• OPINION

  Running away from parental responsibility

  Life, Vanniya Sriangura, Published on 15/07/2014

  » Last month, a family from the country found out that they had inadvertently built up a huge bill by purchasing items in a smartphone game and thus owed a fortune to a telecommunications company. The story hit the news and caused a public outcry and from what I know, at least three similar incidents have since become public knowledge.

• OPINION

  Khon Kaen shows regime out of touch

  News, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 25/11/2014

  » Symbols alone won't topple a regime, especially if that regime is a fully armed, militarised one. The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) should know that.

• OPINION

  Two hats not good

  News, Alan Dawson, Published on 07/10/2018

  » When Bangkok got too noisy because of all the criticism about cabinet ministers taking advantage by openly playing politics unfairly, the general prime minister escaped to the North on another scrupulously non-political trip to give away money and be photographed with every local personality and housewife within 20 kilometres.

• OPINION

  Time to embrace diversity

  Asia focus, Tanyatorn Tongwaranan, Published on 01/04/2019

  » We are living in the golden age of information, where technology allows us to broaden our horizons, acquire knowledge and connect with billions of people around the world with the click of a button. Access to unlimited and instant information is transforming the way we live, work and play.

• OPINION

  Guru Awards 2019

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 27/12/2019

  » It's tradition for media to look back at the year that's about to end with some sort of recap. Therefore, I would like to commemorate 2019 with Guru-style awards for people and moments that may get overlooked. g

• OPINION

  Subject(s) (That) Matter

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/01/2020

  » Two things that recently happened made me wonder about the definition of education in Thailand. First, a uni professor in Phitsanulok drafted a new course called "My Beloved Country" but the board rejected it, saying its purpose isn't in line with that of a general education course. The professor said his subject encourages students to "understand and appreciate their own values, as well as values of others, society, culture and nature". It sounds fine and dandy until you see his list of 18 guest lecturers consisting of controversial figures, some of whom are seen as aligning themselves with the government. So, if you disagree with them, would you be considered disloyal to Thailand or something? Second, Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang ordered all schools under BMA to have their students sing the royal anthem after they sing the national anthem before classes every morning to remind them of Thailand's three pillars -- nation, religion and monarchy -- which I humbly think the kids are reminded of plenty already.

• OPINION

  #BehindTheHashtags

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 06/03/2020

  » Many student protests that were partly set off by the dissolution of Future Forward Party over the past two weeks has also ushered in new hashtags into the lexicon of Thai social media. At the time of writing, it has been reported that there are 28 hashtags associated with campus protests. Some are humourous while others carry strong political stances and sharp gibes. Whether you agree with these students who've chosen to make their voices heard, it's better to get used to their protest hashtags as more student flashmobs are on their way (but many speculate that the designation of Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease may be used as a tool to suppress them). Not to mention, an online campaign calling for people to wear black on Fridays as a symbol to oppose dictatorship began last Friday.

• OPINION

  Before we go to the moon...

  Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 18/12/2020

  » On Monday, Anek Laothamatas, the minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, revealed that, by the middle of next month, a plan to send a spacecraft into the moon's orbit in seven years from now will be announced. According to him, Thailand will be the fifth Asian country to achieve this extraterrestrial feat, following China, Japan, South Korea and India. Khun Anek added that taxpayers' money will be used to yield tangible results rather than just more research and teaching, at the launch of a project to crowdfund locally-made vaccines against Covid-19 led by Chulalongkorn University.

• OPINION

  We cannot lose control of technology

  Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 19/01/2022

  » The advent of Covid-19 has accentuated digitalisation and its close linkage with automation, algorithms, and artificial intelligence ("the three A's"). The Asian region interfaces closely with this phenomenon, especially because it is the most populous continent. It is also a region with a large number of non-democracies and semi-democracies. This panorama invites care to prevent misuse of those three As.

• OPINION

  How tyrants use tech to spy on us all

  News, Published on 08/02/2023

  » Parmy Olson: You're the co-authors of a new book, Pegasus: How a Spy In Your Pocket Threatens the End of Privacy, Dignity, and Democracy, which tells the story of Pegasus, a powerful spyware developed by the Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO Group. In recent years, a range of governments around the world purchased this technology, allowing them to gain remote-control access to people's mobile phones without their knowledge. In 2020, a secret source leaked a list to your team of investigative journalists in Paris that contained 50,000 phone numbers that NSO Group's clients wanted to spy on. Among the names on the list were French president Emmanuel Macron, the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi and a raft of journalists, including your own colleagues.

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