Showing 1 - 10 of 27
Do not mistake ritual for repentance
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 31/01/2022
» Can religious rituals cleanse us of our sins?
Asean needs a Middle Path
Asia focus, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 17/01/2022
» Despite the economic downturn during the Covid-19 pandemic, China-sponsored infrastructure, trade and cooperation initiatives with Southeast Asian nations have been moving forward consistently -- amplifying the presence of Beijing in one of the world's fastest growing regions.
Thailand must lend a hand to the Karen
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 05/04/2021
» Pictures of Karen people, including children and the elderly, crowded on the banks of Myanmar's Salween River while attempting to flee the country as their communities were targeted by air strikes launched by the Tatmadaw, and taking refuge on Thai soil triggered sympathy among many Thais. Criticism has also been deafening over allegations made by human rights groups that Thai authorities pushed back the Karen into the war zone.
Education 'reform' is an utter failure
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 14/12/2020
» The World Bank's recent report on a decline in Thai students' performance in the Program for International Student Assessment (Pisa) is a slap in the face for the government, particularly the Education Ministry, under Nathapol Teepsuwan.
Subs plan could sink govt fortunes
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 24/08/2020
» Even when the economy is thriving, with high GDP figures, we expect the government to spend rationally. Therefore, the government's decision to go ahead with the 22.5 billion baht submarine purchase at a time when the country is struggling amid economic contraction, millions are out of work because of Covid-19 restrictions and depend on state assistance, has understandably triggered outrage.
SEZ plan ignores local ideas of development
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 18/05/2020
» On May 12, Kaireeya Ramanya, a young girl from a sleepy fishing village in Songkhla's Chana district, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. This is a task that the 17-year-old -- who staged a sit-in protest against a mega-development project known as the Southern Economic Zone (SEZ) -- had never dreamed of doing.
EU sends Hun Sen a sharp message
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 17/02/2020
» The European Commission's announcement last week of the partial suspension of Cambodia's duty- and quota-free access to European Union (EU) markets deals a blow to both the Hun Sen government and his country's economy given the EU is Cambodia's largest trading partner.
No safe spaces in our faux democracy
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 18/09/2019
» As Asean chair, a Thailand governed by an "elected government" should have been well-suited to hosting meetings between governments and people from the region, and allowing those suppressed in their home countries to voice their plight and needs here.
Military 'efficiency' will torpedo EEC
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 21/08/2019
» Since being initiated by technocrats and the previous government in 2015, the government's flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) has been touted as a new special economic zone that will transform Thailand into a high-tech economy.
Poor suffer from smog created by uncaring rich
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 04/02/2019
» Trying to find N95 respirators -- a type of facial mask that can deal with small particles or PM2.5 -- is a troublesome task for many people living in smog-hit Bangkok.