Showing 1 - 10 of 43
Thailand must manage debt to progress
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 22/01/2026
» This article may be read as a continuation of my previous piece, Year of the Debt. That article focused mainly on household debt, which has already risen beyond the ability of Thai consumers to repay.
Breaking men: a conscript's tale
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 19/01/2026
» His face looks tired and strained. His voice trembles, carrying the pain and bitterness from the dehumanisation he endured as a conscript.
No-confidence and poll date in flux
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 14/11/2025
» Amid the drumbeats of military conflict with Cambodia, Thailand's political environment is evidently unruly and unsettled. The minority government of Anutin Charnvirakul, the third prime minister from the third largest-winning party since the latest national election in May 2023, is hard-pressed to stay in office beyond the four-month "Memorandum of Agreement" between his Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) and the People's Party (PP), the largest camp in the national assembly.
It's a fishy start
Oped, Postbag, Published on 04/09/2025
» Re: "Pak Klong Sam Saen to become new tourist hub" & "Fish deaths in canal spark probe", (BP, Sept 3). The ironic juxtaposition of these two headlines in Wednesday's edition appears not to bode well for future grandiose plans. One wonders if the irony was intentional.
1% GDP growth impacts will be severe
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 21/08/2025
» Where did I get the idea that GDP growth in the second half of 2025 would only be 1.0%? The answer is the government, as the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) told me so.
Ability to pay key to debt restructuring
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 03/04/2025
» Last week's earthquake has provided Thais with two valuable lessons. First, Thailand has no national disaster management plan. No government agency seems to have had carefully thought-out plans and procedures to manage the situation. All measures were carried out on an ad-hoc basis. Worse, there appears to be no coordination among various agencies. Thais were left to rely on their own two feet as thousands of Bangkokians had no choice but to walk for hours to their homes when the mass transit railways were shutdown.
The economy is waiting to hit an iceberg
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 20/03/2025
» This is not a scene from the 1997 film Titanic. On the evening of April 14th 1912, a small Canadian fishing boat, skippered by a French-Canadian captain called "Jacques-Chai", approached the Titanic wanting to convey a very important message to Captain Edward Smith. The message was that there was a sea of icebergs, one was particularly big, about 200 miles ahead.
Rate cut helps the BoT, not the economy
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 06/03/2025
» On Feb 26, the Bank of Thailand's (BoT) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) cut its policy interest rate by 0.25%, lowering it to 2.0%.
Border power cut, but problems remain
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 11/02/2025
» Hooray. After nearly a fortnight of to-and-fro brinkmanship and passing the buck among Thai agencies, the Thai government finally cut power to five border towns in Myanmar last week.
Donald Trump's foreign policy inheritance
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 22/01/2025
» A series of widening wars, growing humanitarian crises and simmering foreign conflicts are among the list of foreign policy/security woes confronting President Donald Trump. From day one of his administration, the president must assess and prioritise US policy interests in key regions on both geo-strategic and political fronts.