Showing 31 - 40 of 50
A chance to fix the NBTC
News, Editorial, Published on 25/07/2017
» The broadcast business has declared an emergency of sorts over the future of the industry's regulators. The terms for executives in charge of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) expire on Oct 6. Realistically, there is not enough time to appoint a new board.
New law must rake in all corrupt figures
News, Editorial, Published on 16/07/2017
» The recent National Legislative Assembly (NLA) decision to approve a law on criminal procedures for holders of political positions has drawn mixed public reaction.
Thai-US meet vital to both
News, Editorial, Published on 11/07/2017
» The "temporary postponement" of the official visit to the United States by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was not entirely unexpected. It was, however, a disappointment. The trip to Washington had been under intense planning for well over two months. Gen Prayut's opportunity to get Thai-US relations on a proper footing with President Donald Trump is now delayed, with both sides saying they will set a later date for the meeting.
'Death island' lawsuit a farce
News, Editorial, Published on 06/07/2017
» Instead of encouraging concerted efforts from all sides to dig deeper for the truth surrounding the death of 30-year-old Belgian tourist Elise Dallemagne on Koh Tao, authorities in Surat Thani choose to proceed with a disgraceful act -- a lawsuit against a local English-language news website which broke the story.
Fingerprint plan dodgy
News, Editorial, Published on 29/05/2017
» The secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has escalated his threats to gather a private collection of citizens' fingerprints. Takorn Tantasith began by touting a "touch your smartphone" project for mobile banking, based on fingerprints. That sold poorly, and the NBTC chief then pronounced an effort whereby all mobile phone owners could give their fingerprints voluntarily for vague promises of benefits. Now he says every phone owner must give him their fingerprints, no exceptions.
Banks must be accountable
News, Editorial, Published on 17/05/2017
» Last month, the hunt was on for an elderly embezzler who scammed at least 1.4 billion baht from a respectable savings group. When tracked down, Assoc Prof Sawad Saengbangpla, 79, shrugged and admitted that for the past several years he had run the Chulalongkorn University Savings Cooperative for personal gain. He had lured members of the cooperative to invest in his "government lottery cooperative" and transferred about 1.4 billion baht to himself since 2010. He then paid off debts and took long holidays to gamble on Singapore's Sentosa island casino until the scam was discovered. Police told depositors in effect, "too bad", they had lost all their savings.
Find facts in temple death
News, Editorial, Published on 03/03/2017
» The death of a 48-year-old female disciple of Wat Phra Dhammakaya who succumbed to an asthma attack inside an apartment at the sealed-off temple complex must be subject to a thorough and factual investigation to establish the facts.
Fingerprint plan flawed
News, Editorial, Published on 01/03/2017
» The well-intentioned, indeed necessary military campaign to prevent bomb attacks in the deep South has taken a curious turn. The 4th Army for years has taken a variety of steps, some more effective than others, to stop separatist bombs. The most common terrorist-type bomb is one detonated from a distance by a mobile phone call.
Dirty tactics blight anti-coal protest
News, Editorial, Published on 19/02/2017
» The government's decision to go ahead with the controversial coal-fired power plant in Krabi is a disappointment. But what is far worse is the way it has allowed police to treat anti-coal demonstrators with cold blood and heavy-handed measures. The peaceful demonstrators, led by the Network of Saving the Andaman, began their protest on Friday as the National Energy Policy Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, met and finally gave approval to the 800-megawatt coal-fired power plant, fuelling the demonstrators' anger. They vowed to keep protesting until the government reviews the approval.
Why did officials let loose a thug?
News, Editorial, Published on 08/01/2017
» The nation returned last week to normal life after the New Year holiday, only to be immediately shocked and horrified. A 26-year-old thug released early from prison "for good behaviour" attacked, stabbed and slashed a man to death -- to steal his mobile phone. The top bureaucrat at the Ministry of Justice, permanent secretary Chanchao Chaiyanukij, says that next time the iPhone killer should not be released early. This is an unacceptable response to a murder that could and should have been prevented.