Showing 1 - 10 of 79
Japanese PM Takaichi comes out on top
Oped, Taniguchi Tomohiko, Published on 11/02/2026
» Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has just scored an unprecedented victory in the country's general election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which she leads, won 316 seats in the 465-member House of Representatives (the Diet's lower house), up sharply from 198. The combined strength of two parties that had merged hastily -- despite their fundamentally opposing platforms -- in an effort to bring Ms Takaichi down fell from 167 seats to just 49. The LDP, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last year, has never looked more robust.
Throw him in the pot
Oped, Postbag, Published on 08/02/2026
» Re: "A woman of the world", (Life, Nov 1, 2025).
The remarkable rise of Rukchanok ‘Ice’ Srinork
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 06/02/2026
» No matter what happens on Sunday election, one fact is already sealed. Rukchanok “Ice” Srinork, a former lawmaker representing the People’s Party, is now the most popular politician in Thai history. The word “female” is almost redundant.
Speed confusion
Oped, Postbag, Published on 20/01/2026
» I am not sure if I am in the minority who now resorts to a mapping app with speed limit warnings to help monitor my speed when driving on Thailand's country roads to ensure I comply with the speed limit and avoid a fine.
Driving them away
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/01/2026
» Re: "Airport tax to rise 53% for international flights", (BP, Dec 4).
Banned bets
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/10/2025
» Re: "Anutin bans poker, sports gambling nationwide", (BP, Oct 23). So, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has banned gambling again. The prohibition specifically aims at poker and other similar sports-themed card games. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport earlier classified poker only as a sport? Well, it's not, is it -- it's a card game that is invariably played for money, unlike many others, such as bridge, which are not.
History beyond race, ultra-nationalism
Oped, Sanitsuda Ekachai, Published on 09/10/2025
» The hall fell silent as the 87-year-old anthropologist began to speak. His voice was weak, punctuated by pauses to catch his breath, yet every word carried the weight of decades of scholarship.
The postwar era's first democratic authoritarian
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 08/09/2025
» The 78th anniversary of India's independence last month offers an opportunity to recall one of the most insidious moments in the country's post-independence history: prime minister Indira Gandhi's 1975 decision to declare an emergency and suspend civil liberties. A new book by political scientist Srinath Raghavan, Indira Gandhi and the Years That Transformed India, not only revisits that fateful move, but also traces its lasting impact half a century later.
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.
Khao Kradong row claims new victims
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 11/08/2025
» The Land Department has been given seven days to explain the Khao Kradong land issue. The timeline seems rather short for a land controversy which has bubbled away for decades.