The Asian Development Bank must ensure transparency in its lending practices if it is to continue receiving funding./The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has always played a major role in bringing more trade and investment to the Mekong sub-region as part of an effort to promote sustainable development in the six states that lie along this important international river.

GUEST COLUMNIST: Inviting Al-Jazeera may be taking PR too far

The Thaksin administration can hardly be faulted for a lack of expertise when it comes to spin doctoring. However, if the government’s latest attempt to polish its international image, particularly in the eyes of the Muslim world, is any indication, it may be taking its PR campaign too far and the government may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

UNITY IN DIVERSITY: Learning from the ABCs of conflict

Santi withi means non-violent conflict resolution based on justice. The conflict may not disappear easily but it will now be dealt with in the non-violent sphere, in which non-violent means can be used to seek out a just (win-win) solution. Guns fall silent and the imagination speaks out – ideas are confronted, options and scenarios are compared, development proposals are made, historical narratives are listened to, various means of expression including peaceful assembly are tolerated etc.