Showing 1 - 10 of 29
Bangkok's clean streets, empty souls
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 10/11/2025
» Banthat Thong used to be a neighbourhood, not a concept. You could live here and find everything: restaurants, bookstores, hardware shops, clinics, banks -- even a place to have your shirts made. It was one of those streets where life unfolded upstairs and business happened downstairs. Today, it is something else entirely.
Vaccines don't mean you can't infect others
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 08/04/2021
» 'Don't worry, I already received my first vaccination shot [against Covid-19]. I won't be infected," the taxi driver told me confidently, almost in a carefree manner, when I asked him to put his face-mask on.
Shutting down Hua Lamphong not a bright idea
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 03/02/2021
» When was your last train trip to somewhere in Thailand? Maybe in the last decade or two? Or maybe you cannot remember?
BMA's Green Line fares are unforgivable
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 20/01/2021
» The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) plan to raise the Green Line's fare ceiling to the absolute maximum, at over 100 baht, from the original 65 baht, has triggered an avalanche of criticism.
Govt gets it all wrong in closing down train lines
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 21/10/2020
» Should I, or should I not, take the train today?" might be the question du jour for city commuters right now. Apart from checking if a train is running or delayed, commuters find it helps to remain flexible in case authorities suddenly order the train services to temporarily shut. Such has been the response to the pro-democracy rallies that have erupted daily since the Oct 15 crackdown, when riot police used water cannon to disperse crowds.
Bus commuters won't gain from BMTA rehab
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 24/06/2020
» The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) is getting serious about rehabilitation, proposing a slew of plans in a scheme akin to that adopted for Thai Airways (THAI) to help the loss-ridden agency turn itself around.
Vulnerable and struggling
Life, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 20/05/2020
» Suthat Namgasa is relieved to discover he still has one packet of instant noodles in his relief bag. He will eat tonight, but he has no idea how he will find the money to pay the next instalment on his taxi.
Hands-off way of supporting hard hit
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 29/04/2020
» After five weeks of lockdown with strict measures aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19, Thailand has made a lot of headway with a steady decline in infections. At the same time, there has been a rise in the number of suicides and failed attempts made by people who have slipped through the state's security net.
Filthy city air can't be cleaned with pie in sky
News, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 18/01/2020
» As PM2.5 fine dust particles continue to blanket Bangkok, the government has begun to toy with the idea of banning private cars from city roads on certain days of the week -- a harsh-yet-successful measure practised in many major cities around the world to curb air pollution.
White elephant spotted on new walking streets
News, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 30/11/2019
» The Bangkok Metropolitan (BMA) is planning to bring back popular walking streets in the city's three commercial hubs, namely Silom, Yaowarat and Khao San. The reason for the move is simple: to promote food shops and boost tourism as well as the economy.