Showing 1 - 10 of 16
Bangkok faces its very own 'airpocalypse'
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/02/2019
» City schools have been closed. Soldiers have been deployed to check and shut down factories that pollute the air we breathe (but we never find out which factories have been closed!) And our prime minister is acting tough in a desperate bid to combat the PM2.5 haze-causing particles.
Fresh optimism in KL
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/09/2017
» Anyone who visits Kuala Lumpur these days will feel the vibe of optimism, in the form of construction that is humming along across the capital city. The Malaysian government is injecting massive sums to develop transport infrastructure -- an element the country lacks in comparison with close neighbours Singapore or even Thailand.
Tough-talking Najib defends economic record, assails rivals
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 31/07/2017
» Buoyed by his country's strong economic performance, embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is sounding these days like a man vindicated. He is going on the offensive to sell the Malaysian growth story to investors worldwide, and to persuade domestic voters that his governing coalition deserves another term to keep the momentum going.
World on the move
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 26/06/2017
» It is not an overstatement to say that the world is no longer a safe and peaceful place. News of terrorist attacks has become a sad fact of daily life, most recently in London and Paris again this month.
Greening the palm oil supply chain
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 08/05/2017
» 2016 will be remembered as the year of clear blue skies and clean air in the southern peninsula of Southeast Asia. For the first time in nearly two decades, choking haze from fires set to clear land for oil palm plantations was reduced significantly, in keeping with a promise made by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Myanmar deserves our patience
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/04/2017
» What a difference a year makes. In the same hot summer last year, Myanmar was the rosy-cheeked debutante of the democratic world after the National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide victory in the 2015 election, paving the way for the first civilian-led government in 54 years. Foreign investors were rushing in, lured by economic growth that hit 8.5% in 2014, an emerging market of more than 50 million consumers in a resource-rich land with seemingly endless potential.
Prognosis: Improving
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 03/04/2017
» Two decades ago, the healthcare system of Myanmar was best described as comatose. It had been in declining condition since independence from Britain in the late 1940s. Envisioned as offering free primary healthcare, the system failed to do so in practice and languished because of a lack of investment as the country grew increasingly isolated under Ne Win and subsequent military leaders. In 2000, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked the healthcare system in Myanmar 190th out of 191 countries.
Citizenship for sale
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 13/03/2017
» Having multiple passports and citizenship that bears no relation to where you were born is something most people associates with James Bond or Jason Bourne. But these days it is no longer simply the stuff of spy stories.
Double-edged sword called Section 44
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 06/03/2017
» At first, the interim charter's Section 44 appears like a hidden sword that a knight in shining armour brings out only to fight a justifiable cause. Indeed, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha makes us believe so. Power and force will be used when necessary and applied constructively, we are told.
Thai youth leaders get to quiz Obama
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 07/09/2016
» LUANG PRABANG - Two Thais will join some 200 youth leaders from Southeast Asia today in attending US President Barack Obama's town hall meeting in the historic town of Luang Prabang where they will have the chance to engage in a discussion with the president.