Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Asean chair faces formidable challenges
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 03/02/2026
» The Philippines' Asean chairmanship will be one of the most exciting periods for the bloc.
Sino-Thai ties: Kinship and complexity
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 01/07/2025
» Today marks two significant milestones. Firstly, Thailand and China are commemorating a golden jubilee -- the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Countless personalities and factors have contributed to the strengthening and continued relevance of Zhong Tai yi jia qin -- China and Thailand are one family. Looking back, this family has been tested through trial and error. The notion of "one family" also holds special meaning, as the slogan has been frequently cited by the two countries' leaders as the foundation of their bilateral relations.
Time to clean up Thailand's borders
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 18/02/2025
» Thailand's recent decision to cut electricity and other fuel to Myanmar has had far-reaching ramifications along the Thai-Myanmar and Thai-Cambodian borders. Indeed, it will also impact geopolitics in the region and beyond.
Border power cut, but problems remain
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/02/2025
» Hooray. After nearly a fortnight of to-and-fro brinkmanship and passing the buck among Thai agencies, the Thai government finally cut power to five border towns in Myanmar last week.
Can Thai passports' power get a lift?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/09/2023
» At the first cabinet meeting last week, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced one of the government's priorities -- improving the power of Thai passports. It is a headline goal that will require extraordinary efforts to achieve. Upgrading a national passport to a higher level involves numerous factors -- economic, socio-cultural, and political -- as well as the general optics of the partnership countries. After all, the large number of visitors to a country is not an indicator of how powerful its passport is. A country might be given more visa-free accessibility and be popular for foreign passports, but its own passport's power can still be low.
Govt backs information as public good
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/11/2021
» At the recent Unesco General Conference this month, one of the key issues discussed and debated among member countries was the state of global media development. The overall picture painted was very gloomy. For one thing, traditional journalism, for which the writer needs to be on the ground to report, is vanishing fast. In newsrooms around the world, the craft of journalism is becoming a rarity due to budget constraints in terms of hiring staffers to report, check and verify sources, as well as put into context all the information received.
Policy on Myanmar must be prudent
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 16/11/2021
» Ten months into the crisis in Myanmar, Thailand is still scrambling for a well-balanced policy that would lessen the anxiety of all the peoples of Myanmar, both living in and outside the country. The latest news of a new influx of migrant workers across the Thai-Myanmar border has sent a chilling message to the Thai authorities, especially those who deal with national security.
Embedding S Korea in Southeast Asia
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/11/2019
» For three days from Nov 25-27 in the port city of Busan, South Korean President Moon Jae-in will have a rare opportunity that eluded his predecessors -- to set in cast iron the future and shape of South Korean-Asean and Mekong riparian country relations amid the ever-changing regional and international environment.
Learn from past visa-waiver mishap
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/08/2019
» In September 2003, the Thai government undertook the most incredible step by signing a visa-waiver agreement with Russia. No other Asean country had dared to do that before.
4 big challenges for Thailand as Asean chair
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/11/2018
» Last week, Singapore handed the incoming Asean chair, Thailand, four formidable challenges that would define Asean's centrality and its relevance, not to mention the kingdom's leadership role. These issues are the nascent Indo-Pacific concept, the Rakhine crisis, peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, and the drafting of a code of conduct (COC) on the South China Sea.