Showing 1 - 10 of 361
People’s Party’s diplomatic 'elegance' rings hollow
Oped, Pavin Chachavalpongpun, Published on 16/01/2026
» On Jan 11, the People’s Party held a high-profile event to showcase its “People’s Government”, offering a glimpse of its proposed executive leadership. Among the key speakers was Pisan Manawapat, a former diplomat and senator, designated as the party’s future foreign minister.
Baht headache
Oped, Postbag, Published on 18/12/2025
» Re: "BoT cracks down on surging baht", (Business, Dec 17). While the baht's currency strength is an ever-more concerning issue, as pointed out numerous times, what is rarely mentioned is the likely excess Thai foreign reserves, nearing an astonishing US$270 billion.
The battle over truth, reputation
News, Thasanai Chaiyakwaeng, Published on 17/12/2025
» In today's hyper-connected world, information travels at lightning speed -- often outpacing the truth. This rush to premature judgement, fuelled by viral posts and incomplete narratives, can devastate reputations overnight. Individuals, corporations, and even government agencies have found themselves tried in the court of public opinion long before any judicial verdict.
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.
Thai-Sino ties take new steps
Oped, Zhang Jianwei, Published on 13/11/2025
» In China's diplomacy with neighbouring countries, the friendly relations between China and Thailand have always sparkled. The many "firsts" created in this relationship have vividly demonstrated the special bond of "China and Thailand are as close as one family" as well as a firm belief of the two countries in working hand in hand for common development, bringing great benefits to the people, and setting a shining example of regional cooperation.
An intriguing case of daylight robbery
Published on 26/10/2025
» You can't beat a good old fashioned diamond heist to make media headlines around the world. Even better when it involves an iconic institution like the Louvre museum in Paris home of the much loved Mona Lisa.
Art freedom under fire
Oped, Editorial, Published on 13/08/2025
» The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) is in hot water after it succumbed to pressure from the Chinese embassy by censoring an art exhibition on its premises.
Monastic discipline in the digital age
Oped, Watcharin Ariyaprakai, Published on 23/07/2025
» At a time when Thai society is reeling from scandals in the monastic community -- from leaked audio clips of money transfers via apps to secret relationships with women -- we are not merely shocked that "monks have done wrong", but rather at how swiftly the "image of purity" we've long upheld has collapsed.
More missiles, memes, and the new resistance
News, Imran Khalid, Published on 19/07/2025
» There was a time, not so long ago, when Walter Cronkite's sombre baritone could turn battlefield dispatches into moments of collective reckoning. Even the first "television war" of 1991, piped in grainy bursts from Baghdad, felt slow enough for shock to sink in. These days, the missiles that streak above Natanz or Esfahan arrive on TikTok between latte art tutorials and kittens sliding off sofas. The effect is less shock-and-awe, more scroll-and-shrug.
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.