• BUSINESS

  Fitch upbeat on post-poll outlook for bank sector

  Business, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 18/05/2023

  » Pro-growth policies and the absence of protests after the election are positive signs for Thai banks and the economy, but uncertainties remain as the winning parties try to form a coalition government, says global financial information provider Fitch Group.

• OPINION

  Biden-BTS summit fuels hope

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 06/06/2022

  » Perhaps Joe Biden's pursuit to engage more with Asia has just started. Just days after a trip to South Korea and Japan late last month, his first visit to Asia as US president, the 79-year-old leader followed up with a message that touched the hearts of millions of Asians, particularly those living in his country.

• BUSINESS

  Wasted Year

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 21/02/2022

  » Once perceived as Asia's final frontier, Myanmar has been tested severely by dual shocks -- a surge in Covid-19 cases in 2021 and the military coup that has brought its economy close to a standstill and left its people suffering from ongoing violence.

• BUSINESS

  Hun Sen's Myanmar gamble

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/01/2022

  » I'm not a fan of Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for more than 38 years. A co-premier from 1993-97 before seizing power in a 1997 coup, the Cambodian leader has won all subsequent elections while political rivals have been jailed or exiled and critical media crushed. His legacy appears secure now that his Cambodian People's Party has endorsed his eldest son, 44-year-old army commander Hun Manet, as "future prime minister".

• BUSINESS

  Asean's bold Myanmar move

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 25/10/2021

  » The whole world is now looking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in hope that the regional group is ready to carry a bigger stick in addressing the crisis facing one of its members -- Myanmar.

• BUSINESS

  This is no time for instability

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 23/08/2021

  » Politics dominated last week's developments in the region. Malaysia, once a bastion of stability in Southeast Asia, now has its fourth prime minister in less than 40 months after Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down last Monday.

• BUSINESS

  Taking a stand on Myanmar

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 21/06/2021

  » When leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) economies met in England earlier this month, they issued a communique that "condemns in the strongest terms the military coup in Myanmar, and the violence committed by Myanmar's security forces".

• BUSINESS

  Can Myanmar be saved?

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 01/03/2021

  » After a month under military rule, Myanmar remains gripped by anger and frustration. Despite the growing danger to their personal safety, thousands of people continue to hit the streets daily to demand the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and a return to democracy.

• OPINION

  Shinzo Abe will be missed

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 07/09/2020

  » Last Wednesday, India banned 118 Chinese mobile applications from its huge domestic market, including the popular video game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which has over 50 million players in India. Others, including Baidu, Alipay and some versions of the messaging app WeChat, are operated by Chinese internet giants like Tencent and Ant Financial.

• OPINION

  Sad lessons from Korat

  Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 17/02/2020

  » When I heard about a 40-something gunman firing at least 40 shots in central Bangkok on Friday (no one was hurt and he was arrested), my first thought was that it had some link to the recent atrocity in Nakhon Ratchasima. The Valentine's Day incident came just days after a soldier killed 29 victims in the country's worst-ever mass shooting.

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