Showing 1 - 10 of 51
Asean's regroup requires deep reforms
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 17/10/2025
» If Asean's 58 years thus far have been about resilience and playing a central organising role in promoting regional security and stability, its next decade will determine whether the Southeast Asian bloc can adapt and remain relevant. After the crises in Myanmar and along the Thai-Cambodian border, Asean's credibility has never been more in doubt. To regain its effectiveness as Southeast Asia's one and only agency, Asean needs to move away from the ritualistic diplomacy of mundane meetings to far-reaching reforms that chart new ways of making things work.
Crime still thriving
News, Editorial, Published on 16/10/2025
» The government's self-congratulation over Thailand retaining its Tier 2 ranking in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is misplaced. Remaining at Tier 2 -- for the fourth consecutive year -- is not an achievement. It's an alarm bell signalling that the country is standing still while crime spreads beneath its feet.
Cybercrime moves up the agenda
News, David Whitehouse, Published on 28/06/2025
» There has been no shortage of commentators ready to hail the decision of former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen to leak his recent conversation with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra as a diplomatic "masterstroke".
Time for Asean to tackle scam trade
Samady Ou, Published on 21/06/2025
» In April, China's President, Xi Jinping, undertook a tour of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries in an effort to shore up his country's relationships amidst rising tensions and fears of a full-blown trade war with the United States. While these visits sought to tighten diplomatic ties and deepen economic collaborations, a troubling issue continues to fester in many countries: the growing proliferation of cybercrime and multi-billion-dollar cyber scam networks.
The high cost of Yoon's martial law
Oped, Takatoshi Ito, Published on 20/12/2024
» When South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol abruptly declared martial law late on Dec 3, claiming that it was necessary to enable him to eliminate "anti-state" forces, street protests erupted almost immediately.
Korea martial law lessons for Thailand
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 10/12/2024
» Last week, South Korea experienced a titanic political shift when President Yoon Suk-yeol imposed martial law late on Tuesday night. The move lasted just over six hours before it was lifted, making it one of the shortest-lived martial law declarations in modern political history. It was lucky because it started late at night and ended early in the morning. Had it occurred during the day, the outcome could have been very different.
Allies jumpy as US waltzes into Trumpworld 2.0
News, Peter Apps, Published on 21/11/2024
» As America's allies digested the news and scale of Donald Trump's election victory, four US B-52 strategic bombers over a week ago landed at Britain's RAF Fairford having flown the Atlantic and conducted joint training missions over Scandinavia with Finnish and Swedish jets.
Take mpox seriously
News, Editorial, Published on 22/08/2024
» From a country once considered at "almost zero risk" of an mpox outbreak, as declared by a senior health official two years ago, Thailand is now facing an increasing threat after the Department of Disease Control (DDC) confirmed yesterday that a patient who travelled to the kingdom from Africa might be infected with the more serious Clade 1b strain of the disease.
Singapore gives financial optimists some succour
News, Daniel Moss, Published on 17/10/2023
» To hear it from Singapore, the global economy is a glass half full. The central bank's latest assessment skips some of the pessimism that's been a feature of communications this year. If this hub for trade and capital is right, then the global expansion will live to fight another day.
Sources of East Asia's industrial capabilities
Oped, Keun Lee, Published on 29/04/2023
» As the US works to limit China's access to advanced technologies like semiconductors, it cannot ignore its own dependence on small Asian economies like South Korea and Taiwan for many of those same technologies. The question the US and its allies must ask, then, is how reliable these economies are as producers.