Opinion pieces and commentary on Thailand's current affairs, in English, from Thai PBS World contributors.
Dubbed the “Twitter Killer”, Mark Zuckerberg’s conversation app “Threads” has been overwhelmingly well-received by users around the globe. Thirty million signed up within the first 24 hours of its launch, exceeding the target Zuckerberg had in mind. “70 million sign–ups on Threads as of this morning. Way beyond our expectations,” he wrote in a post to
“Do we know the problems? We do, but there are these things called medical ethics and sacrifice that constrain us. If we don’t see the patients who are waiting, how is it going to work? If we can do it. If we can endure it, just endure it,” said Dr. Poowanai Sarkhampee, Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgeon at
Since the Move Forward party unexpectedly won the most House seats in the general election, its leader Pita Limjaroenrat, the prospective premier, has managed to steal the limelight. It is not only his good looks which have caught the public eye, but it seems that his interviews, his dress sense and his gestures are all
There is a strong possibility that Prayut Chan-o-cha could see himself sidelined in the upcoming election, said a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University, Dr. Siripan Nongsuan Sawasdee in a news article by Reuters. Dr. Siripan referred back to 2019 election that no matter how people voted, it was quite certain that Prayut will
Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate Paetongtarn Shinawatra gave birth to a baby boy on May 1st, a happy piece of news amidst the intense campaigning ahead of the long-awaited general election on May 14th. While the news of the new arrival was greeted with congratulatory messages, some also questioned whether she would be able to lead the
French President Emmanuel Macron’s three-day visit to China turned out to be a game-changer in ways no one could have expected. Whatever he said during the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and in interviews with the French media sent a strong signal to his colleagues in Europe that they must speak out and maintain
While there are plans to develop and invest in the Thai province of Trat, alongside the Eastern Economic Corridor project, the province itself has never really felt a serious push. “Trat special economic zone has high potential,” said Dr. Suthilux Kumkrongrux of the Federation of Thai Industry committee. He said that, originally, Trat saw that
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, a conflict that is still having significant impacts on the current international order and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.In retrospect, the Iraq war occurred because the US believed that Saddam Hussein’s regime had a large arsenal of weapons of mass destruction hidden away and
Thailand is to hold a general election in under two months. While parliament is still officially in session, political parties began to campaign weeks ago, mostly offering populist policies ranging from minimum wage increases and cash handouts to debt resolution. “There’s very little policy differentiation between most parties, in terms of economic ideology, as they
General Prawit Wongsuwan, leader of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, has offered himself as the man to lead the country out of its two-decade political conflict. Prawit has floated the idea of forming a coalition government after the next general election, consisting of political parties from conflicting camps to “promote reconciliation and democracy”. Five “open
For decades, an unknown number of Chinese nationals have been involved in illegal or “gray” businesses in Thailand but managed to stay clear of trouble with the law thanks mainly to the help of corrupt state officials, particularly those in the police force. These shady “businesspeople” have been left free to operate criminal activities that
Paetongtarn Shinawatra has a big couple of months ahead of her. The 36-year-old looks set to become a prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party, but she is also scheduled to give birth to her second child in the same month as the general election, tentatively scheduled for May 7. If her party wins
