Showing 61 - 70 of 70
Our next leader will have to fix economy
News, Editorial, Published on 17/01/2016
» Next year’s election, should it go ahead as planned, is shaping up as a good one to lose. Any incoming government will have the interesting task of navigating unchartered constitutional waters, with a senate most likely appointed by unconventional means and restrictions over who can become prime minister and how long they can serve. But while the constitutional drafting process and referendum is rightly getting much attention in political circles, there will perhaps be an even more daunting prospect facing those who seek and win office when the army yields the floor: fixing the economy.
Time to bring Thais together
News, Editorial, Published on 31/12/2015
» Goodbye 2015, hello New Year. The past year has been something of a puzzle. Most of what happened in 2015 was good news -- sometimes excellent. But some events appeared to reach new levels of threats, violence and cruelty.
Old problem, no solution
News, Editorial, Published on 22/12/2015
» The weekend newspapers carried word of another conflict causing rancour and ill feelings. This time, the dispute centred on Mae Sariang district of Mae Hong Son, where differences of opinion have bubbled for nine years. As in myriad cases in the past, villagers are basically opposed to plans by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to build a dam. But the foundation of the struggle is an old one, that government and its authorities refuse to bring in local people to work on an obvious problem.
It's all a dry argument
News, Editorial, Published on 07/10/2015
» The government has unfortunately become involved in a dispute with farmers that should not have occurred. There have been testy exchanges from both sides. The root of the unpleasantness is water, or more specifically the lack of it because of extended weather conditions. In the main and unhelpful exchanges, authorities have made somewhat unrealistic demands and suggestions. The farmers have replied with defiant words, plus actions that seem certain to escalate the problems over the next few months, rather than ease the tension.
Time to rethink our economic strategy
News, Editorial, Published on 09/08/2015
» Hampered by sluggish exports which have been the engine of Thai growth, consumers have been reluctant to spend due to concerns over slow domestic growth and a global economic recovery. As a result, Thailand’s consumer confidence index fell to a 14-month low in July.
Government targets water waste
News, Editorial, Published on 30/07/2015
» The cabinet on Tuesday approved a set of short-term water conservation measures to be applicable at all governmental units and state enterprises effective from Oct 1 which marks the beginning of the 2016 fiscal year. These measures are long overdue.
Water crisis far from over
News, Editorial, Published on 23/07/2015
» Mother Nature has finally responded to our pleas by bringing us much-needed rain. For the past several days, there have been showers in many parts of the country, bringing to life the parched farmland and giving hope to many farmers who have been praying for rainfall to save their dying rice crops. It is a blessing for the farmers, who were relegated to secondary importance by policy-makers who denied them access to water to irrigate their crops.
Farmers lose, city folk win
News, Editorial, Published on 16/07/2015
» On April 1, California governor Jerry Brown announced the first ever state-wide water use restrictions, issuing an executive decree mandating a 25% reduction of urban water use. At the time of the imposition of the restrictions, California was in the middle of severe drought with snowpack, the source of water in the state, reduced to about 6% of what is normally available.
Biodiversity gains await
News, Editorial, Published on 10/07/2015
» Thailand's rich biodiversity has been largely untapped. To blame is a consistent lack of policy support for research and development into Thai plants and herbs for their medicinal values. Such R&D could yield huge economic benefits for the country.
Saving water daily is key
News, Editorial, Published on 09/07/2015
» The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority issued an announcement yesterday assuring the public that tap water in Bangkok and its peripherals will not run dry next month. This was widely feared following the Royal Irrigation Department's plan to stop discharging water from four major dams into the Chao Phraya River in the next 30 days due to critically low levels of water in the dams.