Showing 1 - 10 of 31
It's time to choose peace
Oped, Editorial, Published on 25/12/2025
» More than two weeks after armed clashes were reignited on Dec 7, Thailand and Cambodia have tentatively agreed to return to square one by reviving a key bilateral mechanism -- the General Border Committee (GBC) -- with the aim of seeking a peaceful resolution, or at least a ceasefire.
Easy to cast blame
Oped, Postbag, Published on 01/12/2025
» Re: "Sad litany of flood missteps", (BP, Nov 30).
Flawed Asean needs to regain footing
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 10/10/2025
» Nearly six decades after its founding, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) finds itself back where it began -- divided, uncertain, and vulnerable to the influence of major powers. Once hailed as a model for regional cooperation in the developing world, Asean now faces a crisis of purpose. Unless it can rediscover the unity and collective way forward that defined its early decades, Southeast Asia's flagship institution risks slipping into irrelevance.
Border trade suffering
Oped, Editorial, Published on 26/09/2025
» Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's decision to hand full authority to the military to act on Thai-Cambodian security matters has triggered fears about a loss of balance in terms of conflict resolution.
Border row spirals again
Oped, Editorial, Published on 19/09/2025
» The tense situation in the border province of Sa Kaeo, with Cambodian villagers staging a rowdy protest at Ban Nong Ya Kaeo village, has resulted in injuries on both sides and requires attention from decision-makers in the Thai government.
Give peace a chance
Oped, Editorial, Published on 12/09/2025
» The favourable outcome of the recently held high-level Special General Border Committee (GBC) meeting, which saw both Thailand and Cambodia show a willingness to mend ties, is truly welcome news.
Thai-Cambodian feud is Asean's worst
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 15/08/2025
» The border dispute and consequent military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand in recent weeks have become Asean's worst crisis in its 58 years of existence. Ironically, it was an intra-regional war between Indonesia and Malaysia that gave rise to Asean in 1967, but now an intra-Asean military clash is undermining the Southeast Asian organisation's core reason for being and its main claim to credibility and prominence. Unless Asean, under Malaysia as its rotational chair this year, moves fast to contain the bilateral dispute and reinforce a delicate ceasefire agreement, Southeast Asia will be looked upon increasingly as a region and less as an organisation of member states.
The scramble for the world's critical minerals
Oped, Rabah Arezki & Rick van der Ploeg, Published on 07/08/2025
» The world's superpowers have developed a seemingly insatiable appetite for the critical minerals that are essential to the ongoing energy and digital transitions, including rare-earth metals (for semiconductors), cobalt (for batteries), and uranium (for nuclear reactors). The International Energy Agency forecasts that demand for these minerals will more than quadruple by 2040 for use in clean-energy technologies alone. But, in their race to control these vital resources, China, Europe, and the United States risk causing serious harm to the countries that possess them.
Bring peace to the border
Oped, Editorial, Published on 30/05/2025
» The brief clash between the Thai and Cambodian armies over a disputed area in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani underscores the urgent need for the Joint Border Commission (JBC), which has been dormant for some time, to resume its tasks promptly.
Clearer policy on Myanmar is needed
Oped, Vitit Muntarbhorn, Published on 18/04/2025
» Regrettably, the recent earthquake in Myanmar compounds the longstanding pain and suffering inflicted on the people of the country due to authoritarianism and human rights violations. Can such a catastrophe also be a catalyst for transformative, constructive change?