The Crisis of Thai Democracy
One year after he was re-elected in a landslide, Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been forced to dissolve the National Assembly and call a snap election. Although his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party commands a 75% majority in the assembly, Thaksin is embattled

Love, fashion and the constitution
Constitutional expert Kanin Boonsuwan has spent the better part of his life writing the hefty tomes found on the shelves of law firms that interpret the legalese used in various constitutions.

Referendum on Amending the Constitution
The Government will sound out people’s opinions, through a referendum, on whether the present Constitution of Thailand should be amended or not. In his weekly radio address on 11 February 2006, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra touched on the issue of constitutional amendment in the face of the current political situation.

Interview with Mr. Jittanart Limthongkul, CEO of the Manager Media Group and Managing Direct of ThaiDay Dot Com Co., Ltd.

A Call for Discussion to End Political Turmoil in Thailand
A call has been made by many people for discussion between Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Opposition, and the anti-Prime Minister Thaksin group to end the current political turmoil. It is believed that, if the political tension is prolonged, the country’s economy, especially consumer confidence, will be affected.

Political crisis exposes family rifts
A recent ABAC poll that exposed rifts among family members because of differing opinions over the political crisis, indicates that divisions in Thai society are even greater than expected, analysts said yesterday.

Boycott: the easy, but wrong, way out
By Thitinan Pongsudhirak (Bangkok Post: Tuesday February 28, 2006)
Tempting though the option is, the Opposition is ill-advised to boycott the general election. Instead, it should uphold good faith beyond Mr Thaksin

Modest outcome at Hong Kong Ministerial meeting
The Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) International has provided a brief, yet comprehensive analysis of the Ministerial Declaration of the 6th WTO Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong.

Free trade frees people
The Freedom to Trade coalition staged an inspiring demonstration, calling for governments to remove barriers to trade throughout the world.

Free Trade and poverty eradication (by Johan Norberg)
Globalisation, better communication and more open markets have helped reduce chronic hunger and increase life expectancy in developing countries.

Lesson from Hong Kong – Unilateral Economic Reforms (by Barun Mitra)
If liberalisation of international trade was the objective of the delegates, there could not have been a more appropriate setting. Unfortunately, most delegates did not preach, what many of them practised.

Economic Freedom Network discussed the Rule of Law in Asia
Why do some countries thrive without a sound legal system? How does the rule of law relate to economic development?

No Growth Without Justice – Measuring the Rule of Law in Asia
“Privatization is meaningless if you don’t have the rule of law”, was once argued by Milton Friedman. But what amounts to the rule of law?

Malaysia ranks 21 amongst 155 economies on ease of Doing Business
The Doing Business 2006 report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has ranked Malaysia fairly high despite slow procedures of the country’s government when dealing with the businesses.

The Quest for Liberty in Traditional Asian societies
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation invited “intellectual entrepreneurs” from 14 Asian countries to a roundtable discussion about the relevance of F. A. von Hayek’s “Constitution of Liberty” in Asia.

No Economic Freedom for the Poor
Given the undesirable high crime rates in most countries, one would assume that most governments would do their utmost to encourage people to make an honest living. Sadly this is not so.

The quest for economic freedom
The question of economic freedom is a lively issue. It gives rise to at least two strands of debate. First, there is the question of whether economic freedom necessarily guarantees economic growth. The other is the interesting question of whether political freedom is a precursor for economic growth.

Is Germany’s first female Chancellor tough enough for reforms?
Germany’s economy, Europe’s largest, has been the slowest growing in the EURO area in the last 10 years. Unemployment is at his highest, with 4.7 Million people in the workforce without jobs.

“Flat tax” a hot issue in German elections
Days before general elections on 18th September, Germany is engaged in a discussion about a single tax tariff. Many there believe a unified tax rate may outperform progressive taxation when it comes to growth with equity.

Understanding the Federal German Elections in September 2005
Although Germany is a federal country like Malaysia, it has a very different political and electoral system. The 4 power-point presentations found here provide a thorough introduction to several key areas for understanding the upcoming Federal Elections in Germany.

German Free Democratic Party (FDP) campaigns to be back in government
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder angered many left-leaning Germans by introducing reforms of the welfare system and the labour market. Mounting political resistance within his own party finally made him call for snap elections. On 18 September, however, the Germans are likely to entrust the conservative CDU and probably also the liberal FDP to continue and even accelerate the pace of reforms.

Privatising Water and Health Services in Malaysia?
The Malaysian government announced its decision against taking over management of water from the States. The announcement came just a day prior to the public forum on Privatising Water and Health Services in Malaysia? organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation on 23rd June 2005.

Water privatization in Shenyang
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Water privatization in Shanghai Pudong
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Water privatization in Chengdu
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Privatizing Public Utility In Thailand
The Cabinet decision on 10th May 2005 to go ahead with the privatisation of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the country’s largest utility company, has finally ended the long-protest from the state workers who opposed the privatisation and previously demanded a public referendum.

Overwhelming response to a public debate on the enforcement of public morality in Malaysia
Recent events in Malaysian society have stirred an intense public debate about the role of the state in enforcing public morality. Sisters in Islam have joined others in a campaign against the Malaysian government’s involvement. Meanwhile, PAS stands for those requesting the government’s enforcement responsibilities. Representatives of both organizations were among the panelists invited by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation to a very timely discussion that attracted more than 300 participants.

Moral Value Versus Economic Development
An attempt by Thailand’s largest brewer to list on the stock market has prompted religious groups and social activists to protest and has also brought about the controversial question regarding morality and economic development. This has led the Board of the Stock Exchange of Thailand to delay its approval decision for the listing indefinitely.

Enforcing Public Morality: A Discussion Panel and Debate, Kuala Lumpur, 27 April 2005
The arrest of a trans-sexual, the campaign to observe morality of young people and the raid by the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department officers on a city nightclub in Kuala Lumpur have been recent incidents in Malaysia that provoked a public debate on the role of the state in enforcing morality. In line with the Liberal Forum Malaysia’s objective, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is organising a debate on the issue of Enforcing Public Morality on the 27th April 2005. Considering the list of panel members the discussion promises to be a lively one.

Policing public morality in Thailand
Thailand is usually looked upon by the neighbouring countries as the country that is gaining economic wealth at a rapid rate and with a general rise in Thai standards of living. However, inside the Thai society many perceive that social values and virtues have continued to deteriorate over the years. Social problems such as child prostitution, illegal drug use and gambling, or outright criminal acts, have proliferated, largely as a result of the weakening of the moral character in modern Thai society.

Policing public morality in the West
Teenage pregnancy in the US and youth alcohol abuse in England – when it comes to public morality, is the law, no matter how strictly enforced, really enough? Which other factors influence public morality and have an impact on the life and behaviour of young people?

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