Showing 61 - 70 of 145
Despair for the 'lockdown generation'
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 01/06/2020
» Fin and Ploen, a young Thai couple I've known for some time, graduated with bachelor's degrees in Chinese language last year. Their dreams are simple: having jobs, saving some money and travelling the world. But the Covid-19 outbreak that made the lockdown inevitable has shattered their dreams.
Thai TV series give ugly truths a rosy hue
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 25/05/2020
» As I've been following progress of the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Myanmar, I can see the project receives little attention from the mainstream Thai media, despite the fact the contentious project involves a big investor, the Thai government -- and human rights violations.
SEZ plan ignores local ideas of development
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 18/05/2020
» On May 12, Kaireeya Ramanya, a young girl from a sleepy fishing village in Songkhla's Chana district, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. This is a task that the 17-year-old -- who staged a sit-in protest against a mega-development project known as the Southern Economic Zone (SEZ) -- had never dreamed of doing.
Adopt the 'new normal' until vaccine is here
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 04/05/2020
» Partial lifting of travel curbs in Phuket last Friday resulted in heavy traffic as many people, several of whom were migrant workers, scrambled to checkpoints in their bid to get back to their home provinces.
Health budget cuts rife with prejudice
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 27/04/2020
» The government's plan to divert 2.4-billion-baht in funding from the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme to finance the state's Covid-19 relief and recovery programmes has caused a stir.
Workers should have say in restart talks
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 20/04/2020
» When Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced during the government's Friday television programme that he would seek advice from top 20 Thai billionaires on how to overcome the economic crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, the nation's jaw dropped.
Virus fight sees impoverished go hungry
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 13/04/2020
» Already reeling from shutdowns brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, the poor have found themselves facing increasing economic hardship since the government enforced social distancing measures and travel restrictions to flatten the curve of transmission three weeks ago.
Govt failing to channel help to the most needy
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 30/03/2020
» Amid a shortage of medical supplies, many, including celebrities, have either launched or joined fundraising campaigns to help provide medical professionals with equipment needed to battle the Covid-19 pandemic in a show of solidarity and empathy in this time of crisis.
Shield workers from shutdown slump
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 23/03/2020
» As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Thailand almost reached 600 on Sunday, the government is ramping up preventive measures, such as banning mass gatherings and social distancing. Over the weekend, Bangkok and several other provinces shut down public places and cut down services.
Public needs solution, not confusion
News, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 16/03/2020
» During an outbreak, there will always be panic and public confusion -- and the Covid-19 outbreak is no exception. It should be the job of the country's leaders to assure the safety of the people and calm them down. In the past weeks, however, Thai leaders have become sources of confusion themselves.