Showing 1 - 10 of 137
Trump returns to Asean with a bang
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 28/10/2025
» The Asean chair, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, said it all. Acknowledging US President Donald Trump's presence during the signing ceremony on Thailand-Cambodia relations on Sunday, he stated: "We, of course, admire your tenacity and courage because the world needs leaders who promote peace strongly."
Banned bets
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/10/2025
» Re: "Anutin bans poker, sports gambling nationwide", (BP, Oct 23). So, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has banned gambling again. The prohibition specifically aims at poker and other similar sports-themed card games. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport earlier classified poker only as a sport? Well, it's not, is it -- it's a card game that is invariably played for money, unlike many others, such as bridge, which are not.
Healthy ageing in Southeast Asia
News, Pattana Promphat & Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Published on 20/10/2025
» The Southeast Asia region is undergoing one of the most profound demographic shifts in its history. By 2050, the proportion of people aged 60 years and above will nearly double -- from 11.3% in 2024 to 20.9%. That means 441 million older people -- one in five people -- will call this region home. This transformation is both a triumph of public health and a test of our collective will and capacity to adapt.
The rise of secondary destinations
Oped, Omri Morgenshtern, Published on 26/09/2025
» As we mark World Tourism Day tomorrow, we're turning the spotlight on one of the unsung heroes of travel -- secondary destinations. This international awareness day gives our industry an opportunity to take a pause and reflect on how travel is evolving. At Agoda, we see the growing popularity of secondary cities as a notable development in the travel market.
The incalculable costs of corrupt statistics
Oped, Diane Coyle, Published on 29/08/2025
» With GDP and employment figures dominating political debates, it is easy to forget that they are hardly timeless truths. In fact, how we measure progress has shifted dramatically over time. The Physiocrats -- eighteenth-century French economists who saw agriculture as the source of all wealth -- regarded farms' output as the most important economic indicator. The Soviet Union, for its part, focused exclusively on goods production and ignored services altogether.
Travel scheme farce
Oped, Editorial, Published on 07/07/2025
» The rollout of the "Tiew Thai Khon La Krung" campaign, or Thailand Travel Co-pay scheme, last week has proved to be unmitigated disaster, with no resolution in sight. This embarrassing episode reflects not only gross incompetence, but entrenched political pettiness among policy-makers.
Thailand to navigate a shifting world
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 29/04/2025
» The Thai negotiating delegation's failure to meet with their American counterparts last week in Washington, DC, confirmed that Thailand is a low-priority country for the US. That should be a wake-up call for the Paetongtarn government -- the relationship between Thailand and the US is no longer what it used to be.
Local-only jobs
Oped, Postbag, Published on 21/02/2025
» Re: "Cops nab Chinese tour guide", (BP, Feb 8).
Ties that bind and break in Thai polls
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 08/02/2025
» If anything, the Feb 1 local poll results paint a clear picture of the future of Thai politics: no party will emerge as the absolute winner in the next national poll in 2027.
Are high-skill immigrants a problem?
News, Daron Acemoglu, Published on 13/01/2025
» Fissures within US president-elect Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" (Maga) coalition have appeared sooner than expected. By the end of December, the tech-billionaire wing was in open warfare with Maga's nativist wing over America's H-1B visa programme, which enables US businesses to employ some 600,000 skilled foreigners per year on a temporary basis.