Showing 1 - 10 of 76
Put culture first in old town revamps
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 28/03/2024
» Will Thailand's old towns include their old communities as they are renovated? In many of these important districts, institutional owners of land are apt to evict legacy tenants to make way for redevelopment, threatening vintage architecture and eroding vibrant local cultures and ways of life.
Govt oblivious to senselessness of Covid-19 curbs
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 03/07/2021
» When the whole country saw how the prime minister was nonchalantly teasing reporters and giggling in front of the camera last Friday, we didn't know that it was just the beginning of a series of mishaps.
High-rise rule would be wind of change for city
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 26/06/2021
» Earlier this month, there was good news in terms of public safety and the urban environment. It was reported that the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep) was going to enforce a more stringent environmental impact assessment (EIA) rule for high-rise building developers.
Stop the fancy words in battle against Covid
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 30/04/2021
» The small drop in the number of new Covid-19 new cases to under 2,000 yesterday may look like a good sign.
Capital needs a new approach to tree surgery
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 17/02/2021
» Pictures of numerous chopped down tree trunks scattered near the walls of Wat Po in the Rattanakosin old town area were shared on social media and immediately triggered public outrage.
BMA's Green Line fares are unforgivable
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 20/01/2021
» The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) plan to raise the Green Line's fare ceiling to the absolute maximum, at over 100 baht, from the original 65 baht, has triggered an avalanche of criticism.
Uniform fuss can't be tackled uniformly
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 02/12/2020
» With some phu yai rattled by the campaign for students to wear casual attire launched on Tuesday by the "Bad Students" group, I am glad that we've come to the point where school uniforms may be disposed of. This could be the first time we've had a real discussion about them.
Govt gets it all wrong in closing down train lines
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 21/10/2020
» Should I, or should I not, take the train today?" might be the question du jour for city commuters right now. Apart from checking if a train is running or delayed, commuters find it helps to remain flexible in case authorities suddenly order the train services to temporarily shut. Such has been the response to the pro-democracy rallies that have erupted daily since the Oct 15 crackdown, when riot police used water cannon to disperse crowds.
Between floods and dust, we never get a break
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 08/10/2020
» Last week, when Bangkok commuters were stuck in the usual nightmare of paralysed traffic, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang was already warning us to get prepared for the impending annual PM2.5 pollution. He recommended everyone download the AirBkk app to check air quality in the city to ready ourselves before leaving home.
Car-free day? Do as we say, not as we do
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 01/10/2020
» A few days before World Car-Free Day (WCFD) which fell last Tuesday, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang tried to encourage city commuters to either carpool or leave their private cars at home and take public transportation.