Showing 1 - 10 of 43
Living in Thailand's age of impunity
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 17/01/2026
» There's no place like Thailand. Joyscrolling TikTok and Reels reveals dozens of clips made by international visitors lamenting having to leave our lovely country and return to dreary Europe or joyless America. "Nobody talks about how hard it is to go from this" -- insert a cut of a wonderful beach in Krabi -- "to this"--cut to a drab, damp suburban street somewhere in the West. Add a crying-face emoji. "I want to move here!" the traveller announces. True, everybody loves Thailand.
What if you take away the slingshot?
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 05/01/2026
» The latest ceasefire in the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is welcome news and hopefully signals an end to the displacement of thousands and tragic loss of life on both sides. The release of 18 Cambodian prisoners is an indication that the parties are delving more deeply into the process to resolve the conflict.
Betting on the wrong horse
Oped, Editorial, Published on 11/08/2025
» In times of economic challenge and amid simmering border tensions with Cambodia, Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who doubles as interior minister, has quietly overturned a 67-year-old ban on poker, reclassifying it from gambling to a recognised sport. The sudden move, which happened without public consultation, has sparked criticism and fuelled suspicion about the government's true priorities.
Supporting women as bridge-builders
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 28/03/2025
» How is the situation of women's rights and their role as bridge-builders today, connecting the multilateral and local settings? A recent seminar at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hosted by its International Studies Center, elaborated upon the situation in a world that is witnessing tumultuous changes.
High-risk buses must go
Oped, Editorial, Published on 08/03/2025
» A recent crash involving a double-decker bus in Nadi district of Prachin Buri that killed more than a dozen passengers is another attestation of loopholes in traffic law enforcement that make sections of roads in this country a death trap.
When is enough really enough?
Oped, Jamie Waddell, Published on 06/03/2025
» The recent crash of a bus that overturned and killed many people in Prachin Buri is not just another road safety incident. This type of incident forms part of a pattern that has not been addressed let alone answered. The purpose of a collision investigation (they are not accidents) is to determine the root cause to provide information to prevent such incidents form occurring again.
Facts, not fear
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/02/2025
» Re: "Thai senator's 'live executions' proposal panned", (BP, Jan 29).
The high cost of Yoon's martial law
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 20/12/2024
» When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol abruptly declared martial law late on Dec 3, claiming that it was necessary to enable him to eliminate "anti-state" forces, street protests erupted almost immediately.
Trump II's intellectual foundations
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 22/11/2024
» It seems counterintuitive and contradictory to think of an intellectual foundation behind United States President-elect Donald J Trump when he is professedly unintellectual, even anti-intellectual. But make no mistake. Mr Trump is merely a phenomenon. Understanding it reveals his worldview and consequent policy prospects. But doing so requires seeing the Trump phenomenon as it is rather than why and how it is detested by countless millions of us. Indeed, the biggest difficulty when analysing Mr Trump and his second administration is the global disdain he elicits.
Reimagining human rights and China?
News, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 23/09/2024
» Should human rights be reimagined, especially in the context of China? From one angle, the answer is obvious. Plenty of norms are already agreed upon globally without the need for reimagination, and China is part of that universality. Yet given the situation on the ground level and the evolving nature of human rights, there might be room for some innovative reimagination, and this deserves balanced reflection.