Longer-form commentary and opinion pieces across all geographic sections
Bangkok’s generation gap is set to play a big role when voters cast their ballots in the first governor election in nine years on May 22. “We are going to see distinct decisions across different generations of people,” said Assoc Prof Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, who teaches at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science. A total
The logo commemorating the 75th anniversary of Thai-Indian ties is highly symbolic. On the left is the Thai Pha Khao Ma (the Thai-style sarong or longyi) interwoven with the sari, India’s traditional fabric on the right. Together they symbolise the ties that bind and get stronger by the day. Lest we forget, in 1947 Thailand
Ending weeks of speculation, the Bank of Thailand (BOT) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 24 put in place new regulations governing the digital assets business, effectively curbing their ambitious outreach. The authorities made it clear that the move was aimed at protecting investors and guarding against financial stability. The crux of
When superpowers confront each other through proxies and microphones, things can easily get out of hand. President Joe Biden knows this well, having created global headlines last week during his visit to Poland, the EU’s frontline in the Russia-Ukraine war. In a reference to Putin, Biden commented that the Russian leader could not remain in
Lawmakers amended the Constitution last year to restore the two-ballot system for the next general election — one ballot to vote for constituency MPs and the other to vote for political parties. However, the Parliament has not yet agreed on whether candidates’ numbers should be the same for constituency MPs and their parties. Observers expect larger political
NATO’s emergency summit in Brussels has shown Europe’s willingness to come together and increase their overall defence cooperation. A joint statement, issued on Thursday, says that the NATO leaders have decided to deploy 40,000 Response Force troops along its eastern borders. Furthermore, four additional multinational battlegroups will be established in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
The coalition Democrat Party has seen several high-profile defections over recent weeks, as politicians prepare for the next general election. In fact, the phenomenon dubbed “Democrat bleeding” by the media began three years ago when Thailand’s oldest political party suffered a humiliating loss in the March 2019 general election. More than 20 well-known figures –
Most Thai households have been bogged down by high debt even before COVID-19 struck in early 2020. For many years, the average Thai worker has been struggling to make ends meet, forcing dependence on borrowings. The latest crises of a global scale, such as the persisting pandemic and its plethora of variants, and the Russian
Even though Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has not yet said if he will seek another term in office, new political parties have formed with the core purpose of helping him return to power. Among them are the Ruamthai Sarngchart Party and the Creative Thailand Party, founded in March and October last year, respectively. Both are
Thamanat Prompow has finally found a new home, but the once most powerful broker in Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s ruling coalition has kept everyone guessing about his new role. Will he remain a thorn in the premier’s side or will he fulfill his desire to become part of Prayut’s government? After his expulsion from the
Thailand is poised to pass a law that allows the chemical castration of sex criminals in a bid to stop them from reoffending. The “Violence-Related Reoffending Prevention Bill” was proposed by the Justice Ministry and has already sailed through three readings in the House of Representatives. After winning overwhelming support from MPs, this more punitive
This week, the Thai cabinet made a commendable decision to allow legal migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and the Lao PDR, who have been working in Thailand for four years, to stay until 2024 after their current work permits expire. The Thai government signed a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation with the governments of
