Showing 101 - 110 of 145
Timely for Prawit to get boot from panel
News, Editorial, Published on 19/08/2018
» It is the right decision for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to remove Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon -- who is being probed over his luxury wristwatch scandal -- from the National Anti-Corruption Committee, a body established by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to regulate, coordinate and monitor corruption prevention and elimination efforts by all government agencies.
Pet tax no fix for rabies
Editorial, Published on 23/03/2018
» On March 13, in a bid to calm public fears about the ongoing spread of rabies in the country, the Livestock Department assured people the problem was very much under control. It is not. Less than a week later, a 14-year-old girl in Buri Ram tragically died after being infected by the deadly virus she contracted after being scratched by the family’s pet dog.
People first, then parks
News, Editorial, Published on 02/03/2018
» The Ministry of Culture's Fine Arts Department deserves praise for ruling out a mass eviction in its plan to demarcate areas surrounding the Phimai historical park in Nakhon Ratchasima as a conservation site.
Scrap coal energy plans
News, Editorial, Published on 27/02/2018
» The government has made an error with its decision to once again kick the issue of coal-fired power plants down the political road. Siri Jirapongphan, the Minister of Energy, has defused the immediate problem of high-profile protests. But getting the anti-coal demonstrators to leave the Bangkok pavement is a side issue. The government still plans to build those coal-fired pollution factories, just a little later than the regime had hoped.
Weigh up cost of heritage
News, Editorial, Published on 22/02/2018
» The Fine Arts Department should review its plan to extend the conservation area of Phimai Historical Park in Nakhon Ratchasima, as it will affect thousands of local people.
Developing the Mekong
News, Editorial, Published on 10/01/2018
» Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is in Phnom Penh for the two-day Mekong River summit that begins this morning. The second of its kind, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Summit involves the leaders of all six countries touched by the mighty Mekong. The prime agenda item is what Beijing calls The Five-Year Plan of Action, a Chinese-dictated guideline for "development" of the river. One of the prime minister's most important tasks will be careful monitoring of how this plan impacts Thais.
Plan well for retirement
News, Editorial, Published on 11/11/2017
» As Thailand becomes an ageing society and faces the looming prospect of a shrinking workforce, moves to extend the age of retirement now seem inevitable.
Time to declare war on plastic
News, Editorial, Published on 05/11/2017
» Reducing the volume of plastic waste in Thailand has been an unachievable task for a long time. Cutting down on single uses of plastic materials has also been an issue largely ignored by most consumers. Official attempts, such as public awareness campaigns and voluntary cooperation sought from businesses, have always been short-lived, leaving piles of plastic waste mountains rotting on poorly managed dump sites.
Poor start in drive for police reform
News, Editorial, Published on 17/09/2017
» The decision by the police reform committee to seek advice from a person who broke the law and has been alleged to be involved in irregularities in a police station building project seems to be a start that is only going to lead to a dead end. The committee, as one of the 11 military-appointed reform panels, plans to invite Suthep Thaugsuban, the former protest leader of the now-defunct People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), to give his opinions on reforming the Royal Thai Police and decentralising the police force.
Media curbs will backfire
News, Editorial, Published on 06/09/2017
» The military regime has squirrelled away its media control bill since April. Presumably it is seeking "the right time" to bring it to the cabinet and send it to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) for enactment.