Showing 1 - 10 of 39
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.
Protest a worrying sign
Oped, Editorial, Published on 01/07/2025
» The protest at Victory Monument on Saturday brought back memories of the last two street demonstrations which rocked the capital in recent years -- the protest organised by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) against then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the rallies held by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) against his sister, Yingluck.
Only courts can deal with Thaksin
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 30/06/2025
» The rally at the Victory Monument on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra resembled the so-called "Bangkok Shutdown" held in 2014 by the People's Democratic Reform Committee to demand the ouster of the government of then prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Ms Paetongtarn's aunt.
Leave no stone unturned in graft probes
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 05/04/2025
» The collapse of the State Audit Office's (SAO) under-construction building last week following a powerful quake in Myanmar set a world record -- but not in a way that Thai people would take pride in.
Less is more in restoring Asia's past
Oped, Jeff Allen & Waraporn Suwatchotikul, Published on 01/08/2024
» For decades, restorations of Southeast Asia's archaeological sites have typically involved transforming the past rather than faithfully presenting it. Conservationists often take a heavy-handed approach, embellishing a site to effectively "manufacture" a ruin that will appeal to visitors. But this tends to do more harm than good.
Sam Yan shows need to save history
Oped, Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal & Settanant Thanakitkoses, Published on 23/05/2024
» What distinguishes Thailand from many other countries is our rich diversity in culture and history. Yet slowly but surely, the distinctive heritage of our local communities is disappearing. Often property developers destroy historic buildings in pursuit of profit. But why do their rights always seem to come first? Why do we have to beg to protect our cultural assets?
Journo arrests hike tensions
Oped, Editorial, Published on 14/02/2024
» As fears grow that the furore over royal motorcades and the fierce reaction from royalist groups might become the catalyst for further polarisation in Thai society, our policemen's storm-in-a-tea cup arrest of two journalists over their coverage of the campaign for reform of the monarchy has only heightened tensions.
Schrödinger's Island: Taiwan election 2024
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 12/01/2024
» Taiwan's fate is as unknowable as usual, even though we know who the next president will be. The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) William Lai, vice-president under outgoing President Tsai Ing-Wen, will almost certainly win the election tomorrow because the two opposition parties failed to agree on a joint candidate and will split the slightly-less-anti-China vote between them.
Protect Si Thep's people, not just site
Oped, Phacharaphorn Phanomvan, Published on 28/09/2023
» The deal is done. Si Thep has officially become Thailand's seventh official Unesco World Heritage Site. However, the Unesco listing is only half the battle. Now, work must start on rolling out the government's conservation plan, which should be improved.
What the Global South thinks of the Ukraine war
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 28/04/2023
» There is a deep and growing rift between "the West" and "the Rest" about the need to resist and defeat the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This is because it is really a war in defence of sovereignty, which ought to be something every sovereign country can buy into -- but Western governments publicly insist that it is a war in defence of democracy.