Showing 3,211 - 3,220 of 3,255
Will ‘welfare state’ promises be honoured?
Oped, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 25/03/2019
» Following the general election yesterday, elected politicians will be closely watched how and whether they will keep the many promises made during their poll campaigns. One is their pledge to make Thailand a “welfare state”. Pheu Thai vows to improve the existing Universal Healthcare Coverage scheme, initiated by its precursor Thai Rak Thai. It also came up with a fresh idea of a “lottery savings” scheme that will encourage personal savings through the purchase of a lottery ticket.
Will there be respect?
Oped, Postbag, Published on 25/03/2019
» Re: “Judgement day has arrived”, ( BP, March 24). With judgement day upon the nation, the Election Commission’s chairman’s observation that “the result of this election will indicate the direction of [Thai] democracy,” while timely, leaves many questions unanswered as to whether Thailand will move to the good or stay chained to the bad.
Free vote in Senate for PM
Oped, Editorial, Published on 25/03/2019
» As the country re-emerges on the path to democracy, with voters crowding into polling stations yesterday for their first chance in five years to help shape at the ballot box how their country is run, Thais will hope that the trust they place in the new system is honoured by the politicians they have elected to implement it.
Household debt squeezing the nation
Oped, Chartchai Parasuk, Published on 14/03/2019
» The single most pressing economic problem in Thailand is household debt. Actually, the household debt issue is currently the world’s most important economic issue too. With the prevailing level of household debt in major economies, it is difficult to see the world’s economy moving beyond a 2% annual growth rate.
Political cases may bode ill for democracy
Oped, Surasak Glahan, Published on 28/02/2019
» The uniquely Thai way of sabotaging popular political parties and their leaders with surprising ease yielded further progress yesterday, as the fate of the executives at the helm of the Future Forward Party (FFP) and Thai Raksa Chart Party (TRC) were left hanging in the balance.
Focus needed as Rakhine crisis widens
Oped, Laetitia van den Assum & Kobsak Chutikul, Published on 28/02/2019
» With the Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi dominating news coverage and election campaigns in key regional states such as India, Indonesia and Thailand offering daily distractions, it is difficult to generate genuine interest in the continuing humanitarian and security crisis in and around Rakhine state in Myanmar. But it would be dangerous to move the issue to the back burner.
Keep culture alive
Oped, Postbag, Published on 28/02/2019
» Re: "Melayu Day puts Yala on the map", (BP, Feb 14).
Will voters prioritise peace or the economy?
Oped, Soonruth Bunyamanee, Published on 07/11/2018
» As Thailand is moving toward a general election next year, there is hope on the horizon for change to the political landscape.
Net freedom on the wane
Oped, Editorial, Published on 07/11/2018
» The future of the internet just 20 years ago could not have been rosier. When Thailand logged on, the technology promised and delivered instant communications. Beyond that, the gains are diminishing. The freedom to use the undoubted power of the technological revolution is diminishing. Huge companies and Big Government have inflicted new controls and censorship that were unthinkable in the days of "old media". And the new controls and barriers to internet freedom are multiplying faster than basic access to the internet.
A realistic vision for resolving the climate crisis
Oped, Barbara Unmüßig, Published on 07/11/2018
» According to the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's main scientific authority on global warming, keeping global temperatures from rising more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels is a feasible goal. The IPCC's stance represents a move in the direction of the kind of "radical realism" that many civil-society actors have long advocated.