Showing 1 - 10 of 50
Parties silent on temple corruption
Editorial, Published on 18/01/2026
» The monk scandals that shocked Thailand in 2025 are not the result of moral lapses among clerics. They are the outcome of decades of governance failure. Addressing them requires political solutions. As the country prepares to form a new government in the coming months, there is hope for policy, not religious excuses.
Impunity in military courts must end
Editorial, Published on 21/12/2025
» The Anutin government's sudden dissolution of Parliament has frozen a long list of bills that would have nudged Thailand toward a more open and accountable society.
Tourism at a crossroads
Oped, Editorial, Published on 30/09/2025
» China's Golden Week starts tomorrow, when over a billion mainland Chinese people return to their homes to celebrate with their families or go travelling abroad. In the lead-up to this, the Thai government, especially the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), have been working hard to urge Chinese travellers to visit the Land of Smiles.
Honest monks hung out to dry
Editorial, Published on 28/09/2025
» A series of monk scandals and temple corruption cases in recent months has prompted the Ecclesiastical Council to order all temples to make their accounts transparent. But good intentions are not enough. Without systemic support, the order may prove hollow.
Patients lost in temple scandal
Editorial, Published on 14/09/2025
» For the patients at Wat Phra Bat Namphu, the scandal around its former abbot has revived an old fear: being abandoned all over again.
Unholy identity crisis
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/08/2025
» Allegations against Phra Alongkot -- the former abbot of the famous Wat Phrabat Namphu in Lop Buri -- have not only revealed a crisis of faith in Thai Buddhism, but have brought the issues of identity theft and impersonation to the forefront.
Soldiers also suffer stress
Oped, Editorial, Published on 22/08/2025
» The recent tragedy of a 25-year-old soldier who killed himself after he injured two civilians in a shooting in Surin province should not be concealed by the military.
Donors must still beware
Oped, Editorial, Published on 21/08/2025
» The Revenue Department's decision to require Buddhist temples to adopt an e-donation system, beginning in January, is a welcome development -- if long overdue.
Hospice funds scandal takes toll
Editorial, Published on 17/08/2025
» In the 1990s, when Aids meant abandonment and death, Wat Phrabat Nam Phu in Lop Buri opened its gates to the sick and dying. Abbot Phra Alongkot Tikkapanyo gave them food, shelter, and care. It was a noble mission in fearful times.
Clergy in need of control, not reform
Editorial, Published on 20/07/2025
» After a long silence during Thailand's biggest sex scandal in the clergy, the Ecclesiastical Council and the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) have finally spoken out. Their big idea? A new law to imprison the offending monks and women involved in the scandal.