Showing 1 - 6 of 6
Hypertension hides in plain sight
Oped, Jos Vandelaer & Renu Garg, Published on 15/05/2025
» Thailand's economy has surged. Its health care system is admired. Yet a silent killer is quietly stealing lives, straining hospitals, and sapping the nation's future. That killer is hypertension -- and it's hiding in plain sight.
WHO: We need food, not tobacco
Oped, Renaud Meyer & Jos Vandelaer, Published on 31/05/2023
» As we mark World No Tobacco Day today, it is imperative that we reflect on this year's theme: "We need food, not tobacco." While smoking continues to pose a significant public health threat in Thailand, we must also recognise the adverse impact of tobacco cultivation on tobacco farmers, food security and the environment.
A New Year's resolution 'for life'
Oped, Jos Vandelaer, Published on 29/12/2022
» Thailand is known to be one of the most unsafe countries in the world when measured by the proportion of people who die in road traffic accidents. In its most recent global report (2018), the World Health Organization (WHO) ranks Thailand as the No 9 country in terms of road traffic deaths, with 32.7 fatalities per 100,000 head of population.
Tobacco's environmental threat
Oped, Renaud Meyer and Dr Jos Vandelaer, Published on 31/05/2022
» Tobacco kills our environment, not just people. Tobacco causes over 8 million deaths every year globally and 81,000 in Thailand. Simultaneously, each year, tobacco destroys a vast landmass roughly the size of 44,000 Suan Luang Rama IX parks, the largest green park in Bangkok, causes massive deforestation and pollutes our environment.
The fight for press freedom is local
Oped, Jos Midas Bartman, Published on 24/05/2022
» A macabre political thriller recently unfolded in the Philippine province of Palawan, an island known mostly for its rich biodiversity and pristine beaches. On May 9, Joel T Reyes, a suspect in the 2011 murder of well-known radio broadcaster Gerry Ortega, ran again for governor. Had Mr Reyes won, the possibilities for Ortega's family to obtain justice for the killing would have dwindled. Fortunately for them, he lost.
Curbing Covid is everyone's task
Oped, Jos Vandelaer, Published on 11/02/2022
» The Covid-19 pandemic has now entered its third year. With the ongoing threat of the Omicron variant around the world, we can expect at least part of 2022 to be dominated by the struggle to contain the Sars-CoV-2 virus.