Showing 1 - 10 of 18
Upcoming Myanmar vote tests Asean
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 26/08/2025
» Myanmar is heading to the polls from Dec 28 through mid-January 2026. The big question is whether the world community will accept the outcome of the national election.
Conflict undermines cooperation
Oped, David Jay Green, Published on 05/08/2025
» The long-standing border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand has again escalated to actual conflict. Dozens of people have been killed, more have been injured, and more than 170,000 people have had to flee their homes. Cross-border trade and tourism are on hold. As I write this piece, a fragile ceasefire is still in place, but we need more than this; we need an end to hostilities between the two countries.
Myanmar quake tests global aid
Oped, Than Tha Aung, Published on 10/04/2025
» Political instability and a fractured aid system in Myanmar have already made it vulnerable to any natural disaster, not to mention the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Sagaing and nearby areas, including Mandalay, on March 28.
Myanmar's civil war after four years
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 31/01/2025
» Four years after its military coup and consequent civil war, Myanmar's spotlight in global headlines continues to dim as geostrategic reorientations and realignments among the major powers take centre stage. Dramatic and drastic foreign policy changes are afoot in the United States under the second administration of President Donald J Trump, while the European Union faces an existential threat from Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and Japan is mired in political sclerosis at home. Myanmar's fate and future will thus likely be determined by the course and outcome of its civil war, China's expanding influence in the country and Asean member states' manoeuvres to a lesser extent.
Lanna Buddhist legend merits revival
Oped, Suddan Wisudthiluck, Published on 19/12/2024
» When religious pilgrims trek to sacred sites, they reaffirm not only their faith but also their own culture and communities. One example is Spain's ancient route of Santiago de Compostela, which leads to the tomb of St James the Greater, one of the apostles who spread Christianity. It was established more than a thousand years ago, yet this route attracts millions of pilgrims and tourists today. Unesco recognised it as a World Heritage Site in 1985.
Durian powers Sino-Thai friendship
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/07/2023
» When it comes to the evolution of Sino-Thai relations, one must put aside all the geopolitical determinants and even such subjects as the current Russia-Ukraine war, the ramifications of the US-China standoff and tourism. The topic is durian, which serves as the weathervane of their long-standing bilateral ties. The durian, known worldwide as the "King of Fruits", is more than just a sticky, thorny and, yes, smelly fruit; they also define the nature of the five-decade-old Sino-Thai relations.
Free-flowing Salween River needs protection
Oped, Pianporn Deetes, Published on 14/03/2023
» This morning at Sob Moei -- the confluence of the Moei and the Salween rivers on the Thailand-Myanmar border -- indigenous peoples and their supporters are attending a spiritual ceremony to express their collective stance to protect the Salween River from destructive dam projects.
How did China surpass Thailand?
Oped, Peerasit Kamnuansilpa and Wei Yang, Published on 22/12/2022
» Thailand revolutionised its political and administrative systems in 1932, well before China, which did not start until 1949. The shared drive for this revolution was the economic hardship of the populace. Both Thailand and China were poor nations. Their economy stagnated and was under the control of the privileged groups, the elite rulers in the case of Thailand, and the bourgeois in China. People in the countryside were left with economic plight and suffering. Initially, Thailand had taken a leap toward reform by changing into a constitutional monarchy following a coup led by Khana Ratsadon (the People's Party), supported by young military personnel and Thai students who graduated overseas, to spur economic development and improve the economic well-being of the public.
BCG Economy and Apec: Just empty rhetoric?
Oped, Pianporn (Pai) Deetes, Published on 19/11/2022
» The Apec Leaders' Summit in Bangkok this week includes an agreement to work toward the "Bangkok Goals" on Bio-economy, Circular Economy and Green (BCG) Economy beyond national borders. Many have raised the question of whether the Thai government, as host to the summit, genuinely aims to push forward this goal. Or is it just a greenwashing policy in support of business as usual?
Criminal gangs tarnish Golden Triangle
Oped, Paskorn Jumlongrach, Published on 11/06/2022
» Bo Keo airport which is under construction in the northern part of Laos may give the impression of economic development in this once quiet corner of the world.