Showing 1 - 10 of 18
Sizing up the Kra Canal opportunity
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 02/12/2015
» Thailand and South Korea started implementing accelerated development programmes about the same time as the United States started its urgent quest to land men on the moon. In that quest, the Saturn V rocket was the game changer, for its ability to take a heavy payload, including a moon lander and three astronauts, out of the Earth's gravity to the moon's orbit. It enabled Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to land on the moon's surface and return to Earth safely more than four decades ago.
Why Thailand must protect its international reserves
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 04/11/2015
» On the basis of its international reserve holdings of over $160 billion (4.4 trillion baht), Thailand has been a member of the rich-nation club for many years now.
Don't play roulette with Thai society
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 01/07/2015
» Since the National Council for Peace and Order took the reins of government 13 months ago, Thailand was supposed to be on a path of reform — to make major changes for the better. The National Reform Assembly (NRA), with members chosen from various groups of presumably wise Thais, was set up to put together what needs to be changed.
Four horsemen of Thai democracy ride on apathy
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 03/06/2015
» We are presumably more than half done with yet another constitution. Not counting the temporary ones issued after the many coup d'etats, this will be the 17th since absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932. Debates have been raging whether the new constitution will — finally — help Thailand reach its goal of being governed by democratic principles. I think not, for these reasons.
Seeds of failure sown deep into national reform targets
Oped, Sawai Boonma, Published on 06/05/2015
» This month marks a year since the military took over the reins of government. According to its roadmap, the military has a few more months before it hands power back to an elected government. It will then be up to the new government to complete the reforms initiated over the past year.
An end to wasteful spending is the key to real reform
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 03/09/2014
» The National Legislative Assembly is considering a 2.57-trillion-baht budget for the next fiscal year proposed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). This budget will incur a national deficit of 250 billion baht. Members of the National Reform Assembly — the body charged with spelling out reforms to be undertaken in 11 areas stipulated by the NCPO — have not yet been selected, so how the new budget will be adjusted to accommodate the changes is not clear. If the government is serious about its reform it must start during the coming fiscal year. That should lead to a lower deficit than projected.
Keep a keen eye on the advisers, not just the NCPO
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 06/08/2014
» Recent days saw the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War One and the latest default by Argentina on its international debt.
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.
A tale of two Isan villages’ attempts to end poverty
News, Sawai Boonma, Published on 07/05/2014
» About three decades ago, a seemingly great idea was put forward with the express purpose of raising the incomes of the people of Isan — the Northeast — so that they would no longer be the poorest compared with Thais in other regions of the country. Having relatively less water, it was believed, was the key factor contributing to Isan’s lower level of development and poverty. With more water, Isan could be planted with more crops, including trees such as eucalyptus to be harvested as feedstock for paper mills, making it green all year round as well as generating more income for its people.
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.