Longer-form commentary and opinion pieces across all geographic sections
The life of construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta has been turned upside down over the hunting trip he made back in early 2018. For wildlife lovers, the jail term of two years and 14 months handed to the 67-year-old super-rich businessman is justice for the protected species – including a black panther – that his group shot for pleasure. The
Of the 12,000 or so Thai schools that resumed onsite learning in November, 71 per cent have successfully ensured that students can sit in class and study with their friends at least half of the time. These statistics offer hope, but prospects of a return to normal education were hit by the sudden temporary closure of several schools in
Observers say the broadcast regulator’s recent warning against media reporting demands for monarchy reform could lead to self-censorship by both media outlets and academics. Some media outlets view the move as a threat, while academics may now be reluctant to express views on the monarchy for fear of being punished. Analysts say such self-censorship could
A hot debate has been raging in Thailand since the recent announcement of the plan to merge True Corporation, a subsidiary of conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group, and Total Access Communication (Dtac), a subsidiary of Norway’s Telenor. The experience of developed countries with telecom mergers may shed some light on the impacts from the proposed share-swap
The first nationwide elections of all 5,300 sub-district administrative organizations (SAO) since the 2014 military coup take place this Sunday (Nov 28). This will be the first election in eight to 10 years for many SAOs, with their last vote held at least a year before the coup. The post-coup junta suspended all political activity,
Finally, the list of 110 countries invited to attend the two-day “Summit for Democracy” on December 9th and 10th has been released. 21 countries in the East Asia Pacific region are among them. Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are the only three ASEAN members who will attend the summit virtually. It’s intriguing why seven members have been
The proposed merger of telecom giants True Corporation Plc and Total Access Telecommunication Plc (Dtac) has drawn great public interest and sparked a debate on its impact on consumer welfare. The onus is once again on regulators to ensure fair competition in the telecom service market. Norway’s Telenor, the parent company of Dtac which owns
“Idealism or Realism” – Can diplomacy serve the growing aspirations of young Thai leaders for greater engagement in world affairs while serving national interests, or is there more than meets the eye? The challenge was tacitly and subtly debated at the fifth and final Thai foreign policy webinar series on “Future of Thai Diplomacy and
Democratic reformists in Thailand have hit a brick wall, after two constitutional amendment bills proposed by civic groups were rejected by Parliament in the space of a year. Politicians and activists who want sweeping reforms to the post-coup Constitution have vowed to fight on for “true democracy” despite overwhelming opposition from coalition party MPs and
Attending the ASEAN-China summit for the first time in the three decades of their relations this morning, China’s President Xi Jinping made a strong impression on the ASEAN leaders in terms of his country’s conviction and determination regarding the relationship with ASEAN. He wanted to assure the ASEAN leaders that China will neither seek hegemony
The first meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping recently resulted in good outcomes, even though there were no breakthroughs. From now on, neither side will underestimate the other. They were both frank with each other in their three-and-a-half hour dialogue, stating their views and positions on issues of concern. Differences
For many years, South Korea has been projecting its soft power on the global stage, mainly through successful export of its teledramas, the increasingly popular K-pop music, Korean movies, and lately the Netflix show “Squid Game”. The spillover from the South Korean entertainment business surge has even benefited Thailand. Thai singer Lalisa Manobal, born in
