Showing 1 - 10 of 45
Conflicts of interest worsen crisis
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 06/04/2026
» Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn's resignation as head of the committee handling the oil crisis caused by the war in the Middle East has spared him from public criticism over a potential conflict of interest linked to his family's oil trading business.
50-party race comes down to just this
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 09/02/2026
» By the time this opinion piece goes into print, the unofficial outcome of Sunday's election will already have been announced by the Election Commission. Which of the two front-running parties, Bhumjaithai and the People's Party, has emerged the winner and earned the right to form the new government will also be known.
Talking peace with a tyrant: Who'd do it?
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 25/08/2025
» Peace is a beautiful word. It is an ideal condition under which people of different countries, religious faiths, races, cultures and political views can co-exist happily, without having to fight with each other, without having to shed blood as being witnessed across the world from Ukraine in eastern Europe to Gaza and Yemen in the Middle East, and even along the Thai-Cambodian border before a ceasefire agreement was signed late last month.
Thaksin's role in tariff talks raises questions
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 14/07/2025
» 'I have to do something for the country. Regarding the economic situation today, if I do not poke my nose in, then who will?" so said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Thursday during a media forum.
Govt keen to dangle debt relief
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 24/03/2025
» Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's recent idea to solve the problem of non-performing loans (NPLs) in the household debt sector is just a further extension of two similar programmes introduced by a previous Pheu Thai-led government to ease the financial burden of small debtors and SMEs.
DSI considers all-out war with Senate
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 24/02/2025
» The sound of beating war drums is getting louder as the Justice Ministry and its sidekick, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), go on the warpath against the Senate -- the first confrontation of its kind -- over allegations that the senatorial election last June was fraught with collusion and bloc voting.
Safeguards needed for legal gambling
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 13/01/2025
» The government's dream of developing an integrated entertainment complex complete with a casino in Bangkok or on the eastern seaboard is facing hurdles after the Council of State last week raised an objection on the ground that such a megaproject is not relevant to the government's policy to promote a new form of tourism industry.
Maritime woes land govt in hot water
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 11/11/2024
» On the surface, the political situation appears to be calm and the government is doing fine. Politically, if not economically, it enjoys a comfortable majority in the House, with the opposition People's Party performing its role half-heartedly. But a strong undercurrent is running underneath the surface like a time bomb waiting to explode if the government makes a faux pas.
No Tak Bai miracles to deliver justice
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 28/10/2024
» There was no miracle as the clock ticked past midnight of Oct 25 marking the end of the 20-year statute of limitations in the Tak Bai case.
Kingdom's top cops set poor example
News, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 24/06/2024
» The handling of the bitter feud between two heavyweights of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sukivimol and Surachate Hakparn, aka Big Joke, by a prime minister-appointed committee led by Chatchai Promlert is typical of a Thai style of conflict resolution that reflects the "mai pen rai" and "forget about it" attitude, despite the core issue being the integrity and honesty of the two officers.