Showing 1 - 10 of 12
US domestic politics stalls replacement of Kenney
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 15/10/2014
» Kristie Kenney, former US ambassador to Bangkok, bade farewell to Thailand and is on her way back to Washington DC. She held the position for much longer than the normal three-year term, raising questions of whether there might be internal political problems in the United States.
Songster Nitipong's appeal to 'Thainess' backfires
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 14/08/2014
» Nitipong Hornak, nicknamed "Dee", is one of the most famous composers Thailand has produced in the past few decades. From wrenching modern love songs to upbeat, high-energy tunes, his music is popular among new and old generations. Undoubtedly, Nitipong has earned a place as a well-respected figure in the music industry.
Sexism is the weapon of choice for the truly cowardly
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 20/01/2014
» The political crisis has unveiled a series of "inconvenient truths" that have long been hidden in our society. One of them is the prevailing pre-modern sexism that has come to define modern relationships among the genders in general, and in the present political context, between angry males and females protesting against Thailand's first female prime minister in particular.
Media mired by binary blinders
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 08/12/2013
» It has been a long and winding road for Thai democracy. The ongoing anti-government demonstration, spearheaded by member of parliament-turned-mob leader Suthep Thaugsuban, has exposed a serious problem facing the nation: the crisis of electoral politics. Starting off with rallying against the controversial amnesty bill, the demonstrators have now switched to the issue of corruption and tyranny of majority. They ride on the discourse of the ''Thaksin regime'' as a kind of immoral and devilish pattern of politics and advocate the overthrow of the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra.
On either side of amnesty debate, the ironies pile up
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 11/11/2013
» Should we take Thai politics seriously, given the fact that the current struggle over the controversial amnesty bill reveals nothing but a great sense of irony?
Horror video puts media ethics back in the spotlight
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 12/08/2013
» A closed-circuit television clip that shows in graphic detail a brutal, cold-blooded homicidal act committed by a man who shot his bride-to-be at point-blank range and then chased after his future mother-in-law and killed her in the same manner has been widely circulated on the internet. This could not have been possible if the media had not earlier revealed the clip on air to the Thai public.
Sumatra's land-clearing fires ignite Singaporean fury
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 24/06/2013
» I lived in Singapore for almost 10 years, from late 2002 to early 2012. Throughout my stay, haze pollution became one of the main health issues facing the city state. This month, the threatening haze has returned. And this time it has managed to break its own record, reaching the hazardous PSI (pollutant standards index) level of 401 at 12 pm on Friday. This is the highest level of haze ever in Singapore.
Tide of political vulgarity washes up on our shores
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 18/05/2013
» Politics is a game played by those in high and low places. They may perceive politics from different angles and approach it from different standpoints. But there is one thing they share in common; they condone a culture of vulgarity.
Asean must play key role in Korean crisis
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 13/04/2013
» The crisis on the Korean Peninsula is reaching its peak. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has threatened to wage an attack on the United States and South Korea using "smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear weapons". Shuttle diplomacy is now being conducted between key players in an attempt to alleviate the tense situation.
Old maps and new can easily chart a course of disaster
News, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 03/12/2012
» A political drama emerged when Vietnamese authorities refused to stamp Chinese passports featuring a map that includes disputed islands in the South China Sea labelled as Chinese territory. Instead, visas were issued on a separate piece of paper.