Showing 1 - 10 of 2,857
Shield children from online abuse
News, Published on 23/09/2024
» Across Southeast Asia -- from Manila to Bangkok to Phnom Penh -- police are struggling to keep children safe from sexual exploitation and abuse, in particular online. Every day, millions of images and videos of children are shared on the internet, while authorities are increasingly at a loss for what to do.
US can't rely on inflation shamanism
News, Published on 23/09/2024
» Google "shamanism" and you will find that it is "a tradition of part-time religious specialists who establish and maintain personalistic relations with specific spirit beings through the use of controlled and culturally scripted altered states of consciousness." Every element of that definition applies to monetary policymaking today, as illustrated by the reaction to the US Federal Reserve's Sept 18 decision to cut the short-term interest rate by 50 basis points.
Reimagining human rights and China?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/09/2024
» Should human rights be reimagined, especially in the context of China? From one angle, the answer is obvious. Plenty of norms are already agreed upon globally without the need for reimagination, and China is part of that universality. Yet given the situation on the ground level and the evolving nature of human rights, there might be room for some innovative reimagination, and this deserves balanced reflection.
Surviving a climate disaster isn't a vote-changer
News, Published on 20/09/2024
» This year, elections and extreme weather events have collided: In India, the spring general election was snarled by a heat wave that killed dozens of people, including poll workers. In Germany, severe flooding prompted evacuations just days before elections for the European Parliament. And in the US, people attending campaign rallies have fallen ill from record-breaking heat.
Securing the Mekong's water future
Oped, Published on 18/09/2024
» Today, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Mekong River Commission (MRC) kick off a second round of talks about water security.
Solving the Myanmar migrant surge
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/09/2024
» With the civil conflict in Myanmar showing no signs of abating soon, Thailand faces formidable challenges in irregular migration from the country. Without adequate and sustainable solutions, Thailand's overall development, including its economy, society, and security, will be seriously impacted.
Asia's consumer tipping point
Oped, Published on 17/09/2024
» With market turmoil recently capturing headlines, it is easy to lose sight of the long-term forces which have been shaping Asia's development. While Asian markets, especially the Nikkei, experienced sharp losses in recent weeks, a positive tipping point has been reached as well: for the first time ever, over half of Asia's 4.8 billion people are part of the global consumer class, defined by the World Data Lab as those spending more than US$12 (400 baht) per day in purchasing power parity prices.
Let the capable lead
News, Editorial, Published on 16/09/2024
» The recent scandal involving an alleged audio clip of former deputy prime minister and Palang Pracharath Party leader Gen Prawit Wongsuwon talking about promotions has reignited concerns about Thailand's deep-rooted patronage system in civil service appointments.
Countries that are in step must trade together
Oped, Published on 14/09/2024
» Donald Trump and Kamala Harris agree on little except a disdain for free trade. Ahead of the 2024 US presidential election, Mr Trump has threatened a 10% across-the-board tariff on imports, while Ms Harris, whose policy positions remain murky, has indicated that she would follow in President Joe Biden's footsteps with "targeted and strategic tariffs". American politicians' free-trade enthusiasm of the 1980s and 1990s has vanished, and this scares other countries, which know that the United States -- despite its wobbles and foibles -- remains the world's most attractive trading partner.
Stop all of the democracy in-fighting
Oped, Published on 11/09/2024
» If democracy is going to flourish on this planet, its practitioners must be members of the same team.