Showing 1 - 10 of 37
Historic preservation needs you and me
Oped, Kanitha Kasina-Ubol, Published on 29/09/2025
» Thais deeply revere our heritage. Millions of us visit museums, temples, old towns, and monuments every year.
Protecting culture is key
News, Editorial, Published on 05/07/2025
» The latest cabinet shakeup has shifted the spotlight onto the Ministry of Culture. Officials of this usually quiet ministry received their new, high-profile minister yesterday, who was only days before suspended as prime minister. Paetongtarn Shinawatra swiftly moved her office from Government House to the Ministry of Culture yesterday, creating a buzz among officials and the public alike.
Thai heritage deserves better laws
Oped, Wimonrart Issarathumnoon, Published on 30/05/2025
» The faltering conservation of Thailand's built cultural heritage is a quiet national crisis.
How social media shapes our political memory
Oped, Chelsea Butkowski, Published on 19/04/2025
» With Donald Trump's return to the White House, I've been reminded of a viral social media moment from just before his first rise to power in 2016. After waiting in line to vote that year, nearly 12,000 people joined a second queue, at a cemetery in upstate New York, to visit the grave of famed women's suffragist Susan B Anthony and place their "I Voted" stickers on her headstone.
Venice suffers from 'beauty curse'
Oped, Edoardo Campanella, Published on 10/09/2024
» Countries with great wealth or natural abundance often fall victim to their own blessings. Economists have long known that resource-rich countries can get stuck in cycles of slow economic growth, intense environmental degradation, and weak democratic institutions. But places endowed with a unique artistic and architectural heritage also can suffer from this "resource curse". Breathtaking monuments from a storied past can generate economic rents and sectoral distortions, not unlike those created by large reserves of fossil fuels and precious minerals.
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.
The pigeon menace
Oped, Postbag, Published on 29/06/2024
» Re: "Travellers urged to monitor for symptoms of bird flu", (BP, June 15).
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?
Important to invest in cultural assets
Oped, Brian Mertens, Published on 15/02/2024
» Thailand's vast architectural and cultural heritage is more than just a source of enjoyment and public pride. It is probably the nation's most important resource besides its people. And heritage empowers the people. It supports social and economic welfare in lots of ways. It's worth taking care of.
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.