Showing 1 - 10 of 74
Three main parties and two directions
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 16/01/2026
» Although Thailand's election campaign is reaching fever pitch ahead of voting day on Feb 8, the dynamics and contours of its final outcome can be gleaned from past polls over the last 25 years. Only once in January 2001, as was indicated in this space last week, were voter results fully honoured and carried out. Other elections were either upended by military coups or manipulated by judicial interventions.
Artists resist repression in Thailand, US
Oped, Sally Tyler, Published on 08/12/2025
» In late August, two seemingly unrelated events occurred in Thailand and the US. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) altered a major exhibit it had recently opened and, a few weeks later, the comedian Jimmy Kimmel was temporarily taken off the air by the ABC television network. These events are linked as forms of artistic repression and perhaps more concerning, as examples of the growing use of intermediary censorship by authoritarian regimes.
Sync up our green goals
Oped, Editorial, Published on 07/11/2025
» Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin made a bold pledge this week to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 -- 15 years earlier than the earlier deadline.
Thailand at intelligence crossroads
Oped, Worsak Kanok-Nukulchai, Published on 23/06/2025
» As the United States and China pour vast investments into artificial intelligence, we stand on the brink of a power shift more profound than the atomic age--one where machines, not humans, may soon drive the pace of progress. On the horizon is Artificial General Intelligence or AGI, where machines can perform any intellectual task that humans can do, but also think, reason, adapt and innovate. The signs are clear: we may be approaching the end of the pre-AGI era.
State entities too complex to be treated as startups
Oped, Mariana Mazzucato and Rainer Kattel, Published on 17/04/2025
» Around the world, governments are trying to reinvent themselves in the image of business. Elon Musk's DOGE crusade in the United States is quite explicit on this point, as is Argentina's chainsaw-wielding president, Javier Milei. But one also hears similar rhetoric in the United Kingdom, where Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden wants the government to foster a "test-and-learn" culture and move towards performance-based management.
Casino crime
Oped, Postbag, Published on 10/04/2025
» Re: "Govt holds off on casino bill", (BP, April 9) & "Casino bill could land govt in hot water", (BP, April 7).
Unesco tick under threat
Oped, Editorial, Published on 14/12/2024
» A planned visit by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to Ayutthaya next month highlights the risk of the old capital losing its world heritage due to the controversial high-speed train project.
Time ripe to prevent unrest
Oped, Editorial, Published on 29/11/2024
» Political tensions have soared this week after firebrand Sondhi Limthongkul, leader of the now-defunct People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), unveiled his plan to hold regular political activities starting next year.
Regional antidotes to counter Trump
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/11/2024
» The return of Donald Trump -- now US President-elect, is one of the biggest global shocks. Almost every country is worried about what will happen with the world and economy with the return of Mr Trump's style of protectionism -- this time on steroids. Or, to put it simply, will it be either an "Armageddon" of global instability or a flurry of self-serving deal-making?
Revamp flood plans
Oped, Editorial, Published on 19/10/2024
» Flooding in Chiang Mai province finally receded this week, and people are returning to some sense of normalcy. Yet, the latest flood woes have residents concerned about how the local government can manage floods in the future.