Showing 1 - 10 of 230
Scandals confirm what we already know
Oped, Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 07/05/2018
» Thailand has no shortage of national scandals; one after another in less than six months, starting from November of last year. It began with junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha berating a fisherman down south for daring to matter-of-factly ask him tough questions. Next came deputy junta leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon flashing his posh taste for luxury watches, which supposedly were borrowed from generous friends.
Quick-fix political remedies set us back years
Oped, Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 14/05/2018
» News media described it as a "shock", an "upset" and a "political earthquake" among other things. Few, if any, predicted it or expected it. But alas, the seemingly invincible populist regime with the mass working class as its support base is defeated in the national election. The victor? An opposition that's historically backed by the traditional establishment and urban elite.
No heroes allowed here
Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 05/06/2014
» If only we had a Martin Luther King Jr, a Nelson Mandela, a Mahatma Gandhi or an Aung San Su Kyi. But even those individuals are imperfect and have their detractors.
Who's going to check the generals?
News, Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 08/06/2014
» To stimulate the economy is to stimulate corruption. The two go hand-in-hand. The task then is to combat corruption, so that the economy may be stimulated with as little graft as possible.
Criticism, it's just noise, forget it
Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 12/06/2014
» People really need to take a deep breath and chill out. Every time some Western politician says something critical we jump as if someone has lit a fire under our feet.
Absolutism is fashionable
News, Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 15/06/2014
» So many people are willing to give away their personal freedom, while at the same time telling others to shut up and bow down. Indeed, absolutism is making a comeback.
Thailand needs 'organised' corruption
Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 19/06/2014
» Investors, local and foreign, understand corruption. It’s a natural extension of the economy. It can’t be avoided. But it can be dealt with.
Invite the cambodians to return
News, Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 22/06/2014
» Myanmar, Lao and Cambodian workers — legal or illegal — we need them back. Their fears are understandable, having come from countries that were torn apart by civil wars, countries that have brutal histories of military regimes.
Save lives, set a date, general
Voranai Vanijaka, Published on 29/05/2014
» The general announced to the world that the military coup was staged to save the capital and the nation from increasing violence and anarchy. In essence, it was to save lives.