Showing 1 - 10 of 14
LGBT vote push will pay off at polls
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 06/05/2018
» The coup-led government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is looking to tap into yet another source of valuable votes after announcing plans to enact a law allowing same-sex civil partnerships by the end of this year.
PM must pick allies with more care
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 22/10/2017
» Once again a key ally of our dear leader Prayut Chan-o-cha has become embroiled in yet another controversy, and in the days and weeks ahead it is very likely that the prime minister is going to come out to defend this action.
Consumers still lack confidence
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 03/09/2017
» For those readers who have not read the business stories over the past week, let me recap some of the interesting issues that were written about by our intrepid business writers. Stories such as the Revenue Department coming out to openly state that their tax collection for the first 10 months of the fiscal year (October 2016 to July 2017) was 4% below the target came as a shock to many. The reason given for the shortfall was the lower collection of value added tax (VAT) that you and I pay for consuming.
Time to ease 'I'm the boss' attitude
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 02/07/2017
» Waking up on Tuesday for most Thais was just another day but by evening there was a whole lot of social media buzz on a decision by the cabinet passed earlier in the day -- the decision to build a Bangkok Observatory.
The failings of absolute power
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 12/03/2017
» Images of joyous disciples and monks were visible in the wee hours yesterday at the sprawling campus of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in Pathum Thani's Klong Luang district after Thailand's premier investigative agency -- the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) -- and the military government failed to find the elusive monk.
Dhammakaya saga's cost is too high
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 05/03/2017
» Over the past 15 plus days, the country has witnessed a standoff that not many people would have thought would have been possible, especially in an era of military rule where anything said is set in stone and must be followed, but the famous Wat Phra Dhammakaya continues to defy the people's beliefs and the standoff continues.
All aboard the train to Thailand 4.0
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 05/02/2017
» To the world's joy, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has finally gone online for its booking and passenger seat selections -- a small step, one may think, but a giant stride for the antiquated bogies running around Thailand.
Thailand must clean up its act
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 29/01/2017
» On Wednesday the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha saw a bombshell drop in its lap when Transparency International announced the corruption rankings for 176 countries.
The perils of strongman syndrome
Asia focus, Umesh Pandey, Published on 16/05/2016
» Last week Asean suffered another blow after the Philippines joined the list of countries under the rule of people who go crazy with power.
Time to let journalists do their job
News, Umesh Pandey, Published on 11/03/2016
» The move to streamline the visa application process, including tougher accreditation mechanisms for foreign media applicants, has put the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MFA) and other state agencies in the hot seat.