremony at Bang Khwang Central Prison which was presided over by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The unshackling process actually started in January with a group of inmates who were all considered "well behaved".
PostbagAbhisit's prediction rings true

19 May 2013 : Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva showed his mettle when he predicted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would dissolve the House within the year. He also declared the government's populist policies are failing, and thus a snap election to extend its rule is inevitable.

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PM's speech revealed feelings previously hidden
30 Apr 2013 : Although the speech delivered by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at the Community of Democracy (CD) conference in Mongolia Monday was scripted, the message it conveyed, especially about democracy in Thailand, presumably reflects her actual political thinking -- a side buried deeply and troubling her soul for many years.
EDITORIAL
Time running out for South
30 Apr 2013 : The security situation in the far South is as bad today as it has ever been. The number of militant attacks, the level of extreme violence and the flouting of the government's authority add up to a national crisis. The situation has never so clearly called for a rational, inventive policy. It is not too late to save the far South, but time and opportunity are running short.
Postbag
Showmanship falls short
30 Apr 2013 : Re: ''BRN YouTube clip threatens talks'' (BP, April 29). Democrat deputy leader Thaworn Senneam said Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanatabut was wrong for publicising the peace talks before an initial agreement has been reached, and that might be quite right. There must be balance between substantive progress in private talks versus showmanship for the media. If publicity precedes any substance, then that could prevent any real progress being made.
EDUCATION REFORM
New curriculum must ready students for the workforce
30 Apr 2013 : The advent of the Asean Community at the end of 2015 has brought to the forefront of our thinking the urgency of reform in many areas.
ASIAN ECONOMIES
Navigating shifting risks while sustaining growth
30 Apr 2013 : The global economy shows signs of improving as major tail risks coming from advanced economies have receded. Asia and the Pacific also face better prospects.
THINK BOX
A question of patients
30 Apr 2013 : Of the past 365 days, I have spent about one-third of them frequenting hospitals, not as a patient with a chronic illness but because my father, mother, and pets have needed medical treatment.
EDITORIAL
Lessons from GT200 scam
29 Apr 2013 : Thailand's role in the shameful saga of fake weapons detectors has been revived with the conviction in court of a British con man who masterminded the fraud.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Be ready for when disaster strikes
29 Apr 2013 : Building resilience to multiple shocks is one of the most urgent development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific.
Postbag
Whining for a reason
29 Apr 2013 : Re: ''Stop your whining'' (PostBag, April 24).
Battle royal looms between Pheu Thai, court
29 Apr 2013 : April is normally the hottest month of the year with the temperature often surpassing 40C in different parts of the country. This year, however, the situation may be different with the mercury in the coming months likely to soar higher than the April record as a "Battle Royal" is looming between the ruling Pheu Thai Party and its allies on the one hand and the Constitution Court and its supporters on the other.