Showing 1 - 8 of 8
Cabinet shuffle unlikely to kickstart growth
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 05/08/2015
» As the economy continues to stagnate, speculation is getting more intense as to when the prime minister will replace some - or perhaps all - ministers in charge of the economy. Changing personnel may pacify the critics, but it is unlikely to change anything for the better. Both external and internal factors are working against any possibility of achieving robust growth in the near future.
Big ideas like Kra Canal take guts to follow through on
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 07/01/2015
» With attention focused largely on holiday celebrations in the past couple of weeks, most Thais probably missed the news about a milestone event in Nicaragua just before Christmas. The event was a groundbreaking ceremony, commencing the construction of the Nicaragua Canal linking the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean.
Eating less rice benefits farmers, the environment
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 01/10/2014
» Growing up in a typical rice-farming family — my mother was also a rice noodle vendor during the dry season — I am accustomed to eating rice or rice noodles three times a day and have a lot of empathy for rice farmers whenever rice prices are low. But instead of eating more rice and rice noodles to help increase demand — and hopefully the price — I now eat far less rice and almost no rice noodles. I believe this not only helps rice farmers, but also reduce my environmental footprint. It will also make me relatively healthier.
Coup-makers must lead by example
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 04/06/2014
» Every military intervention is costly and the current one is no exception. It costs a lot of money to keep soldiers on the streets, and their presence spooks tourists and investors, and interrupts the process of democratic development.
Harnessing consumer power for the better
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 05/03/2014
» During the past few weeks, Thailand has seen a new phenomenon, beginning with a large number of depositors flocking to branches of the Government Savings Bank (GSB), to either close their accounts or withdraw large sums of money.
Getting rid of the government is the easy part
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 04/12/2013
» Ask any of the participants in the massive anti-government rallies about their purpose, and the answer is likely to be to get rid of something called "Thaksinocracy". When asked what it means, the answer varies, but may be roughly grouped along these five "cracies".
Pawning rice is worse than pawning Thailand
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 05/12/2012
» Since the launching of the rice-pawning scheme a few months ago ("pawning" is not only a correct translation of the Thai word jam nam but also reflects the sense of the scheme better than the "pledging" that many writers have used), two areas have been analysed most thoroughly: its potential impact on the budget and national debt, resulting from the large losses that will occur, and the corruption that is due to happen at various steps of the scheme. Some analysts go so far as to say that losses from this scheme will bankrupt the country and pawning rice is tantamount to pawning the country.
Agricultural policy fails to address land grab
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 03/10/2012
» Afew years back, foreign investors scouting for large swaths of land to plant rice and eucalyptus trees backed off after encountering strong local opposition. Anecdotal reports indicate that they have not given up altogether but may be working through Thai fronts to achieve the same end. With warm weather year round, fertile soil, and ample supplies of water, Thailand remains a target for foreigners interested not only in securing industrial raw materials and food supplies but also in obtaining a higher rate of return on their investment.