The Monocle Minute

Last week’s events have capped a turbulent month in Thai politics, which has seen an opposition party dissolved, serving prime minister Srettha Thavisin removed and former leader Thaksin Shinawatra politically neutered. A lèse majesté case against Thaksin, now adjourned until next year, is a powerful sword of Damocles for the conservative elites to keep him in line. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter, has been appointed the new prime minister. These undemocratic deals taking place in some of the country’s most erstwhile institutions have done little for the reputation of the ruling classes.

They also set back Thailand’s international standing, just when it was staging a slow recovery. Last year’s election ushered in the first civilian-led government since the country’s 2014 coup d’etat. Pheu Thai’s unlikely coalition with military-backed conservatives promised a new era of proactive diplomacy and turned the page on a lost decade, during which Thailand was largely missing on the world stage. Thai diplomats had played a leading role in Southeast Asia’s postwar peace and security and, at a time of renewed superpower rivalry, the region needs the friendly, peace-loving Thais back at the multilateral table. Bangkok’s close relationship with both the US and China positions it as an honest broker – an increasingly rare quality in today’s international relations.

The appointment of Paetongtarn as the new prime minister should largely continue Thailand’s diplomatic revival. But for how long? Just like her ousted predecessor and partymate Srettha Thavisin, she has not held any kind of political office. Moreover, her tenure at the top is even more likely to favour her father’s sputtering political vehicle, Pheu Thai. With the odds of a long premiership stacked against Paetongtarn, Thailand’s diplomatic renaissance is hanging by a thread.

James Chambers is Monocle’s Asia editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, often appeared on the campaign trail with a chainsaw to show how he planned to carve up the South American nation’s rule book. Since assuming office in December last year, the far-right libertarian has made good on his promises, shuttering state news agency Télam and withdrawing funding for the national film institute, among other moves. His slash-and-burn tactics have also had diplomatic repercussions, most notably with Spain.

In May, Spain’s transport minister, Óscar Puente, suggested that Milei had taken “substances”. And the rift only widened when, at a far-right rally in Madrid that same month, Milei called Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s wife “corrupt”. This was in reference to an ongoing investigation into business corruption that is still making headlines. Spain subsequently withdrew its ambassador from Buenos Aires. But there has now been an easing of tensions, thanks to a recent call between Spain’s foreign minister and his Argentinean counterpart; a tentative lunch is also planned at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Just don’t expect Milei and Sánchez to be feasting together.

As modes of marine travel go, the hovercraft was big in the 1960s but has fallen out of favour since, due to high operating costs. In Japan, however, amphibian vehicles are about to be revived. Oita prefecture has bought three Griffon 12000TDs – made by UK-based Griffon Hoverwork – and is set to put them into operation before the end of the year. The prefecture used to have a popular hovercraft, the Oita Hover Ferry, launched in 1971, which carried passengers between the airport and the city centre in a swift half-hour.

When a new expressway to the airport was built, passenger numbers dwindled and the route was dropped in 2009. Years later the governor realised that the hour-long drive to the airport was a backward step and looked for a way of speeding up the journey. The new route will service up to 400,000 passengers annually and, since it will be Japan’s sole hovercraft route, it should attract tourists too. Aside from trips to the airport, weekend excursions around Beppu Bay are planned. Oita is also anticipating a boost of ¥61.4bn (€379m) over the first 20 years.

A longer version of this article appears in Monocle’sSeptember issue, which features our annual survey of the world of transport.

The Lithuanian Song Celebration, a week-long festival of music, dance and choral singing, brings together thousands of performers, from ensembles to conductors, often decked out in traditional dress.

Monocle travels to the Baltic state for the centenary edition to find out why the giant jamboree helps to keep the country singing from the same hymn sheet.

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From the roads to the air, Monocle’s September issue looks at how we get from A to B. Inside, you’ll learn how Brussels eased out of the automobile with a radical mobility plan called Good Move, and meet the movers and shakers in commercial aviation. So hop on your bike or the nearest light rail to pick up Monocle’s latest issue today.