Showing 1 - 10 of 52
Hedgehoppers in search of good news
Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/02/2026
» Being the very first day of February it would have been nice if there was some good news worth celebrating, but unfortunately nothing immediately springs to mind. Cheerful news is an increasingly rare commodity these days. It all seems to be gloom and doom and hardly portends a joyful 2026. It can get a bit wearying grappling with news reports featuring contradictions, cover-ups and cock-ups, often accompanied by half-truths, prevarications and porky pies. But this is the world we now live in.
‘Mai pen rai’ paradox: from kindness to toxic silence
Juranan Soranet, Published on 07/01/2026
» "Mai pen rai" (It’s okay/never mind) is perhaps the most classic Thai phrase, symbolising kindness, compromise and a go-with-the-flow attitude. It is the hallmark of Thai charm. However, in a modern world driven by consumer rights and accountability, the harmless phrase is becoming a double-edged sword. We are witnessing the rise of "Toxic kreng jai" — an excessive form of considerateness where we suppress our own rights just to avoid being labelled "demanding".
AI double-edged sword in floods
Editorial, Published on 14/12/2025
» The flooding in Hat Yai has exposed not only how inadequate the Thai bureaucracy is in managing a major disaster, especially one involving complex weather data and a high-density urban area, but also how innovative technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a profound double-edged sword.
Litigating against Cambodia's leaders
Oped, Kantathi Suphamongkhon, Published on 03/09/2025
» Thailand has been considering prosecuting Hun Sen, the president of the Cambodian Senate, and his son, Hun Manet, the prime minister of Cambodia, in Thai domestic courts as well as at the International Criminal Court (ICC). I will explore and evaluate options. (For terminology consistency, this article will use the word "state" to mean a sovereign state or a country.)
Communication is a must for students
Oped, Mariano Carrera, Published on 29/08/2025
» Take a look at any restaurant where a group may be at a table. Members may be communicating with each other by text even though they are physically next to each other. Some not even sharing. An increasing number of young couples are not staring into each other's eyes but rather at their phones! We live in a time where interaction is ever-present, but true connection is absent.
Why is North Korea courting Russian tourists?
Oped, Saahil Menon, Published on 13/08/2025
» Hoping to replenish state coffers with much-needed foreign exchange reserves and offset the sharp post-Covid decline in Chinese tour groups, the Hermit Kingdom has set its sights on inquisitive holiday-makers from an ideologically aligned Russia.
Trump's tariffs will hit consumers and businesses
News, Nancy Qian, Published on 27/02/2025
» The opening salvos of US President Donald Trump's trade war have sent shockwaves around the world. Over the past weeks, his administration has broken with decades of free-trade orthodoxy, threatening to impose tariffs not only on strategic adversaries like China but also on longstanding allies like Canada and Mexico.
Back from the past
Postbag, Published on 29/12/2024
» Re: "Decision on Kittiratt as Bank of Thailand chair not yet final", (BP, Dec 27) & "Kittiratt defends rice scheme: IMF triggers another round of criticisms", (Business, Nov 14, 2013).
China: Benefactor or imperial menace?
Oped, Kasit Piromya, Published on 06/09/2024
» Since the start of the 21st century, China has shown its desire to recapture its previous position as the world's most powerful and influential nation. Centuries ago, China -- going by the name of the "Middle Kingdom" -- was the world's most influential nation until Western European countries arrived on the shores of the Chinese empire in the early 16th century.
'Olympic truce' for French political chaos?
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 02/08/2024
» France is facing continuing political chaos in the wake of President Emmanuel Macron's vain and failed gambit in calling for unnecessary Legislative elections to counterbalance the expected but riveting results of the rightist surge in June's European Parliamentary voting.