Showing 1 - 10 of 21
An Asean free from 'wars on drugs'
Oped, Gloria Lai, Published on 19/09/2025
» Asean governments recently met in Singapore for a regional meeting about drugs, where the host nation urged renewed commitment to a "drug-free region". The problem isn't simply the recycling of an outdated mantra first declared in 1998, nor the fact that the region's drug markets have only expanded since then, but that this approach ignores how government policies themselves shape those markets -- and the devastating harms that follow.
Three hours in Greenland and plenty of bluster
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 02/04/2025
» 'We need to wake up from a failed, 40-year consensus that said we could ignore the encroachment of powerful countries as they expand their ambitions," said US Vice-President JD Vance during his brief visit to the US military base at Pituffik in northern Greenland. (It was brief because the Greenland authorities wouldn't let Mr Vance go anywhere else.)
Refugees in limbo, Thailand in denial
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 18/03/2025
» Who would have thought that the infamous assault by the then State Law and Order Restoration Council, as Myanmar's military junta was formerly known, on the strongholds of the Karen National Union (KNU) in January 1984 would leave a massive time bomb for Thailand some four decades later? That military operation forced the mass displacement of Karens and other ethnic groups, pushing them to cross the Thai border in search of refuge.
US aid halt can be deadly for some
Oped, Nadia Hardman, Published on 14/03/2025
» Wah K'Ler Paw was just 30 when she died from renal failure in a remote Thai refugee camp near the Myanmar border. Her death was preventable, but the Trump administration's freeze on foreign aid abruptly cut her lifeline: dialysis that had kept her disease at bay.
Sun-powered schools are a smart move
Oped, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 19/02/2025
» Thailand's rising electricity costs are not just a concern for businesses; they are placing a financial burden on schools. In 2023, a local business daily, Bangkok Biz, reported that many schools were struggling with high electricity liabilities.
Solving the Myanmar migrant surge
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/09/2024
» With the civil conflict in Myanmar showing no signs of abating soon, Thailand faces formidable challenges in irregular migration from the country. Without adequate and sustainable solutions, Thailand's overall development, including its economy, society, and security, will be seriously impacted.
Yesterday’s shadow
Oped, Postbag, Published on 25/05/2024
» Re: “Court to hear Srettha case”, (BP, May 24) and “Thailand’s judiciary face challenges”, (Opinion, May 24). Prof Thitinan Pongsudhirak’s biting comments on the judiciary’s influence on the lifeline of an elected prime minister are most justified based on past events. For the coming challenge facing our Constitutional Court, it is different from the past. The court’s 5-4 vote not suspending PM Srettha’s lifeline before he has the chance of defence is laudable.
PM's drug reforms echo past errors
Oped, Gloria Lai, Published on 24/05/2024
» When Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced plans to reschedule cannabis as a narcotic and reduce the threshold for possession of methamphetamine for personal use (not for supply to others) from five pills to one, he signalled a return to drug policies championed over two decades ago. He called for crackdowns on people in the drug trade, for people who use drugs to be placed into rehabilitation facilities and demanded results in 90 days.
What joining OECD means to Thailand
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 02/04/2024
» Thailand's bid to become a member of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) could be extremely challenging owing to the ever-changing geopolitical landscape, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. Since the release of the OECD's Indo-Pacific Strategic Framework last year, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation has been doubling its efforts to woo more members from the region. Both the region's No.1 and No.2 economies, Indonesia and Thailand, are high on the list.
Boosting the clean energy push
Oped, Patricia Espinosa & Lourdes Melgar, Published on 05/12/2023
» The world stands at a critical juncture in the fight against climate change. Either we drastically accelerate the clean-energy transition, or our fast-dwindling chances of preventing global temperatures from surpassing 1.5° Celsius above pre-industrial levels will be destroyed. Few understand the stakes better than Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries.