• News & article

  Authorities must face a new reality

  News, Editorial, Published on 23/08/2015

  » The Erawan bomber ghosted into the heart of Bangkok on Monday evening — took 20 lives in the blink of an eye — and disappeared just as swiftly into the night on the back of a motorcycle.

• News & article

  A plan for flying safe

  News, Editorial, Published on 23/12/2015

  » The recent well-publicised and consequential talks and reports over aviation safety often seemed somewhat vague. No airline was mentioned as unsafe. But efforts are clearly are needed to upgrade agencies under the Transport Ministry, including the Directorate of Civil Aviation. The safety issue has now got to a stage that directly affects the flying public, both foreign and domestic.

• News & article

  Taxis do not deserve rise

  News, Editorial, Published on 28/12/2015

  » The Transport Ministry has given a small New Year's gift to Bangkok commuters. It isn't much and is likely to be snatched back after limited use. The "gift" is a refusal to allow taxi drivers to raise their fares for the second time this year. The reason given to drivers is they are just not giving the kind of service that warrants a second meter adjustment.

• News & article

  Tracking the forgers

  News, Editorial, Published on 16/02/2016

  » Police deserve kudos for their arrest last week of a long-wanted man accused of altering, making and selling counterfeit passports. The tale of a forger caught because of his love for take-home pizzas was worthy of a novel. More to the point, taking Hamid Reza Jafary to court is a major accomplishment. When arrested, police found 173 high-quality passports in his Chachoengsao shophouse. Diplomats said they would have fooled most immigration checkpoints in the world.

• News & article

  Heal the rift, don't widen it

  News, Editorial, Published on 10/05/2016

  » A panel of the military-appointed National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) has made yet another attempt to restore national unity through forgiveness. Once again, the proposal is bound to fail. Worse, the reform panel's proposal will make the political divide both deeper and wider. Before the committee could even make its official proto-amnesty proposal to the nation, red-shirt leaders were complaining to the media that it was one-sided, in favour of the old yellow-shirt movement, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

• News & article

  Public needs say on EEC project

  News, Editorial, Published on 23/04/2017

  » Viewed from an economic perspective, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government's move to extend the land lease period for foreign investors to areas designated for the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) appears to be a step in the right direction. Under the plan, eligible foreign investors are entitled to 50-year leases for residential development and 99-year leases for some of the commercial/industrial areas in the EEC zone. The plan, which is also known as the next phase of the Eastern Seaboard project, covers Chon Buri, Rayong and Chachoengsao.

• News & article

  Queue for accountability

  News, Editorial, Published on 09/08/2017

  » Last week saw one of the most disgraceful scenes put on view for the world to mock and gasp at in astonishment. Through what can only be described as gross incompetence, visitors and tourists arriving at Don Mueang International Airport were greeted by four- and five-hour waits in immigration lines. Government ministers responsible for this travesty have been unavailable for comment, and the head of the Immigration Bureau claims a "staff shortage" and therefore unacceptable planning and personnel training.

• News & article

  Forms of inconvenience

  News, Editorial, Published on 11/08/2017

  » The government's decision to eventually scrap the TM.6 immigration form for Thais travelling abroad at some stage in the future is the right step to improve the immigration service at airports, but it is far from enough.

• News & article

  Tell tourists naked truth

  News, Editorial, Published on 02/12/2017

  » The recent arrest of two US citizens for their bare-bottomed stunt at a sacred temple in Bangkok should send a message to foreign tourists that they should use their utmost discretion to not offend local customs or violate the law, and to show respect when they travel.

• News & article

  Rail plan fails grand mission

  News, Editorial, Published on 30/12/2017

  » With construction commenced, contracts signed or terms of reference (TOR) drafted for many key big-ticket projects, the government's development of several rail networks is not a step forward for a costly grand ambition that needs to be dealt with in a more strategic and cost-effective manner.

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