Showing 1 - 10 of 88
Taylor Swift can learn a lot from Billie Eilish
News, Published on 17/05/2024
» Not long ago, I lamented the lack of climate anthems. Perhaps we'll find one on Hit Me Hard and Soft, the third studio album from Billie Eilish that's due to drop today.
Catching the AI wave
News, Editorial, Published on 06/05/2024
» Microsoft's announcement that it will build a data centre in Thailand, seizing the momentum of AI-driven advances in Southeast Asia, is welcome.
The trials and tribulations of Melania Trump
News, Maureen Dowd, Published on 23/04/2024
» Outside my office, there is a picture of the Slovenian Sphinx visiting the Egyptian Sphinx, taken during a 2018 photo shoot in Giza nine months after Melania Trump was blindsided by the steamy news about her husband and Stormy Daniels.
Humanising the US-China relationship
Oped, Published on 10/04/2024
» On a recent trip to China with my Northwestern Kellogg students, we were all struck by how few Americans had returned to the country since the end of its zero-Covid policy in December 2022.
It's feeling a bit on the warm side
Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/04/2024
» It was Oscar Wilde who observed that "conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative". He might have had a point but it means there are a lot of unimaginative people in Thailand at present. I can hardly recall a conversation lately without a reference to the heat. It has definitely been "a bit on the warm side".
Legal casinos no easy feat
News, Editorial, Published on 01/04/2024
» The House's acknowledgement last week of a study creating legal gambling zones in the country sparked widespread debate about their finances and social impacts.
Delicate art of being nasty and nice
Roger Crutchley, Published on 31/03/2024
» One word we have been subjected to almost on a daily basis recently is "diplomacy" as politicians grapple with the world's woes without much success. A dictionary definition of diplomacy is "tact or skill in dealing with people". Unfortunately it is more complex than that as the world is in such a mess. Perhaps Ambrose Bierce was nearer the mark in his Devil's Dictionary when he described diplomacy as "the patriotic art of lying for one's country".
Buddhism is always oddly political
Oped, Published on 16/03/2024
» This year, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua is turning 72. Following the sexagenary cycle, the Thai government organised a month-long royal procession of the Buddha's relics from Feb 24 to this coming Monday including tours of four major Thai cities -- Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Krabi.
Eras Tour a wake-up call
News, Editorial, Published on 11/03/2024
» In the brouhaha surrounding Taylor Swift's exclusive concert deal with Singapore, the Thai government -- instead of trying to emulate our nice neighbour's shrewd stratagem in paying artists not to play in neighbouring nations -- should focus on the fundamental problem that Thailand, despite being a preferred tourist destination, is not a priority choice for acclaimed concerts.
Myanmar eyes return to Asean fold
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/02/2024
» To understand the current game plan of Myanmar's military regime, it is perhaps a good time to remind ourselves of the letter written by former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on Aug 19, 2022. The rather blunt personal letter urged the junta leader to implement the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), saying that if he fails to do so, his Asean colleagues might ban Myanmar from all meetings and recognise the National Unity Government (NUG). In short, Asean would give the seat to the NUG. The letter angered the general, and Hun Sen's practical advice was ignored, including his call for amnesty for four activists who had been sentenced to death. For the past three years, Myanmar's seat at Asean's high-level meetings has been left vacant. Then, on Feb 29, the seat was occupied temporarily.