Opinion pieces and commentary on Thailand's current affairs, in English, from Thai PBS World contributors.
Both anti-government protesters and the authorities may need to reassess their strategies of using force, as the political tension is expected to drag on for quite some tine, a political science professor said, amid daily gatherings that resulted in violent clashes between hardcore protesters and police leading to some injuries in the past few weeks.
Thailand’s surging COVID-19 crisis has spawned a series of rumors and scandals, with the latest centered on rapid antigen test kits (ATKs). Initially touted as a tool to control COVID-19, ATKs are now viewed by many as a breeding ground for corruption. The Rural Doctors Society (RDS) has openly clashed with several authorities – notably the Government
Thais across the country are suffering the impact of a semi-lockdown after restrictions were expanded from 13 to 29 provinces and extended until at least August 31. Concern is now growing that the lockdown restrictions – which cover a ban on dine-in services and closure of many categories of business – could drag on much
The one wish Thaksin Shinawatra made while blowing out 72 candles on his birthday cake on Monday (July 26) was to be able to return home. Thaksin was ousted in the 2006 coup after serving as prime minister for just over five years. He returned to Thailand for a brief visit in February 2008 before
Calling people out has become popular among Thai social-media users in recent times, and now they are pressuring local celebrities and stars to take a stance – usually on political issues. “Call-out culture” has been around for many years in other countries, though people usually get called out over social issues like racism, sexual harassment,
Thailand is finally bidding to join the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative after being hit by a critical shortage of effective vaccines at the height of its contagion crisis. Thai PBS World takes a closer look at the global vaccine initiative and ponders why Thailand is the only ASEAN nation not to join so
Thailand’s Navy has once again shelved plans to buy Chinese submarines, following growing pressure on the government to divert the budget for their purchase to tackle the worsening COVID-19 crisis. Once more, the timing was bad for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), with the country surpassing more than 10,000 new cases per day and the
President Joe Biden has ordered American troops to pull out from Afghanistan by the end of August. His order effectively ended Washington’s longest war but left behind a country in tatters. It was shocking news for many the world over, who are of the opinion that it is America’s responsibility to take care of Afghanistan
Despite being Southeast Asia’s manufacturing hub of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Thailand is struggling with a severe shortage of jabs for its own population. The situation is so serious that the government decided to go ahead with the world’s first Sinovac-AstraZeneca mixed inoculation program in spite of loud public complaint. False assurances? Earlier this year, the
Like many Thais, veteran journalist Wichit Chaitrong had been looking forward to getting a government-provided COVID-19 jab for months – but not anymore. He changed his mind after hearing the government rollout will use Sinovac for the first dose and AstraZeneca for the second – a mix-and-match formula untried by any other country. “I will
Following in the footsteps of tropical paradise Phuket, three more islands start welcoming fully vaccinated foreign tourists with relaxed quarantine rules from today (July 15). Surat Thani’s Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao have been cleared to go ahead under the Samui Plus model after the Phuket Sandbox scheme successfully trialled quarantine-free tourism in
It took Japan just two weeks to deliver the 1.05 million doses of vaccines to Thailand following Tokyo’s pledge to donate the shots. The speedy delivery is a strong barometer of how much Japan values the kingdom’s added strategic value, especially during the pandemic. Japan’s assistance to Thailand has been both systematic and smooth. A
