Showing 1 - 10 of 93
No special species
Oped, Postbag, Published on 29/11/2025
» Re: "Jakarta dog meat ban sparks debate", (World, Nov 27). Yes, if an animal is infected with rabies or any other disease, it is probably better not to eat its meat, however tasty, albeit recognising that the starving might reasonably have different priorities. This is true whether the animal is a dog, a cow, a cat, a pig, a chicken, or another of our animal relatives.
Retirement age vexes
Oped, Editorial, Published on 06/10/2025
» Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul recently floated the idea of extending the mandatory retirement age for civil servants from 60 to 65 years old. Though this idea is not new, the fact the proposal comes directly from the prime minister gives it enough political weight to make state agencies take the idea seriously.
Gaza hunger invites global shame
Oped, Binaifer Nowrojee, Published on 25/08/2025
» Starvation is the slow, silent unmaking of the body. Deprived of basic sustenance, the body first burns through sugar stores in the liver. Then it melts muscle and fat, breaking down tissue to keep the brain and other vital organs alive.
Trump hurting global trade in ideas
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 04/08/2025
» Much attention has been focused on Thailand's scramble to achieve a bilateral trade agreement with the United States to avoid a 36% tariff on all exported goods. Yet a different restrictive trade policy has received comparatively less scrutiny -- the Trump administration's clampdown on American universities, including a possible ban on the enrolment of international students.
Donald Trump buys time with weapons for Kyiv
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 18/07/2025
» There was rejoicing when US President Donald Trump announced that he was going to let Ukraine have weapons after all, but it was conspicuously contained joy. Half-smiles and sighs of relief were plentiful; cheers were absent or faked.
Porosity can reduce city flood effects
Oped, Nuntachart Ratanaburi, Published on 02/07/2025
» The rainy season, which officially began in May, combined with the La Niña effect, brings unusually heavy rains that leave several areas inundated. Worse, the climate change impact intensifies weather turbulences with intense, localised rainfall -- known as "rain bombs" or cloudbursts -- that may cause severe floods in areas with a poor drainage system.
All wiped out
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/07/2025
» Re: "Trade deal optimism lifts Asian shares", (Business, June 28).
BMA's sewer war begins
Oped, Editorial, Published on 24/06/2025
» Last week, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) closed down 46 food shops. Owners of these food businesses were found to be violating a municipal law, which requires them to install grease interceptors at their dishwashing basin systems.
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.
Do you know what kids do at school?
Oped, Mariano Miguel Carrera, Published on 09/05/2025
» In the 1970s and 1980s, regular public service announcements (PSAs) went along: "It's 9pm. Do you know where your children are?" These announcements contributed to a major pendulum shift in parenting (positively and negatively). Having PSAs in the 2020s is required to create the required major shift in education to put the focus on parents' role in learning rather than just making sure their kids attend school. "Do you know what your child is doing at school?" should be the new announcement.