Showing 1 - 10 of 270
Election Commission under new pressure
Oped, Editorial, Published on 12/02/2026
» As accusations of vote-counting irregularities mount, the Election Commission (EC) is encountering a crisis of confidence amid fading levels of public trust.
A fond farewell to the poster people
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 08/02/2026
» For a couple of months the streets in Bangkok and throughout Thailand have been decorated with posters of political candidates. But now the Big Day has arrived and soon the posters will disappear. In a strange sort of way, I will miss their presence as they were at least something to look at when stuck in the traffic. They generally appeared to be a cheerful lot, beaming at us with big cheesy grins as one would expect in the Land of Smiles.
Anti-military tag harms PP poll hopes
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 12/01/2026
» War creates heroes. It also fuels a strong sense of patriotism. Hence, in the eyes of most Thais, the Thai military -- especially Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, former commander of the 2nd Army Region -- have become heroes for risking their lives, or for the lives lost and injuries sustained, during the two rounds of bloody armed conflict with Cambodian forces in July and December.
Time for Indo-Pacific unity is now
Oped, Akihisa Nagashima, Published on 26/12/2025
» We are living in an age of global disruption. Supply chains are being reconfigured to avoid dependence on any one producer or country. Trade ties are being upended by high and unpredictable tariffs (and the threat of more). Longstanding alliances are being strained by doubts about partners' reliability.
Charter bill still afloat
Oped, Editorial, Published on 04/12/2025
» The month of December commences amid considerable political uncertainty. As parliament is set to convene its extraordinary session on Dec 10-11 to deliberate the proposed changes to the charter, to be followed by a regular session the day after, speculation mounts that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul may attempt to dissolve the House early -- in a bid to counter the Pheu Thai Party's threatened no-confidence motion.
Cheers for the absurd rules
Oped, Editorial, Published on 12/11/2025
» The amended alcohol control legislation that imposes fines on individuals who continue drinking alcoholic beverages during restricted hours -- particularly between 2pm and 5pm -- has left the government in hot water.
Let's just try leaning into your morbid curiosity
Oped, Coltan Scrivner, Published on 30/10/2025
» Film critics Gene Siskel and Johnny Oleksinski have called fans of slasher films like Friday the 13th and Saw "very sick people" and "depraved lunatics who should not be allowed near animals or most other living things". Public outcry around the video game Mortal Kombat in the early 1990s was so extreme that it led to a special US Senate hearing on the topic. Similarly, the recent rise of true crime entertainment has some people wondering if we are becoming desensitised to the horror and seriousness of the events themselves.
Banned bets
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/10/2025
» Re: "Anutin bans poker, sports gambling nationwide", (BP, Oct 23). So, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has banned gambling again. The prohibition specifically aims at poker and other similar sports-themed card games. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport earlier classified poker only as a sport? Well, it's not, is it -- it's a card game that is invariably played for money, unlike many others, such as bridge, which are not.
The time I really put my foot in it
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/10/2025
» A half-hearted spring-cleaning session at home during the week came to a welcome halt when I unearthed a couple of my father's wartime RAF books under a pile of disintegrating paperbacks. The Air Ministry books, published more than 80 years ago, always serve as a reminder of when as a kid I made a faux pas of embarrassing proportions.
Parties jostle over charter rewrite path
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 18/10/2025
» The People's Party (PP), a progressive party in Thai politics, secured a small victory in parliament this week, with its charter rewriting draft becoming the primary legislation for constitutional amendment.