Showing 1 - 10 of 16
Getting soft power right
Life, Published on 08/01/2024
» After three months in office, the Srettha Thavisin government has raved on about populist policies in the guise of digital wallets and soft power projects that will create income to boost our declining economy. With optimism, we learned that Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Pheu Thai party leader and head of the National Soft Power Strategy Committee (NSPSC), has drafted a budget of 5.1 billion baht to boost festivals and creative industries. It is welcoming news to hear this government is priortising art, music, literature, design, fashion, film, food, games, sports and festivals as essential sources for the creative economy. Where this enormous chunk of budget will come from, like digital wallets, remains to be seen.
Divided cabinet faces tough tests
Published on 03/09/2023
» Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has completed his first task of putting together a cabinet which received royal endorsement on Saturday but questions remain as to whether he is putting the right people in the right jobs.
Pheu Thai eyes economic posts
News, Published on 27/03/2023
» The Pheu Thai Party has vowed to take charge of all ministries that handle economic affairs to carry out its campaign policies if it is elected to lead the government after the next election.
Eyes wide open
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 08/05/2020
» The literature about modern Thai politics is not abundant, and by this I mean a narrative that grounds its characters in the double-whammy of coup d'etat and street protest that characterised the mid-2000s to mid-2010s. The period, plus a few years earlier when Thaksin Shinawatra rose to power, contains some of the most convulsive and era-defining moments that continue to shape the visible and invisible dimensions of Thai society in the present time, and it's astonishing that not more writers find it a rich wellspring of artistic expression (on the contrary, visual artists and theatre artists seem more responsive to the political currents of the same period).
A taxing argument
News, Postbag, Published on 24/03/2019
» A reader in his March 23 letter makes a fair comment on two-tiered pricing for foreigners. But he then goes on to quantify the government's policy of a two-tiered charging system by saying that some farang do not pay taxes. I would dispute this. I am assuming by "some farang" he means tourists, as all foreigners living and working here pay tax in one form or another.
Economic growth tilts up in Q4 but politics loom
Published on 18/02/2019
» The country’s economy grew at a faster pace in the fourth quarter than the previous three months, as local demand helped to offset a slide in exports, but Thailand's ongoing political divide is again threatening the economy.
The more things change
Business, Post Reporters, Published on 04/02/2019
» After a series of false promises on a general election, Thailand is scheduled to hold one on March 24 after more than four years of military rule.
Giving wings to the elusive aerotropolis
Business, Chatrudee Theparat, Published on 29/08/2018
» John D Kasarda is the director of the Center of Air Commerce at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, president and chief executive of Aerotropolis Business Concepts LLC, president of the Aerotropolis Institute of China and editor-in-chief of Logistics, an international scholarly journal. He has also published more than 100 articles and 10 books on airport cities, aviation infrastructure, urban economic development and competitiveness.
Our top 10 stories in a year that will be hard to forget
Spectrum, Published on 25/12/2016
» Over the past year 'Spectrum' has reported a wide range of issues to give readers valuable insights. Our reporter ambushed the monk who helped Leicester City to their shock English Premier League title to get an exclusive. Another reporter blended in with Chinese yuppies in the new business district of Bangkok to find out why they decided to migrate to Thailand. Two reporters did a series of stories on the Tiger Temple by hanging out with the veterinarian, monks and national park officers to listen to all sides. We were determined to find the truth. Last month we also went up to Chiang Mai to talk to Hmong girls wrongly accused of stealing a British tourist's watch. Here are the top 10 stories in another exciting year of reporting.
String of bombs rocks South
Published on 12/08/2016
» The country is on high alert following a total of 13 bombing incidents that killed four people and injured 35 others in five southern provinces between Wednesday and Friday morning.