Showing 1 - 10 of 128
Gift-giving must be put out to pasture
News, Editorial, Published on 07/01/2018
» The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) must reconsider its plan to raise the gift allowance for cabinet ministers and senior officers which is currently capped at 3,000 baht.
Developing the Mekong
News, Editorial, Published on 10/01/2018
» Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is in Phnom Penh for the two-day Mekong River summit that begins this morning. The second of its kind, the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Summit involves the leaders of all six countries touched by the mighty Mekong. The prime agenda item is what Beijing calls The Five-Year Plan of Action, a Chinese-dictated guideline for "development" of the river. One of the prime minister's most important tasks will be careful monitoring of how this plan impacts Thais.
No need for a rush on bans
News, Editorial, Published on 15/01/2018
» While most people agree with the statement that we live in a complicated world, a huge number argue for what they claim to be simple solutions. Nowhere is this more common than in addressing criminal, anti-social or harmful goods and behaviour. Some people favour strict laws that ban goods and behaviour. But bans almost never result in completely halting their target. In most cases, regulation beats bans hands down.
Lack of unity in drug sweep
News, Editorial, Published on 28/02/2018
» The government has launched yet another series of anti-drugs sweep aimed at taming the North. They are part of the decades-old campaign to wipe out trafficking in illicit drugs. Authorities came up with reports to the public that had a very tired look and feel. A one-month "massive" suppression campaign resulted in the arrests of 63 suspects, the seizure of many kilogrammes of drugs and the unsurprising discovery of some 241 million baht of "assets" -- cash, gold, cars and motorcycles, up-scale homes, land and condominiums.
Totalitarian push a threat to region
News, Editorial, Published on 04/03/2018
» Following the result of the recent Senate election last Sunday, Cambodia is an inch closer to becoming the absolute authoritarian state. When it holds a general election in July, that status will almost certainly be achieved since the ruling Cambodia People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen has already done everything it can to bury its rival party in a political killing field.
Asean agrees on extradition
News, Editorial, Published on 01/05/2018
» A seemingly forgotten legal necessity for Asean was announced at last weekend's annual summit in Singapore. The chairman for 2018, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said that the long-delayed Asean extradition treaty was nearing completion. The announcement, made almost in passing at the busy heads-of-government meetings came as a welcome surprise. But it is crucial that the 10-nation group get the treaty right, and not fold to countries who want it to enforce political crimes.
Migrants help the economy
News, Editorial, Published on 15/05/2018
» Similar to US President Donald Trump's protectionist "America First" policy, Thailand's new law that imposes a migrant labour quota on businesses is a misplaced and miscalculated directive driven by our lawmakers' false sense of nationalism.
Dammed if you do
Editorial, Published on 21/06/2018
» Laos’ latest announcement of a decision to go ahead with its fourth 770-megawatt Pak Laydam project has sent an alarming sign that the tide of hydropower development on the mainstream Mekong River is not just unstoppable, but accelerating.
Clock ticks on cave rescue
News, Editorial, Published on 29/06/2018
» As the search-and-rescue efforts within Chiang Rai's Tham Luang Cave enter their sixth day Friday, the task of finding the 12 boys and their football coach continues to be hampered by the extreme conditions of the cave environment -- rising water levels and flooding in deeper areas.
Well done, can improve
News, Editorial, Published on 02/07/2018
» The annual US State Department report on efforts to combat human trafficking was released last week, with deserved praise for Thailand. For the second time in three years, the benchmark Trafficking in Persons Report raised the country's ranking against all nations of the world. The promotion to "Tier 2" caused celebration in the military regime. It also warned of serious challenges in the new campaign to raise Thailand from second place to the top.