Showing 1 - 10 of 27
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.
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?
Between floods and dust, we never get a break
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 08/10/2020
» Last week, when Bangkok commuters were stuck in the usual nightmare of paralysed traffic, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang was already warning us to get prepared for the impending annual PM2.5 pollution. He recommended everyone download the AirBkk app to check air quality in the city to ready ourselves before leaving home.
Car-free day? Do as we say, not as we do
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 01/10/2020
» A few days before World Car-Free Day (WCFD) which fell last Tuesday, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang tried to encourage city commuters to either carpool or leave their private cars at home and take public transportation.
'Smart city' plan or is it the eve of destruction?
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 23/07/2020
» Upon hearing that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has launched an initiative to make Bangkok's old town in the Rattanakosin area a smart city, I became curious. What does the agency have in mind when it thinks of "smart city"?
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.
Squashed liked sardines on the Covid-19 train
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 03/06/2020
» Whenever I hear the famous phrase "never lower your guard" that is repeated every day at the daily Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) press conferences, I have to wonder: Whose guard are they talking about?
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.
Food apps trade convenience for plastic waste
News, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 22/11/2019
» Last week when my friends and I were hungry, we began to discuss possible options. Should we go out to a nearby restaurant, or grab leftovers from the refrigerator? One friend suggested using a food delivery service and everyone reached a consensus and agreed.
Where's the alternative to plastic bags?
News, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 11/10/2019
» In less than three months, plastic bags will disappear from supermarkets and convenience stores as the government campaign to cut out single-use plastic gains momentum.