Showing 1 - 10 of 12
School bus safety ignored
Oped, Editorial, Published on 05/02/2026
» In January alone, there were eight school bus accidents, the Thailand Consumer Council says -- a prominent civic group campaigning for school bus safety. These incidents claimed one life and injured 122 others, yet they were treated as snippet news that drew little public attention.
Crunch time for Phumtham
Oped, Editorial, Published on 15/07/2025
» New interior minister, and current acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, is a man who can make tough decisions. His recent record includes the decision to return Uyghurs to China early this year, as demanded by Beijing. Last month, he approved a long-delayed, controversial submarine procurement from China -- a call that even junta leader-cum-prime minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha shied away from.
Names muddled
Oped, Postbag, Published on 09/07/2025
» For reasons unknown to me, the Bangkok Post insists on using oddly transliterated Thai, even where the meaning is unclear.
Living with elephants
Oped, Editorial, Published on 08/07/2023
» The safe return to Thailand from Sri Lanka of the ailing Thai elephant, Sak Surin, which is known in Sri Lanka as Muthu Raja, on July 2 would not have been possible without the collective efforts of several individuals and agencies.
Thai politics needs checks and balances
Oped, Titipol Phakdeewanich, Published on 30/06/2023
» The hopeful sentiment following the May 14 elections has gradually evaporated following fierce horse-trading between the two winning parties -- the Move Forward Party (MFP) and the Pheu Thai Party over which party will secure the House speaker's seat.
Asean no-nuke treaty in perilous times
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/06/2023
» The Thai word, chiew-chiew, which means relax and respond in kind, is a fitting description of Asean's current attitude towards the fiercely strategic competition between the United States and China.
What will Asean be like come 2045?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/04/2023
» It is now official: the Asean Community's Post 2025 vision will be extended by another ten years from 2035 to 2045. Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn revealed the 20-year vision in Bangkok last week, much to the surprise of diplomats and the local audience. The decision was taken at the 7th meeting of the High-Level Task Force on the Asean Community's Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) in March 19-20 in Belitung, Indonesia.
Building bookworms
Oped, Editorial, Published on 28/09/2022
» After launching an expensive campaign to promote a culture of reading in 2013 that achieved only moderate success, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is giving it another stab.
Stop deporting Cambodian refugees
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 01/12/2021
» The recent deportation of three internationally recognised Cambodian refugees provoked an international outcry, much to Thailand's embarrassment. The first two were deported from Thailand on Nov 9, while the third was sent back home on Nov 20 to also face the risk of political persecution. Such efforts to "push back" refugees have regrettably tarnished Thailand's generally commendable policy and practice of offering refuge to persons fleeing persecution and other dangers from foreign territories. This is all the more poignant since Thailand's human rights record is in the middle of being assessed in Geneva under the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Build better Covid apps
Oped, Editorial, Published on 08/05/2021
» The war against Covid-19 will be a long one, and despite the substantial rise in cases and the death toll, it is too early to predict whether Thailand will win or lose. Last year, our frontline workers -- often referred to as "Nak Roeb Sua Kao" (warriors in white gowns) won an early battle against the coronavirus after efficiently tracing infections and treating people.