Showing 1 - 10 of 15
Rethinking Thailand's visa-free policy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 31/03/2026
» Thailand is planning to cut visa-free stays from 60 days to 30 days. This long-overdue change reflects growing concern over the effectiveness of immigration surveillance. Moreover, scaling down visa-free stays underscores the seriousness of the Anutin government's efforts to combat scammers, illegal work, and other underground activities that exploit easy visa access to turn Thailand into a base for under-the-table operations.
A year of shocks, but Thailand endures
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/12/2025
» The year 2025 is not just your typical annus horribilis. Some may say that an appropriate term to describe the year is "hell on earth," or narok bon din in Thai, when many bad things happen all at once.
Anutin should use his time judiciously
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/11/2025
» One month has passed. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul now has three more months to go.
Mae Sot's trade vs security dilemma
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 01/04/2025
» At Mae Sot International Airport, all passengers must now undergo a strict immigration check and police screening before they can board designated flights. The new stringent measures aim to prevent scammers from using this western border hub as a transit route across the border.
Thai-Cambodian ties enter a new era
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/01/2024
» Exactly 37 days before Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet was due to fly to Bangkok on Feb 7 for a one-day official visit, Cambodia extended Thai border pass access to Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat is located. This was an act of goodwill as the proposal has been on the table for discussions since Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's visit to Phnom Penh in September -- his first official foreign destination after being elected Thai leader.
Asean's response to Israel-Hamas war
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/10/2023
» More than ever before, the current Israeli-Hamas war has revealed the starkly different positions and views held by the 10 Asean members towards the abiding conflict in the Middle East. Asean has not issued a joint statement over the brutal attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which launched a large-scale offensive from the Gaza Strip on southern Israel on Oct 7.
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.
Durian powers Sino-Thai friendship
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/07/2023
» When it comes to the evolution of Sino-Thai relations, one must put aside all the geopolitical determinants and even such subjects as the current Russia-Ukraine war, the ramifications of the US-China standoff and tourism. The topic is durian, which serves as the weathervane of their long-standing bilateral ties. The durian, known worldwide as the "King of Fruits", is more than just a sticky, thorny and, yes, smelly fruit; they also define the nature of the five-decade-old Sino-Thai relations.
Remembering Abe and Japan's rise
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/07/2022
» It is not an overstatement to say that the late prime minister Shinzo Abe single-handedly promoted Japan's regional and international profile through unconventional economic and security policies. Abe linked his country's economic policies with security and strategic twists in its relations with the rest of the world, Asean in particular.
India and Asean at 30: What's up?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/06/2022
» On its own, India stands tall and fearless. It long and continued civilisational linkages in the Indo-Pacific are there for all to see. One of the most frequently asked questions today is: Will India lead the Indo-Pacific region? Or, one can turn the question around: Can India lead or does the world's largest democracy have to trail behind the West? It depends on the levels and persons you talk to.