Showing 1 - 10 of 26
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.
Thai-Vietnamese ties enter new phase
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/06/2025
» Vietnam has made significant strides this year in building strong, comprehensive strategic partnerships (CSPs) with four key Asean nations -- Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. It is a notable achievement for Hanoi, reflecting its growing confidence and increasing political influence. Earlier batches of CSPs included global powers such as China, Russia, India, South Korea, Japan, the US, and Australia.
Korea martial law lessons for Thailand
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 10/12/2024
» Last week, South Korea experienced a titanic political shift when President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed martial law late on Tuesday night. The move lasted just over six hours before it was lifted, making it one of the shortest-lived martial law declarations in modern political history. It was lucky because it started late at night and ended early in the morning. Had it occurred during the day, the outcome could have been very different.
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.
Tackling our precarious border scenario
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/12/2023
» While the international community is focusing on the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, another humanitarian crisis is taking place along Thailand's western front as the clashes between Myanmar's government and ethnic armed groups intensify.
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.
Bimstec: A new force of the Global South
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/07/2023
» All of a sudden, the countries around the Bay of Bengal are coming to the fore and raising their profiles. They know full well that this vast maritime enclave, with its plentiful resources and potential benefits, is another important strategic landscape. So, it is better to get their act together.
Thai-Saudi ties' wider strategic impact
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/06/2023
» The invitation from the Saudi Minister of Investment, Khalid Abdulaziz-Falih, to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to visit Saudi Arabia came just a few hours after the provisional results of the May 14 election were made known. With equal speed, the Thai side responded positively and gathered a 40-member high-level delegation composed of officials and private sector representatives. The caretaker government did not want to let go the momentum which began when Saudi-Thai relations resumed in January 2022.
Myanmar and two new game-changers
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/12/2022
» The recently passed bill by Congress, known broadly as the 2022 Burma Act, which allows the US government to provide technical support and non-military assistance to engage with the opposition groups against the military junta in Nay Pyi Taw combined with the incoming Asean chair, Indonesia, could be a game-changer with the Myanmar crisis soon to enter its third year.
Bolstering Thailand-India ties at 75
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/08/2022
» Thailand and India have taken seven-and-a-half decades to transform their close historical and cultural ties into a more strategic trajectory. It is not an easy task as their leaders have been all too comfortable with their longstanding friendly and relatively trouble-free ties. However, the recent three-day high-profile visit of Indian External Affairs Secretary Dr S Jaishankar has raised the dynamics of Thailand-India relations to a new level.