Showing 21 - 30 of 83
What K-pop can teach us about politics
Oped, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 07/12/2020
» Tweets by Thai fans of the South Korean boyband BTS, or Bangtan Sonyeondan, over "happy birthday" signs for their idols on the back of tuk-tuks, instead of at mass transit stations, have gone viral.
Violence as yellow shirts overreact
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 16/11/2020
» Last week, a rally by a group of ultra-royalists in Nakhon Si Thammarat turned ugly after some elements from the crowd attacked a car, which they falsely believed to be carrying the co-founder of the Progressive Movement, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, out of a hotel. This is a sign that violent confrontations will be inevitable.
Small traders can pull their weight
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 09/11/2020
» When the Prayut Chan-o-cha government announced the launch of a populist 50-50 co-payment scheme as part of an economic stimulus package, some people questioned its virtue. I was among them.
Justice for Chaiyaphum still undelivered
Oped, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 28/10/2020
» More than three years after the death of Chaiyaphum Pasae, a Lahu ethnic activist who was killed by a soldier at a checkpoint in Chiang Mai, the perpetrator(s) remain free -- and the chances of anyone being accountable for his untimely death are zero.
Online stores owe parties level playing field
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 05/10/2020
» Overnight, the #BanShopee hashtag climbed to the top of Thailand's Twitter trends. The virtual turbulence came after a core member of the Progressive Movement complained that its online shop was banned on Shopee, one of the leading e-commerce platforms in Southeast Asia.
Thai big media forced to rethink unwritten rules
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 28/09/2020
» With the rise of the student-led pro-democracy movement, the topic of the monarchy, which was once a taboo, now has more space in public discussion.
Clock ticking for Phuket to reinvent itself
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 14/09/2020
» Phuket, Thailand's top tourist destination, has experienced the worst hardship in the country as a result of travel restrictions with international airports shut down for almost six months.
Digital divide leaves poor out of scheme
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 07/09/2020
» As the Thai economy has yet to recover from the lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the government is once again resorting to cash handouts to boost domestic consumption.
Subs plan could sink govt fortunes
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 24/08/2020
» Even when the economy is thriving, with high GDP figures, we expect the government to spend rationally. Therefore, the government's decision to go ahead with the 22.5 billion baht submarine purchase at a time when the country is struggling amid economic contraction, millions are out of work because of Covid-19 restrictions and depend on state assistance, has understandably triggered outrage.
Crackdown on youth protesters will backfire
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 10/08/2020
» Remember how just two decades ago, Thailand was regarded as a progressive democracy among Asian nations? The recent arrests of a civil rights lawyer and a student activist, which appear to be the prelude to a widespread crackdown on youth movements, made me lose hope over the state of democracy in the country.