Showing 1 - 10 of 155
Implications of conservative triumph
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 13/02/2026
» The incumbent and conservative Bhumjaithai (BJT) Party has surprisingly swept Thailand's Feb 8 election with a commanding win. With the previously poll-leading and progressive People's Party (PP) coming in a distant second, Thailand appears headed for a conservative coalition government revolving around BJT and like-minded junior partners. Known for its conservative stance and being pro-status quo, it would not be surprising if the BJT-led coalition government, led by Prime Minister-elect Anutin Charnvirakul, were not challenged by the Constitutional Court, the Election Commission, and other supervisory agencies, which have derailed and dissolved reform-minded winning parties in the past.
Speed confusion
Oped, Postbag, Published on 20/01/2026
» I am not sure if I am in the minority who now resorts to a mapping app with speed limit warnings to help monitor my speed when driving on Thailand's country roads to ensure I comply with the speed limit and avoid a fine.
Dark horse, deep state in upcoming polls
Oped, Nattaya Chetchotiros, Published on 15/01/2026
» The national election may be 20 days away, yet political analysts are already reading the tea leaves. Surprisingly, their predictions point in the same direction -- the next coalition could be a surprising mix of the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT), Pheu Thai and -- hold your breath -- the Democrat Party.
Why climate finance is no longer enough
Oped, Laura Carvalho, Published on 11/11/2025
» With the UN Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, kicking off, it is clear that the world's widely shared commitment to a just energy transition is falling by the wayside. In the year since governments signed on to the agreement at COP29 to scale up climate finance -- with a goal of mobilising $1.3 trillion (42 trillion baht) annually by 2035 -- wealthy countries have been retreating from their pledges. Worse, these signs of bad faith are coming just as the costs of climate adaptation and decarbonisation in developing countries are mounting.
Digesting Trump's trip through Asia
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 07/11/2025
» Storming through Asia last week, US President Donald Trump's first stop in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 26, before moving on to Japan and South Korea over the next four days, capped by his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping before returning to Washington, was the most consequential for Southeast Asian economies.
Teaching troubles
Oped, Postbag, Published on 28/10/2025
» Re: "Poll: Outdated curriculum tops public concerns on Thai education", (BP, Oct 26).
'Scam-gate' deserves full accounting
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/10/2025
» The explosive revelations and allegations of regional cybercrimes and scam networks have hit Thailand head-on and placed the government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in an awkward and defensive position. As more facts surrounding what looks like a labyrinthine cross-border multibillion-dollar transnational criminal ring come to light, more questions have surfaced with no clear answers. The Anutin government needs to come clean and avoid a "scam-gate" of cover-ups and lies at the expense of countless scammed victims across many countries.
Plot twist in Asia's energy story
Oped, Lidy Nacpil, Published on 18/09/2025
» Asia's energy story is one of persistent energy poverty, while communities grapple with the health, climate, and economic impacts of fossil fuels. The rise of renewables may prove to be a transformative plot twist in the making. Asia's shift to renewable energy is already underway, and progressing faster than many realise. From rooftop solar panels in suburban Pakistan, to vast offshore wind farms along China's coast, to utility-scale projects electrifying farms in Bangladesh, renewable energy is showing potential to redefine energy security across Asia.
New tourism path for climate survival
Oped, Kamphol Pantakua, Published on 20/08/2025
» Hotel bookings are vanishing. Tour buses sit idle. Empty beaches. The culprit? Not mass protests. Not pandemics. But smoke, dust, and heat. Tourism fuels Thailand's economy, yet smog, heat waves, and flash floods are rapidly choking it. Can paradise still sell if it's unbreathable?
Thai-Cambodian feud is Asean's worst
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/08/2025
» The border dispute and consequent military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand in recent weeks have become Asean's worst crisis in its 58 years of existence. Ironically, it was an intra-regional war between Indonesia and Malaysia that gave rise to Asean in 1967, but now an intra-Asean military clash is undermining the Southeast Asian organisation's core reason for being and its main claim to credibility and prominence. Unless Asean, under Malaysia as its rotational chair this year, moves fast to contain the bilateral dispute and reinforce a delicate ceasefire agreement, Southeast Asia will be looked upon increasingly as a region and less as an organisation of member states.