Showing 1 - 10 of 17
Thai-Korea ties: From K-pop to policy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 06/08/2024
» Thai singer Lalisa "Lisa" Manobal, a member of the phenomenal yet now defunct Blackpink, epitomises the modern Thai-South Korean relationship thanks to her popularity and global appeal.
New shifts in Thai Middle East policy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 14/11/2023
» The past five weeks have been a hellish time for the new Srettha government, with 39 Thai workers killed and many others injured and kidnapped in the Israel-Hamas war. Despite Thais being categorised as "innocent", "unarmed", and "non-lethal", they have suffered the highest casualties among foreigners in Israel.
Can Thai passports' power get a lift?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/09/2023
» At the first cabinet meeting last week, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced one of the government's priorities -- improving the power of Thai passports. It is a headline goal that will require extraordinary efforts to achieve. Upgrading a national passport to a higher level involves numerous factors -- economic, socio-cultural, and political -- as well as the general optics of the partnership countries. After all, the large number of visitors to a country is not an indicator of how powerful its passport is. A country might be given more visa-free accessibility and be popular for foreign passports, but its own passport's power can still be low.
New playbook for Thai diplomacy?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/09/2023
» The Srettha government has started outlining its policies in parliament. Regarding diplomacy and internal policies, two paragraphs in the middle of the draft speech encapsulate the guiding principle of Thailand's new diplomatic trajectory.
Thai soft power, or a soft sales job?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 31/01/2023
» Last week Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-cha issued a new soft power policy to promote Thai culture as part of efforts to attract international visitors. Upon close scrutiny, what the government is trying to do is actually raise revenue. In a nutshell, it is a sales pitch, nothing more.
Asean's international status is rising
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/12/2022
» It might sound pompous to keep stating the strategic importance of Southeast Asia over the past year due mainly to the three heavy-weight summits held in the neighbourhood. Historically speaking, it has always been this way since the colonial period when European powers gobbled up land, suppressed local people, and gained and influenced footholds throughout the region's mainland and archipelagos.
Bolstering Thailand-India ties at 75
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/08/2022
» Thailand and India have taken seven-and-a-half decades to transform their close historical and cultural ties into a more strategic trajectory. It is not an easy task as their leaders have been all too comfortable with their longstanding friendly and relatively trouble-free ties. However, the recent three-day high-profile visit of Indian External Affairs Secretary Dr S Jaishankar has raised the dynamics of Thailand-India relations to a new level.
Thais split over Russia-Ukraine conflict
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 15/03/2022
» The Russia-Ukraine war has managed to divide the Thai public with three different outlooks on the crisis -- strong condemnation, non-partisan, or support for the UN charter. For the first time since the Cambodian conflict four decades ago, Russian military action has caused divisive debates among Thai intellectuals, diplomats, and media personalities about the country's position on the situation.
Thailand plans cultural centre in China
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 07/09/2021
» Sixteen years after the idea was first broached, Thailand is planning to set up its first ever cultural centre overseas. Culture Minister Ittiphol Khunpluem revealed last week that the centre would be in China. This new move comes at a time when Thai-Chinese relations are in an excellent shape, moving at a fast pace even in the time of the pandemic. Since last year, the Chinese Lunar New Year is now a national holiday.
Sustaining diplomacy post-Covid
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 18/08/2020
» The Bangkok-based diplomatic community breathed a sigh of relief following the announcement of the new cabinet on Aug 5. One of the major reasons was that Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai was staying on with the added role of deputy prime minister, making him one of the most powerful cabinet members at this juncture and post Covid-19. With a tenure of five years, Mr Don is now the longest-serving living minister overseeing the country's foreign policy.