Opinion pieces and commentary on Thailand's current affairs, in English, from Thai PBS World contributors.
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to stopover in Taiwan, which China viewed as a violation of its “One China” policy. It was an act of selfishness, one that grew out of her own desire to leave a legacy. Eventually, her action will bring all kinds of intended and unintended consequences. The intended consequence of
From the Catholic voting bloc to American evangelicalism and progressive atheists, the groups are prone to being generalized as a distinctive bloc with a particular approach to politics. At a press briefing on “Religious Beliefs and Political Participation”, organized by the US Department of State, Professor David Campbell PhD, from University of Notre Dame, debunked
Bangkok is a suitable venue for the first face-to-face talks between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. The Prayut Government should approach both governments about the country’s readiness to host their historic meeting. After all Thailand, which is the chair of the APEC 2022 leaders’ Meeting on 18th &
The US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) has been as much a statement of Thailand’s efforts to combat modern slavery as it has been a testament of the country’s relations with Washington. This year, the TIP report elevated Thailand to Tier 2 from Tier 2 Watchlist last year, recognizing the Thai government’s increasing efforts to
A bribery scandal involving Thailand’s national airline and British jet engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is back in the media spotlight after the Thai anti-graft agency concluded that their engine procurement deal three decades ago was “unlawful”. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found that two top executives of Thai Airways International (THAI) at that time violated a
Allegations that Thai authorities used surveillance spyware on government critics returned to haunt those in power just a day before the no-confidence debate started on Tuesday. It was reported that at least 30 Thai activists, academics and civil society leaders involved in street protests were monitored over the past two years with the Israeli-made Pegasus
Although COVID-19 patients have the option of being treated at private hospitals, health authorities still insist that doctors only prescribe antiviral drugs according to Medical Services Department (MDS) guidelines. Other than basic medication to treat fever or nasal congestion, the guidelines allow for the prescription of Favipiravir, Remdisivir, Molnupiravir, Nirmaltrevir/Ritonavir (Paxlovid) and Corticosteroids. However, most
“Anything can happen in Thai politics” was Thai Economic Party leader Thammanat Prompow’s reply when asked about the possibility of allying with the opposition Pheu Thai Party after the next general election. His remark on Wednesday (July 13) came just a day after his party announced it was pulling out of the government coalition led
The legalization of cannabis in Thailand on June 9 brought a huge vacuum in the regulation of “pot” across the country. More than a month later, there is still very little legal control on the use of the plant, which remains categorized as a narcotic in most parts of the world. Stalls selling cannabis leaves
The United States appears to be going all-out to get Thailand on board, ostensibly in its efforts to contain China. Visits to Bangkok over the past few months by senior officials from Washington point to sudden warming in bilateral relations after a few years of indifference. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded his visit
“Rules-based International Order” is a term that we have heard constantly in interviews with the US secretary of state Anthony Blinken over the past year. The reason the US is raising this more often now, Blinken said, is because the US sees it as being challenged, whether it’s by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine or China’s
Thaksin Shinawatra’s recent boast that his proxy party Pheu Thai could win by a landslide at the next general election, expected early next year, seems to have scared leaders in the ruling coalition. The fear apparently prompted them to make a last-minute change to the draft election bill, by switching the formula used to calculate
