• OPINION

  Asean, Thailand, Myanmar turn page

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 01/08/2023

  » The Suu Kyi-Don meeting in Nay Pyi Taw on July 9 has given hope of "a fresh opening" to the political peace process for Myanmar as well as the implementation of the Asean Five-Point Consensus (5PC). At the upcoming Asean-related summits in early September, the 5PC will be reviewed in full with all the updates and outcomes of a myriad of efforts by the Asean chair and other Asean members to recalibrate the Asean 5PC.

• OPINION

  Bimstec: A new force of the Global South

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/07/2023

  » All of a sudden, the countries around the Bay of Bengal are coming to the fore and raising their profiles. They know full well that this vast maritime enclave, with its plentiful resources and potential benefits, is another important strategic landscape. So, it is better to get their act together.

• OPINION

  Virtual diplomacy is real in Thailand

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/07/2023

  » The past several months have been tumultuous times in Thai diplomacy, with virtual diplomacy constantly challenging real-world diplomacy. Several incidents have occurred involving neighbouring countries, friends and allies. They all started off simply as casual online conversations or Instagram posts, then suddenly, they could quickly have turned toxic and evolved into diplomatic squabbling.

• OPINION

  Durian powers Sino-Thai friendship

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/07/2023

  » When it comes to the evolution of Sino-Thai relations, one must put aside all the geopolitical determinants and even such subjects as the current Russia-Ukraine war, the ramifications of the US-China standoff and tourism. The topic is durian, which serves as the weathervane of their long-standing bilateral ties. The durian, known worldwide as the "King of Fruits", is more than just a sticky, thorny and, yes, smelly fruit; they also define the nature of the five-decade-old Sino-Thai relations.

• OPINION

  Competitiveness affects Indonesia ties

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/06/2023

  » Just two years ago, Thailand and Indonesia commemorated the 70th anniversary of relations, with both sides holding events to celebrate. Over the year, they mapped out various plans that would boost bilateral ties with the aim of establishing and hastening a "strategic partnership". These included strengthening political and economic relations, investment, as well as people-to-people exchanges. In particular, both countries would establish "High-Level Committees" in their law enforcement agencies, including the police and military, to counter common challenges such as narcotics, human trafficking and call centre scams. Then a month later came the Myanmar quagmire.

• OPINION

  Thai-Saudi ties' wider strategic impact

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/06/2023

  » The invitation from the Saudi Minister of Investment, Khalid Abdulaziz-Falih, to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai to visit Saudi Arabia came just a few hours after the provisional results of the May 14 election were made known. With equal speed, the Thai side responded positively and gathered a 40-member high-level delegation composed of officials and private sector representatives. The caretaker government did not want to let go the momentum which began when Saudi-Thai relations resumed in January 2022.

• OPINION

  Asean no-nuke treaty in perilous times

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/06/2023

  » The Thai word, chiew-chiew, which means relax and respond in kind, is a fitting description of Asean's current attitude towards the fiercely strategic competition between the United States and China.

• OPINION

  Combatting fake news the Asean way

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 06/06/2023

  » Three weeks have passed since the general election, and the Thai media is still flooded with fake news and disinformation of all kinds. Essentially, these are designed to harm a particular individual, a political group or the country. Overall, the country's domestic environment is very fluid. Aside from efforts to form a new coalition government, the most important issues are related to national security and diplomacy.

• OPINION

  Imagining Thai diplomacy under MFP

  Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/05/2023

  » With the winners of the recent election headed by the Move Forward Party still working to form the next government, it is too early to predict the outcome of the political manoeuvring by its potential coalition partners. If everything goes as planned, it will be the first liberal government in Thai history. Since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has been struggling to establish a strong foundation for a liberal society with democratic norms and values. So far, the efforts have not been successful, leaving Thailand stuck with the label of a half-baked democracy. Government after government has tried to push forward democratisation but failed due to political polarisation and a deep-rooted patronage system.

• OPINION

  Asean must reengage with Myanmar

  News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 23/05/2023

  » Indonesian President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, was frank in saying that no progress had been made over the Myanmar crisis at the latest Asean summit in Labuan Bajo during a press conference after the event. Apparently, he was disappointed that the chair's efforts did not make the desirable outcome under his watch.

First Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next Last