Showing 1 - 10 of 24
Hun Manet's high-stakes scam pledge
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/03/2026
» With international criticism mounting, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has launched a major effort to repair Cambodia's reputation, promising that all online scam centres in the country will be eliminated by next month.
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.
Thailand's tense dance of diplomacy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/03/2025
» Last Thursday evening, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai showed his true colours when he addressed the repatriation of 40 Uyghurs to China. Cool as a cucumber, he spoke with authority yet with an apologetic tone. That day's press conference was his perfect coda; other cabinet ministers were mere decorative artefacts.
Border disputes need trust, not turmoil
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/02/2025
» Two issues must be immediately tackled to avoid future conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
Public trust key in Koh Kut challenge
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/11/2024
» Recently, the Paetongtarn Shinawatra government and her praetorian guards have been up in arms, defending their position on the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia. She has said that the government will negotiate with Phnom Penh and will soon establish a joint technical committee to do just that.
Thailand again bids for UNHRC seat
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/03/2024
» The human rights condition in Thailand is paradoxical. A liberal mindset does not regard the country as a democracy. Instead, it sees it as one lacking in freedom of expression and constantly violating the rights of its own citizens.
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.
8 Thai hostages must not be forgotten
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 02/01/2024
» The singular most important event of 2023 in Thailand was the Thai hostage crisis that began on Oct 7 when Hamas launched its surprise onslaught on Israel from the Gaza Strip. Several thousand Thai workers were caught up in the crisis, and several dozen were taken hostage along with over 240 men, women and children of almost two dozen nationalities. Apart from Israeli citizens, the number of Thais taken prisoner was the highest among foreigners, and at least 39 were confirmed killed. At the end of November and in the weeks that followed, a total of 23 Thais were freed. Today, eight remain in Gaza, and their fate is unknown. In modern Thai history, this is the first time such a huge number of Thai citizens have been abducted.
New shifts in Thai Middle East policy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 14/11/2023
» The past five weeks have been a hellish time for the new Srettha government, with 39 Thai workers killed and many others injured and kidnapped in the Israel-Hamas war. Despite Thais being categorised as "innocent", "unarmed", and "non-lethal", they have suffered the highest casualties among foreigners in Israel.
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.