Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Army unwilling to yield to democracy
News, Erich Parpart, Published on 31/07/2019
» For the country like Thailand where the military staged two putsches within the past 13 years, a coup d'état should no longer be necessary.
Cost of doing business in Land of Smiles
News, Erich Parpart, Published on 15/07/2019
» Several government megaprojects and ultra-lucrative concessions have long been a source of alleged corruption, questionable monopolies or "stupid" state incompetency in Thailand to the point it is sad that no one has been willing to do anything about it all these years.
Duterte can run but he can't hide
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 25/03/2019
» Last week the Philippines became the second country in the world to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) after Burundi, which left in 2017. Many observers, myself included, see this as an attempt to evade an investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte's deadly war on drugs, but it is not going to work.
Saving our overburdened beaches
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 22/10/2018
» One of my favourite New Year memories is from Boracay in the Philippines, where the entire sky was lit up in red from fireworks set off from boats offshore.
A restaurant with a soul
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 08/10/2018
» Back in the glory days of Patpong in the 1970s and 1980s, before the night market arrived, Mizu's Kitchen was one of the hottest places in Patpong Soi 1 in Bangkok.
Don't blame the rain
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 10/09/2018
» After days of being battered by heavy rain in Bangkok, anyone who isn't sniffling or coughing probably considers themselves lucky. After all, didn't your mother always tell you, "Don't stay in the rain or you'll catch a cold" … "go dry your hair and change your clothes or you'll catch a cold"? Mine certainly did.
Save us from climate deniers
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 30/07/2018
» Are natural disasters happening more frequently or are we just hearing more about them because we live in a communication-saturated world?
Asia's memorable World Cup
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 09/07/2018
» The World Cup approaches its semi-final round this week minus any African or Asian contenders, but Asian teams did much better than I thought they would. I do not think I was the only observer who erred on the side of pessimism before the tournament started with a record five Asian teams.
Asia gets its kicks
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 18/06/2018
» There was no shortage of excitement in the world last week, what with Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un shaking hands and pledging to work toward peace on the Korean Peninsula. But the number of people tuning in to the "summit of the century" was probably eclipsed two days later when the World Cup kicked off in Russia.
America the unwelcoming
Asia focus, Erich Parpart, Published on 28/05/2018
» If you saw the recent Asia Power Index complied by the Lowy Institute, you may have been surprised to see the United States ranked above China as the pre-eminent power in Asia in 2018. One major factor giving America the edge was "cultural influence".