Showing 1 - 10 of 45
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.
Here's to all the useful ghosts of our history
Oped, Kong Rithdee, Published on 28/08/2025
» Ghosts are useful because they remind us of the unresolved, the unsettled, the unfinished -- in life, love, politics, or history. The film of the moment hitches onto that idea and takes it far, as far as the Cannes Film Festival, and now it has been picked as Thailand's representative for the Oscars.
When films speak louder than missiles
Oped, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/06/2025
» Jafar Panahi tells it as he sees it: "An attack on my homeland, Iran, is in no way acceptable," the Iranian filmmaker wrote on Instagram last week. "Israel has violated Iran and should be tried in an international trial as a war aggressor."
Shape of new climate politics emerges
News, Sam Geall, Published on 07/06/2025
» Only a few months ago, a headline like "United States sets tariffs of up to 3,521% on solar panels from Southeast Asia" could have been dismissed as satire. Today, it's nothing special, one of many published amid an uninterrupted fusillade accompanying Donald Trump's first 100 days in power. Yet it's also part of something bigger, as axes of economic power shift, technological changes surge, and popular sentiments reconfigure and metastasise. Amid that fracturing world order, how should we consider the climate crisis?
Theatre of white refugees from South Africa
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 16/05/2025
» As my flight landed in South Africa on Sunday, I looked in vain for the plane that was due to take off with the first 49 white, Afrikaans-speaking "refugees" of the many thousands who are supposedly going to find safety from racist persecution in Donald Trump's United States.
Free speech key for uni students
Editorial, Published on 09/03/2025
» More than three weeks after the traditional football game between Chulalongkorn and Thammasat universities -- an event known for its satirical parade and card stunts -- those involved in the parody are complaining of threats and intimidation by police and security officers.
PM must step out boldly
News, Editorial, Published on 30/12/2024
» The annual tradition of giving nicknames to the prime minister and cabinet members by Government House correspondents appears like innocuous satire, but the sobriquets often reflect -- and above all -- affect the public perception of the leadership.
Getting soft power wrong again
Editorial, Published on 11/08/2024
» As the government intensifies its efforts to promote the country's "soft power", the news that US tech giant Apple Inc had to pull a short film advertisement due to a local backlash and calls for a boycott is concerning.
Hair of the dog
Oped, Postbag, Published on 02/05/2024
» Re: "BoT needs to communicate," and "Govt wallet plan needs 'monitors' ", (BP, April 29).
Gen Z become masters of comedic deflection
News, Amanda Little, Published on 30/10/2023
» 'Can we get a cute drink and snacks after this?" reads the text on a recent TikTok image of men with machine guns in army gear. It's intended to depict the attitude of young female US soldiers while storming a building in Gaza. The post, created by a Gen Zer whose popular feed abounds with Taylor Swift lip-syncs and dance videos, is captioned: "I love this trend #thedraft #war #foryou #fyp #funny."