Showing 1 - 10 of 30
TRC dissolution turns up political heat
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 08/03/2019
» It is deja vu all over again in Thai politics. Another political party aligned to Thaksin Shinawatra, an ousted, self-exiled and convicted former prime minister, found its way to the Constitutional Court where it was dissolved in short order for "opposing the democratic system with the King as head of state".
Diversify the duty-free ops
News, Editorial, Published on 06/04/2019
» Starting in September of next year, all duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport will be owned and run by one company for a period of 10 years, if the Airports of Thailand (AoT) insists on going ahead with the monopolistic concession model that it has been using since 2006.
Political mess means long, hot summer ahead
News, Atiya Achakulwisut, Published on 23/04/2019
» If a national unity government is not an option, will a minority one do? For how long?
Thai-US relations in the Indo-Pacific era
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 16/07/2019
» When US State Secretary Michael Pompeo stops in Bangkok for a three-day visit at the end of this month, he will find good old ally Thailand is ready to tango. Their relations will no longer be, as in the past, based on reaction and counter-reaction to the cycle of coups. In the past five years, Thailand has survived Western-led sanctions. Now with a civilian government in place, the Kingdom's economic and political dynamism will no longer be curtailed by what was perceived as democratic backsliding and increased authoritarianism.
Greenland's big gamble on Chinese mining
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 21/08/2019
» From his purchase of New Jersey casinos to his proposed acquisition of Greenland, Donald Trump's real estate deals have always been plagued by bad timing. The United States could probably have bought Greenland from Denmark in 1917, but he's a century too late now.
Time to step up for the Rohingya
News, Published on 16/09/2019
» As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week, it can be expected that the intractable Rakhine situation, along with the equally intractable South China Sea situation, will feature as prominent issues that define Southeast Asia.
Vietnam's homework before Nha Trang
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 14/01/2020
» The latest development in the Middle East and the status of President Donald Trump's invitation for a special summit with Asean leaders in the US will top the agenda of the first foreign ministers' retreat in Nha Trang this week.
Is digging Kra Canal still a pipe dream?
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 28/01/2020
» Whenever the Kra Canal emerges as a news headline, two standard reactions occur. First of all, there is a very strong but familiar exclamation of "again" or aw-eik-leu and a revitalised sense of disbelief that the time has actually come once more for another debate about the great isthmus.
Asean must unite to resolve Covid-19
News, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 27/03/2020
» As the Covid-19 pandemic runs its course and wreaks havoc worldwide, the numbers look bleak. Nearly 500,000 people have been infected, and more than 21,000 had died as of Thursday. The international system has reverted to every country for itself, as borders have gone up and globalisation has come down. The world as we knew it is unlikely to be the same, but regions as they were remain relevant. Here, Asean, as Southeast Asia's regional bloc, must face up to the crisis together or risk being torn apart by it.
Kudos to Thai Covid-19 fighters
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 21/04/2020
» In the 99 days since Covid-19 hit Thailand, the Prayut Chan-o-cha government has adjusted its handling of the pandemic. For the first 58 days, Gen Prayut continued to behave like a busboy in a local restaurant, trying to do everything from welcoming guests to serving food and cleaning tables.