Showing 61 - 70 of 118
Apec 2022: Miss it at your own peril
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/10/2022
» After dilly-dallying for some time, President Joe Biden informed the Thai government that he will not attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders' meeting (APECLM) on Nov 18-19. The reason is quite simple: He is attending the wedding of his granddaughter at the White House. Instead, he is sending Vice President Kamala Harris to represent the US at the two-day meeting in Bangkok.
Aussie ties out of the woods, raring to go
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/09/2022
» 'Thais that bind: secret mission ends Aussie's torment," read the front page headline of The Australian on Nov 22, 2020. It was referring to Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, the British-Australian academic arrested in late 2018 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard as she was about to leave Tehran over an espionage charge. She was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in jail in a secret trial.
Rising S Korea deepens ties with Asean
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 20/09/2022
» To witness the dynamism of South Korea's rise and its relationship with Asean and each bloc member, it is important to attend the reception marking the national day of Vietnam.
SE Asia to host big powers in November
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/09/2022
» For a 10-day period in the second week of November, the world's attention will be focused singularly on Southeast Asia. Current global chasms, both big and small, will play out in Phnom Penh, Bali as well as the newly renovated Queen Sirikit Convention Center here in Bangkok respectively. Plenty of positive headlines as well as vitriol will be generated, as leaders of powerful countries and economies descend on the region.
Thanks to Gorbachev, SE Asia found peace
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 06/09/2022
» Lest we forgot, President Mikhail Gorbachev was the Soviet leader who was the game changer in bringing an end to the Cambodian conflict. Southeast Asia owes him for giving peace a chance during the most turbulent time in this part of the world. The global media has widely credited him for ending the Cold War, opening up and giving more freedom in the Soviet Union, which was unfortunate as it also brought down the empire and led to the establishment of newly independent states.
Bolstering Thailand-India ties at 75
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/08/2022
» Thailand and India have taken seven-and-a-half decades to transform their close historical and cultural ties into a more strategic trajectory. It is not an easy task as their leaders have been all too comfortable with their longstanding friendly and relatively trouble-free ties. However, the recent three-day high-profile visit of Indian External Affairs Secretary Dr S Jaishankar has raised the dynamics of Thailand-India relations to a new level.
Asean hardens position on Myanmar
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 09/08/2022
» The crisis in Myanmar has dominated this year’s Asean annual ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh due to Nay Pyi Taw’s growing intransigence as well as frustration among the bloc’s key members.
Indonesia ramps up diplomatic profile
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 02/08/2022
» In the post-Cold War era in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has always been an important weathervane in demonstrating the state of "realpolitik" in the region. Therefore, the recent diplomatic flurry of high-profile visits by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, shows the country's efforts to stay ahead of today's rapidly changing strategic landscape, in particular in the Indo-Pacific region.
Upcoming AMM facing uphill tasks
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/07/2022
» The Asean Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) next week will be a test of its centrality and relevancy as never seen before. The annual meeting has to confront sensitive new and divisive issues that will require the 55-year-old bloc's collective wisdom, commitment and foresight.
Remembering Abe and Japan's rise
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/07/2022
» It is not an overstatement to say that the late prime minister Shinzo Abe single-handedly promoted Japan's regional and international profile through unconventional economic and security policies. Abe linked his country's economic policies with security and strategic twists in its relations with the rest of the world, Asean in particular.