Showing 1 - 10 of 153
Will poll be breakout or more of same?
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 06/02/2026
» As Thais go to the polls this Sunday, the most consequential question is whether Thailand will finally break out of its debilitating cycle of political instability and economic underperformance that has marked the past two decades. The signs and signals suggest otherwise -- at least not yet.
Phasing out coal makes economic sense
Oped, Rapeepat Ingkasit, Published on 24/12/2025
» Thailand's recent update to its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) was met with polite applause from diplomatic circles and global communities. By finally aligning the national net-zero target with the mid-century goals of our neighbours, the kingdom appears to be getting back on track.
How a bad Trump edit became a global controversy
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 14/11/2025
» I have spent thousands of hours sitting alongside video editors working on productions quite similar to the Panorama documentary that has landed the British Broadcasting Corporation with the threat of a billion-dollar libel suit by Donald Trump. I think I know what happened.
Cambodia's bluster fails at UN event
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 30/09/2025
» At the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Thailand and Cambodia verbally clashed again over their border dispute. What stood out was not just the usual complaints, but the gap between quiet promises made behind closed doors and loud posturing in public.
Anutin's new cabinet is a mixed bag
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/09/2025
» The composition and size of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's 36-member cabinet suggest that he intends to stay in office for as long as possible, clinging to the terms of the government-enabling Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and calling an early election only if circumstances make it unavoidable.
Thaksin chapter closes, another opens
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 19/09/2025
» In yet another dramatic twist in Thai politics, erstwhile anti-establishment political juggernaut and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra accepted a one-year jail sentence and began serving his time behind bars on Sept 9. After his return from a 15-year self-imposed exile in August 2023 and a concomitant royal pardon that reduced his eight-year imprisonment on corruption convictions to just one year, Thaksin cited his gravely ill health and spent the time comfortably at the Police General Hospital before being released on parole. The Supreme Court's ruling that his get-out-of-jail health card was invalid means Thaksin's renewed imprisonment and its aftermath are likely to reshape and realign Thailand's political landscape ahead of the next election, due by mid-2027.
Limits of Xi, Putin's 'no-limits' alliance
Oped, Ruby Osman & Dan Sleat, Published on 05/09/2025
» Much has changed since Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin last stood together atop Tiananmen Square in 2015. When they did so again this week, it was supposedly as equal partners. But, of course, the reality is far more complex.
The incalculable costs of corrupt statistics
Oped, Diane Coyle, Published on 29/08/2025
» With GDP and employment figures dominating political debates, it is easy to forget that they are hardly timeless truths. In fact, how we measure progress has shifted dramatically over time. The Physiocrats -- eighteenth-century French economists who saw agriculture as the source of all wealth -- regarded farms' output as the most important economic indicator. The Soviet Union, for its part, focused exclusively on goods production and ignored services altogether.
Soldiers also suffer stress
Oped, Editorial, Published on 22/08/2025
» The recent tragedy of a 25-year-old soldier who killed himself after he injured two civilians in a shooting in Surin province should not be concealed by the military.
Blacked-out danger
Oped, Postbag, Published on 13/08/2025
» Re: "Show your face", (PostBag, Aug 1) & "New road safety shock", (Editorial, June 26).