Showing 1 - 10 of 184
A turbulent time for govt
News, Editorial, Published on 06/06/2024
» Winning an election and forming a coalition is one thing; running a country, another. After nine months at Government House, the Srettha Thavisin government finds itself struggling to fulfil its campaign promises. Tough issues -- such as the charter rewrite, boosting tourism, the 10,000-baht digital wallet scheme and the sluggish economy -- remain a fierce challenge.
Thailand wants faster inflation
News, Daniel Moss, Published on 06/06/2024
» It's hard to find a leader anywhere these days who will argue the case for faster inflation. Politicians would rather drink hemlock than call for a renewed acceleration; they are often too busy nodding sympathetically at what their opponents call a cost-of-living crisis. But there is a kingdom where calling for more elevated prices, sooner, isn't off limits. In fact, the government embraces the concept.
Multilateralism in a fractured world
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 06/06/2024
» Multilateralism lies at the heart of international relations as an enabler of states to converge in an ever-changing world. It is closely linked with the United Nations (UN), setting in motion a rules-based system, embracing international peace and security anchored on international law.
Thailand's weed legalisation dilemma
Oped, Published on 05/06/2024
» When cannabis or ganja was legalised (the plant was removed from the illicit drugs list) in 2022 by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government, this led to mass confusion whereby the public misunderstood and perceived it as "liberalisation". This resulted in widespread and unregulated cannabis consumption.
Respect 'laws of nature'
Oped, Editorial, Published on 05/06/2024
» Today marks World Environment Day, initiated in 1973 by the United Nations Environment Programme to create a global platform aimed at inspiring positive change.
Check dams need review
Oped, Editorial, Published on 04/06/2024
» While the government continues to promote check dams as a way to improve the nation's water management mechanism, little attention has been paid to the adverse impact such structures may have on the surrounding environment.
Thais hedge bets on international stage
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/06/2024
» Thailand's decision last week to apply for full Brics membership came as a shock to Western allies and friends, not least because it followed a positive assessment by the Special Session of the OECD Council (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) after Thailand filed a letter of intent to join the OECD In February.
India's exit polls may be more noise than signal
News, Andy Mukherjee, Published on 04/06/2024
» Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set for a landslide victory in India's general election. Or so claims nearly every exit poll released since the end of voting on Saturday evening. Yet, these surveys have proved spectacularly wrong in the past, and they must be read even more cautiously this time around because of the Modi government's outsize sway on the television stations that commission them.
Leave no farmer behind
News, Editorial, Published on 03/06/2024
» Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently launched an initiative aimed at transforming Thailand, already a major food exporter, into a global agriculture hub. Such an ambition is not new for the government, but the plan faces numerous challenges.
Defeat symbolises normalisation
News, Published on 03/06/2024
» Last Thursday, a television news crew made its way to former South African president Jacob Zuma's homestead, an ugly monstrosity controversially built at a cost of 250 million rand (500 million baht) of taxpayers' money, in his rural village of Nkandla. The crew got to interview Zuma after midnight. At about 2am, the crew watched in amazement as a genial Zuma, aged 82, welcomed a delegation of French diplomats into his living room for a meeting.