Showing 1 - 10 of 179
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.
Understand choices
Oped, Postbag, Published on 08/01/2026
» Re: "Long-term structural issues hobble Thailand's growth", (Business, Jan 5).
Early education transforms lives
Oped, Justin van Fleet & Pia Rebello Britto, Published on 09/12/2025
» The leaders' declaration adopted at the end of the recent G20 summit in South Africa reaffirmed the group's commitment to tackling some of the world's most pressing challenges, from inequality and long-running conflicts to AI and climate change. It also marked a historic milestone: for the first time, the G20 identified education as one of its top global priorities.
Adam Smith and the moral economy we have lost
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 12/11/2025
» With the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations approaching next year, the world is gearing up to honour Adam Smith. But which Smith should be recognised? The hard-nosed "founding father" of modern economics, or the philosopher who wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments? Scholars have wrestled with this question, a riddle known as "Das Adam Smith Problem", for centuries, because it concerns not just dualities within Smith's thought, but also our own uneasy relationship with morality and markets.
Crime fight no mere show
Oped, Editorial, Published on 10/11/2025
» The government last week staged a show of unity against cybercrime. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul presided over a ceremony where 15 state agencies, including the Royal Thai Police (RTP), the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the ministries of Interior, Finance, and Digital Economy and Society, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in tackling online scams, illegal gambling, and other forms of technology-related crime.
Rethinking identity from the start
Oped, Watcharin Ariyaprakai, Published on 29/10/2025
» Thailand has made history by recognising same-sex marriage, affirming the right of adults to love and marry freely. This will rightly be celebrated as a triumph for equality and human dignity. Yet, in the same society, another group remains voiceless: newborns born with Disorders of Sex Development (DSD).
Nuclear recklessness
Oped, Postbag, Published on 29/10/2025
» Re: "Russian leader praises new cruise missile", (World, Oct 28).
Can ethical supply chains survive tariffs?
Oped, Joleen Ong, Published on 10/10/2025
» Recent geopolitical developments have underscored the fragility of global supply chains, reminding businesses in constantly evolving sectors like consumer goods and fashion that the strength of supplier relationships is one of the few persistent sources of resilience. Maintaining such relationships through responsible purchasing is not only ethical but strategically necessary.
Ishiba's summit absence shows lack of Nato faith
Oped, Sayuri Romei and Alice Dell'Era, Published on 21/07/2025
» Since a Japanese prime minister first attended a Nato summit in 2022, Japan has sent its highest-level representative to the event for three consecutive years. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was a key catalyst for Tokyo's decision to attend that year, and the 2025 summit in The Hague would have marked the fourth consecutive appearance by a Japanese leader.
Southeast Asia facing hidden extremist threat
Oped, Muhammad Makmun Rasyid, Published on 07/07/2025
» In May, Indonesia's counter-terrorism unit arrested an 18-year-old man in Gowa, South Sulawesi, on charges of spreading Islamic State (IS) propaganda and inciting bomb attacks on social media. Identified only as MAS, the suspect represents a deeply troubling development in Southeast Asia's struggle against terrorism: the rise of youth radicalisation driven entirely by online exposure.