The performances of the legendary Thai boxer Sombat 'Buakaw' Banchamek may still be as formidable as ever at the age of 40. But his practice of holding up a portrait of the Thai King after victory persists, three decades after its apparent invention, as Thais increasingly question the legitimacy of the current authoritarian regime and the draconian lèse majesté law. 

News articles about Muslim opposition to a statue of Guan Yin goddess in the South have been making rounds on the internet, drawing mockery and allegations about Muslim intolerance, especially from netizens who didn’t read past the headlines.   However, a report by Prachatai English finds that local activists and clerics are not protesting the plan out of religious hatred, but out of concerns that the statue would pave the way for a controversial industrial estate and open the door to Chinese investor influence in the region.

At least 30 critics of the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration had their phones infected with Pegasus spyware, a powerful tool for surveillance and eavesdropping. Although government authorities have yet to be tied to the bugging, an investigation strongly suggests state involvement.

The recent rulings by the US Supreme Court have shown that letting nine judges decide the most important issues of the country can have a devastating impact. But how bad can it get? Thailand provides an ominous example: its right-wing judicial activism has paved the way for military coups and decades of political crisis. 

A peek at the lives of road sweepers in Bangkok, and their work on the streets of the capital city of a country that is ranked top in the world in road fatalities. We look at safety policies and the rewards for risking danger on the day that Thai society woke up to road safety, and when road sweepers lose their lives every year.