Showing 1 - 10 of 14
The remarkable rise of Rukchanok ‘Ice’ Srinork
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 06/02/2026
» No matter what happens on Sunday election, one fact is already sealed. Rukchanok “Ice” Srinork, a former lawmaker representing the People’s Party, is now the most popular politician in Thai history. The word “female” is almost redundant.
History beyond race, ultra-nationalism
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 09/10/2025
» The hall fell silent as the 87-year-old anthropologist began to speak. His voice was weak, punctuated by pauses to catch his breath, yet every word carried the weight of decades of scholarship.
Abbot's dramatic fall from grace
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 01/09/2025
» Faith built his empire. Fraud destroyed it. Luang Por Alongkot's fall from grace leaves Thai Buddhism reeling, demanding long-overdue reform.
Corrupt monks have lost their way
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 14/07/2025
» Just as Thailand was about to celebrate Asalha Bucha Day and the start of Buddhist Lent, the nation was gripped by the biggest sex scandal ever to rock its clergy. How irony.
Breaking gender barriers in the clergy
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 22/07/2023
» Can queers be ordained as Buddhist monks? The question sparked intense debates on social media when Pataradanai Setsuwan, a well-known openly gay celebrity, entered the monkhood late last month.
Autocracy, not giggling, is the problem
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 15/09/2021
» When two influencer monks -- Phra Maha Praiwan Worawano and Phra Maha Sompong Talaputto -- were summoned to Government House last week for giggling too much in their dhamma talk shows, I expected intellectual duels between the conservatives and the liberals on the monastic codes of conduct and the clergy's need to catch up with times.
Fanaticism, hate speech and Buddhism
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 09/09/2020
» If your ultra-royalist friends say we need to uphold the Nation-Religion-Monarchy state ideology to protect the country's peace, order and national identity, ask them whose nation and what religion they are talking about.
Temples no longer safe for children
News, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 30/10/2019
» News about monks' sexual misconduct has become so frequent that it no longer shocks. But the latest scandal involving a rapist, paedophile monk makes my blood boil.
Opening minds with an ancient 'mandala'
News, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 28/09/2019
» Travelling around Thailand is a good way to learn about local history and culture. The challenge, however, is how to understand the country's ancient past beyond the usual nationalistic fervour.
Old politics no answer to climate change
News, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 09/07/2019
» Despite all-out support from the machinery of the state and the old powers, it took three months for the Prayut regime to form a government because of political infighting, raising the question of how long it will last.