Longer-form commentary and opinion pieces across all geographic sections
Just a few days after being sentenced to 11 years in prison, American journalist Danny Fenster was freed to go home. It was the first clear indication that Naypyidaw is open to more engagement with outsiders, beyond the ASEAN family. The move came after a visit earlier this month by former US envoy to the
Last week’s controversial Constitutional Court verdict is likely to rekindle Thailand’s political conflict and fan the flames among anti-establishment groups already furious over legal action stemming from the lèse-majesté law, analysts warn. They expect the youth-led movement to step up protests after the court ruled last Wednesday (Nov 10) that three of its leaders —
Two key education bills have sailed through the first reading in the House of Representatives, despite warnings that both will seriously damage the quality of Thai education. Among those worried is prominent educator Dr Sompong Jitradub, who says the National Educational Bill and the Learning Promotion Bill are “outdated” and do not represent much-needed educational
Main opposition party Pheu Thai has once again disappointed its reformist supporters, after backtracking on its maiden push to amend the lèse-majesté law. Pheu Thai pulled out of an effort being spearheaded by the Move Forward Party. Pheu Thai’s surprise push and then pullout – occurring over just a few days – has left the
The recent multibillion-baht acquisition of digital exchange Bitkub has stunned Thailand’s finance sector, especially the digital asset market. On November 2, Siam Commercial Bank announced its acquisition of a 51 percent stake in Bitkub Online Company from Bitkub Capital Group Holding Co for Bt17.85 billion. The deal makes SCB Securities Co (SCBS) the majority shareholder
A bitter conflict with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has resulted in Thammanat Prompao’s ouster from the Cabinet and civil war breaking out between rival factions in the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. However, analysts say this is probably just the first round of a lengthy battle between two men who are equally essential to Palang Pracharath’s
Banks and big corporations have seen disruption of their business models, but they have adjusted their operations quickly enough to cope with radical changes in financial services. While Thai consumers can reap the benefits from these winds of change, they also face challenges. The emergence of financial technology (fintech) companies a few years ago had
After four years of inertia, US-ASEAN ties have been rebooted and ASEAN centrality has been strengthened by the presence of President Joe Biden who decided, in the wee hours, to attend the 9th US-ASEAN Summit and 16th East Asia Summit. Biden has been able to make his presence felt by all the ASEAN leaders. Most
When former PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was in office, he faced harsh criticism, including hate speech, from the Thai online community, mainly because he was a coup leader-turned-premier. His actions as premier and as a person attracted negative comments and feedback, leading to people saying that he did everything wrong, even breathing! Many Thai netizens produced
Even if you discount the political narrative, the question that still needs to be asked is: How right is the Bank of Thailand (BOT)’s economic analysis that justifies its decision to freeze the key policy rate at 2.5 per cent? In an interview to Bloomberg recently, BOT Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput maintained that the current policy
The government’s plan to allow foreigners to own 75% of total condominium units in a project, and also increase the land lease term to 99 years, could leave Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin open to the charge of conflict of interest. Srettha’s Cabinet has given preliminary approval to a proposal to increase condominium ownership by foreigners
A documentary chronicling the short, two-year life of Future Forward Party as a new era for Thai democracy is competing with Hollywood blockbusters and local horror films for cinemagoers’ attention. “Breaking the Cycle” portrays party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit as a democracy hero, aiming to disrupt the vicious circle forged by Thailand’s 13 military coups and the resulting
