Showing 1 - 10 of 355
Rethinking Thailand's visa-free policy
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 31/03/2026
» Thailand is planning to cut visa-free stays from 60 days to 30 days. This long-overdue change reflects growing concern over the effectiveness of immigration surveillance. Moreover, scaling down visa-free stays underscores the seriousness of the Anutin government's efforts to combat scammers, illegal work, and other underground activities that exploit easy visa access to turn Thailand into a base for under-the-table operations.
Freedoms fall once more
Oped, Editorial, Published on 20/03/2026
» Thailand's score on Freedom House's latest "Freedom in the World" report dropped by two points, from 36 to 34. While a two-point slip may seem insignificant, the grade effectively placed the country in the "not free" category -- down from "partly free" in 2024.
Monks and politics
Oped, Postbag, Published on 26/01/2026
» Re: "Statue rivalry sows conflict", (Editorial, Jan 25).
Another wasted year in Thai politics
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/12/2025
» As Thailand winds down 2025 with an early election looming on Feb 8, the most consequential issue to watch in the coming year will be whether recent topsy-turvy political patterns of polls, protests, and military and judicial interventions give way to a compromise between the old guard clinging on to vested interests and the new generation clamouring for reform and change.
VAT hikes alone won't narrow deficit
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 27/11/2025
» This article is not meant to attack Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) for the fiscal years from 2026 to 2030. It is meant to emphasise the fragility of a Thai fiscal position that requires multiple revenue enhancement measures.
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.
'Scam-gate' deserves full accounting
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/10/2025
» The explosive revelations and allegations of regional cybercrimes and scam networks have hit Thailand head-on and placed the government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in an awkward and defensive position. As more facts surrounding what looks like a labyrinthine cross-border multibillion-dollar transnational criminal ring come to light, more questions have surfaced with no clear answers. The Anutin government needs to come clean and avoid a "scam-gate" of cover-ups and lies at the expense of countless scammed victims across many countries.
Anutin's new cabinet is a mixed bag
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 26/09/2025
» The composition and size of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's 36-member cabinet suggest that he intends to stay in office for as long as possible, clinging to the terms of the government-enabling Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and calling an early election only if circumstances make it unavoidable.
Baht flow puzzle
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/09/2025
» Re: "The baht's troubling rise", (Editorial, Sept 22). It is much discussed in the media and on social media about the mysterious inflow of money that causes the Thai baht to strengthen. Accounting-wise, the inflow is recorded as "Errors and Omissions". Even the finance minister-to-be said that he would have a discussion with the Bank of Thailand (BoT) about the issue. It is feared that the inflow is grey money.
Can Abhisit help the ailing Democrats?
Oped, Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 22/09/2025
» Can Abhisit Vejjajiva, former prime minister and four-time former leader of the Democrat Party, Thailand's oldest political party who is reported to be keen to return to politics, save the Democrat Party from almost certain electoral doom? No one dares to bet.