Showing 81 - 90 of 528
Thai Airways a microcosm of Thailand
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 29/05/2020
» Not so long ago, when air travel was not so commonplace, Thai nationals studying and working abroad could feel like they were half-way home when they saw Thai Airways (THAI) planes on tarmacs around the world. It was a symbolic comfort to know that getting on one of the national flag carrier's aircraft would eventually end up getting them home. As THAI has entered a massive and unprecedented reorganisation plan, the national airline is a microcosm of Thailand itself.
Geopolitical outcomes beyond Covid-19
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/05/2020
» The coronavirus crisis is on course to significantly reshape and realign the pecking order among nations in geopolitics. Rather than a fundamental shift in patterns and contours, the likely geopolitical outcomes beyond Covid-19 appear to reinforce pre-existing trends and dynamics. As the two competing superpowers, neither the United States nor China will come out of the pandemic period with flying colours.
Path to economic progress: A tale of two nations
News, Published on 17/04/2020
» The present pandemic, which has generated concerns over Asean countries' economic sustainability and global food supplies, reminds us that Thailand and Vietnam are primarily agrarian societies, competing with each other as major rice-exporting countries. In the 1960s, both were classified as economically less developed countries before moving a notch higher to "developing countries". Presently, both countries are ranked as middle-income, although Thailand is slightly ahead since its advancement to the category's upper tier in 2011, while Vietnam has remained in the lower tier since 2013. It is expected that Thailand will not be able to progress much over the next 20 years, while Vietnam could achieve high-income status by 2045. Still, this relative decline is not inevitable.
Water, the sole global hope for food security
News, Published on 04/04/2020
» As leaders of the world are preoccupied with the coronavirus pandemic, little attention is given to the problem of water shortages which currently put millions of people in agony around the world.
Financial illiteracy a big problem
News, Published on 18/02/2020
» Income and wealth inequalities in Thailand flash signs of improvement, according to recent studies. Nonetheless, that does not mean we are off the hook of economic disparity. While a multifaceted set of policies is required to address this conundrum, financial literacy plays a critical role in cultivating healthy financial habits and bridging the gap between the rich and the poor.
Army not sacred nor above criticism
News, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 15/02/2020
» The Thai army is a closed system governed by feudal authoritarianism which breeds corruption and abuse of power. Yes? Tell me something new.
We need less 'content' and more journalism
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 25/01/2020
» Content, as media gurus keep preaching, is king. But such PowerPoint pep talk is shallow: "Content" -- an increasingly bastardised term that has come to signify TV newscasts, podcasts, movies, viral videos, Netflix series, memes, news articles, editorial features, real advertising, covert advertising, tweets and Facebook posts, organic or boosted -- is also an anaesthetic. It dulls the senses and kills meaning, then proceeds to belittle essence, promote shallowness and eventually undermine the practice of journalism.
Government's competence in question
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/01/2020
» It's just about official. Despite having a government, Thailand is rudderless. Approaching six years under more or less junta rule and military influence, irrespective of an election last year, this once up-and-coming country has degenerated into an authoritarian-bureaucratic state that is unsuited and unfit to address public grievances and demands of the 21st century. Yet Thailand's biggest problem is that this government, a motley coalition propped up by a crooked constitution and led by former junta chief Prayut Chan-o-cha, intends to stay for the long haul despite its growing incompetence. Unless the Thai people's world-famous patience and tolerance are boundless, political tensions will likely mount in the foreseeable future.
The flow of time
Life, Pongpet Mekloy, Published on 30/12/2019
» Just a day and a few hours from now it's going to be 2020. Do you notice anything? We're already two decades into the "new" millennium! At midnight tomorrow, one-fifth of the 21st century will be gone!
Thailand's inevitable political endgame
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/11/2019
» While the conviction this week of Future Forward Party (FFP) leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit seemed to be in the making ever since the Election Commission took up the charge last May, it was still astonishing when it transpired. In an all too familiar scene, the Constitutional Court ruled that a leader of yet another leading political party which has stood against military coups and the generals' role in politics is guilty of violating an election-related law, this one banning MP candidates from owning shares in a media company. As the verdict strips Mr Thanathorn of his MP status, several implications seem clear.