Showing 1 - 10 of 34
Justice must ditch the glitz
Oped, Editorial, Published on 13/05/2025
» The recent phenomenon of talk show hosts and social media influencers seeking justice for the downtrodden represents a worrying trend for Thailand. While these celebrity crusaders offer an expedient shortcut for those seemingly failed by traditional mechanisms, their existence suggests that something could be seriously wrong with the nation's justice system.
Leveraging Thailand's superyacht exposure
Oped, Pun-Arj Chairatana and Andy Treadwell, Published on 19/04/2025
» The feature of the 117-foot (35.7-metre) catamaran Spacecat in the television series The White Lotus Season 3, set in the Gulf of Thailand and in the waters around Phuket, highlights the potential of Thailand's superyacht charter market. Delivered in November 2022 by Silver Yachts, the vessel showcased luxury against the backdrop of Thailand. This visibility presents an opportunity to further develop Thailand's luxury tourism and service industry, moving beyond glamour to build a sustainable sector that could drive economic growth. Thailand has significant assets; strategic support can help this industry thrive.
Mobile operators need competition
News, Peter Cramton & Erik Bohlin, Published on 31/03/2025
» Thailand's mobile communications market has two service providers with an equal share of customers. In economic terms, it is a symmetric duopoly. This is the worst market structure because the two can easily discipline each other to limit competition: "I'll match any lower price you set; I'll limit 5G and 6G investment if you do." This reciprocity limits competition in price and quality, which helps the carriers' shareholders but harms consumers, especially in the long run, through slower innovation in a critical infrastructure industry.
Which way for MotoGP?
Oped, Editorial, Published on 05/03/2025
» It is music to the ears as Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vows that she will put politics aside and think business in deciding whether to renew a contract to host the MotoGP.
Gun control falls short
News, Editorial, Published on 17/02/2025
» Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul have jointly signed an order halting the issuance of permits to carry firearms, particularly handguns, for one year.
Protectionism hurts climate effort
Oped, Ma Jun, Published on 04/02/2025
» US President Donald Trump's policy to raise tariffs on imports from Canada, China and Mexico has the world bracing for major trade disruptions. While protectionism has come back into vogue, and countries like the United States are cultivating critical sectors at home to bolster their economic security, the reversal of free trade will accelerate under Mr Trump, with far-reaching consequences -- not least for the fight against climate change.
Zuckerberg lifts US content guardrails in bias shift
News, Kurt Wagner and Riley Griffin, Published on 09/01/2025
» It was no accident that Meta Platforms Inc chose Donald Trump's favourite TV news show, Fox and Friends, to discuss its decision to ditch outside fact-checking.
Poor pay, rich save
Oped, Postbag, Published on 07/12/2024
» Re: "15% VAT plan has vexed", (BP, Dec 6) and "Pichai promotes rejig of tax rates", (Business, Dec 3).
The world really needs a techno-realist manifesto
News, Nicholas Agar & Stuart Whatley, Published on 04/12/2024
» 'It's actually going to be easy to cure ageing and cancer," insists David Sinclair, a researcher on ageing at Harvard University. Similarly, Elon Musk continues to claim that he will soon land humans on Mars and deploy robotaxis en masse. Major corporations have set carbon-neutrality targets based on highly optimistic forecasts about the potential of carbon-removal technologies. And, of course, many commentators now insist that "AI changes everything".
Congestion fee questions
News, Editorial, Published on 23/10/2024
» Politicians and our transport agencies have long considered introducing a traffic congestion charge, but they were never serious or daring enough to upset motorists.