Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Sam Yan shows need to save history
Oped, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal & Settanant Thanakitkoses, Published on 23/05/2024
» What distinguishes Thailand from many other countries is our rich diversity in culture and history. Yet slowly but surely, the distinctive heritage of our local communities is disappearing. Often property developers destroy historic buildings in pursuit of profit. But why do their rights always seem to come first? Why do we have to beg to protect our cultural assets?
A brighter future for Thailand's past
Oped, Bilaibhan Sampatsiri, Published on 21/07/2022
» Every year brings Thailand a new buzz phrase that academics, officials and the news media chant like a mantra hoping that it will unlock a better future. Digital hub. Smart city. The metaverse.
High-speed rail dilemma
Oped, Editorial, Published on 14/06/2022
» The medieval Dutch canonical cleric Thomas van Kempen once said, "The loftier the building, the deeper must the foundation be laid." Kempen the cleric was obviously talking in a metaphorical sense, using basic construction jargon to drive home his point on spiritual development.
A welcome return
Oped, Editorial, Published on 21/05/2022
» In tomorrow's Bangkok gubernatorial election voters will choose from 31 candidates. They'll also select from among 381 city council candidates, 50 of whom eventually will pass laws, scrutinise budgets and ensure accountability of administrators.
River safety needs action
Oped, Editorial, Published on 29/03/2022
» In just one month, there have been two explosions aboard oil tankers on the Chao Phraya River -- which flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. The accidents claimed two lives, and injured a number of others, as well as alarming river community residents and users of the river. However, the reaction of the Marine Department leaves much to be desired.
India farmer protests gain momentum
Oped, Amandeep Sandhu, Published on 16/10/2021
» For more than four months now, about 200,000 men, women, and the elderly have been camping on the roads leading to Delhi, barricaded from the nation's capital by concrete walls, trenches, concertina wires and nails on the road. The farmers are demanding the repeal of three laws that the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) enacted in violation of India's constitution and due parliamentary procedure last September. They also seek the legalisation of a national Minimum Support Price index, an assured price fixed every year by the government, on farm produce across 23 crops.
All too familiar
Oped, Postbag, Published on 16/01/2021
» Prof Thitinan Pongsudhirak suggests that the acceptance of corrupt and illegal practices by certain authorities is due to a lack of a moral backstop that once existed. A quick look at history would suggest that very little has actually changed, only that the publication of these illegal activities now makes it to public attention via foreign social media.
City's history being lost to fake facade of beauty
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 05/11/2020
» The new graffiti on the walls along the recently facelifted Klong Ong Ang became the talk of the town so I decided not to miss out on it. City Hall wrapped up the artwork just in time for the recent Loy Kratong festivities.
The Mahakan Fort mistake
Oped, Editorial, Published on 31/10/2020
» After booting the old Mahakan Fort community out of their homes in 2018, and turning the area into a park intended for tourists, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) recently, for the first time, tacitly admitted to its mistake.
Can one little plaque do that much 'damage'?
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 23/09/2020
» Less than 24 hours after the anti-dictatorship activists installed a plaque symbolising democracy at Sanam Luang before wrapping up the rally, state agencies managed to remove it, explaining that the brass item "damages" the historical site. Wow! Such swift action by state agencies is rare.