Brief history of two frenemies

How fast the situation is changing. A few months ago, the Pheu Thai-Move Forward bond looked unbreakable, and just a few days ago, their smiling leaders were still posing together…

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Widespread online scams pose daunting challenge to Thai authorities

Thai victims of online scams have lost an estimated over 10 billion baht a year in recent years. Wetang Phuangsup, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, recently…

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A Bengal tigress with her cub are seen at their enclosure at the Mumbai Zoo in Mumbai on May 11, 2023. (Photo by Sujit Jaiswal / AFP)

Guardians of The Forest: Fading Stripes

What is your favorite place to connect with nature? Picture yourself in the heart of a vast and ancient jungle, surrounded by towering huge trees holding untold past secrets. The…

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New Thaksin chapter about to begin

The last time Thaksin Shinawatra was in Thailand, Pita Limjaroenrat was still a high-flying student cementing international recognition and was never heard of by his own political fans of today…

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Unlike his father, Hun Manet is not in a ‘legacy trap’

The swift decision by Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen to appoint his son, Hun Manet, as the next leader of Cambodia was a well-calculated and Machiavellian move to create a…

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Hollywood strike probably just subplot in big change

For decades, movies very effectively influence thinking, imposing sometimes controversial values, defying religious concepts, occasionally blurring the lines between rights and wrongs and confusing the world as to who heroes…

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Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of Move Forward Party, shakes hands with Puea Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew after holding a meeting with the eight-party coalition in Bangkok on July 17, 2023. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha / AFP)

Fireball in Pheu Thai’s court

If the tightrope stretching before the second biggest political party had been very narrow before, it’s also fragile now. A clear picture of what lies ahead has two main features:…

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Every scenario is nightmarish

The “catastrophe loading” has been completed, so to speak, after Parliament on Thursday rejected the nomination of Pita Limjaroenrat as the new prime minister. The objective of every player now is…

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Will “Threads” kill “Twitter”? Probably not!

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…

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No government is safe in any way, shape or form

Politically, modern Thai history is on nobody’s side, but neither is the future. Therefore, a pretend and celebratory phone call to a late revolutionary reformist to say “We have made…

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The good old days

Pheu Thai’s leverage may be getting stronger

Amid post-election shocks and Move Forward’s euphoria, the Pheu Thai Party looked all but dead and buried immediately after the May 14 election. It was a peculiar political mishap, though,…

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Thai military personnel guards convenience stores damaged after an attack, in Cho-airong district in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province, on August 17, 2022. (Photo by Madaree Tohlala / AFP)

Furore over mock referendum could derail deep South peace moves

The first of a three-part series by Thai PBS World’s Political Desk analyses the latest disputes among political forces over the right to self-determination and the peace process in Thailand’s…

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Why Pheu Thai’s thinking is democratically wrong

Coming from a man considered to be one of the top political thinkers, the idea that the second biggest party in a multiple-party system is traditionally required to fight with…

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Prayut government’s undiplomatic meeting on Myanmar shows Thailand in a bad light

The informal meeting arranged by Thailand’s caretaker government on the Myanmar crisis has only provided a comfort zone for the junta across the border, but dealt a blow to Thailand’s…

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What Move Forward needs to do from now

Even in an extremely-unlikely scenario that it ends up in the opposition bloc again, the Move Forward Party will still have to tussle with political gravity. And future tests will…

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Pheu Thai’s dilemma(s)

Hours after Move Forward’s shocking election victory, Voice TV presenter Nattakorn Devakula said something that is politically sensible but democratically questionable. Pheu Thai, he suggested, should go ahead and be…

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Why the idealistic boy won, and why he has to keep his feet on the ground

A combination of the Thaksin factor, appeal of a youthful image and repellence of old-style politics has contributed to one of the biggest surprises in modern Thai political history. Signs…

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Thailand’s long and winding road

When Thais go to the polls on Sunday, the challenge is how to help lay the groundwork for a system that can prevent the next election from being held under…

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Tangled up

It could be a Hail Mary pass in an increasingly unpredictable playing field. The scenario of imminent Thaksin Shinawatra homecoming, amplified by the man himself, can help Pheu Thai, but…

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Some familiar faces may never be looked at the same way again

Sararat Rangsiwuttaporn, the suspect in what looks certain to become one of the world’s most talked-about criminal cases, is entitled to full-scale legal defense. But there is no stopping of…

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Oldest Vogue cover model challenges common misconceptions about beauty and aging

Gracing the cover of Vogue Magazine Philippines’ Beauty Issue is a 106-year-old lady from one of the hill tribes in the Northern Philippines. Creating quite a stir globally, the cover…

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It’s called “Water Festival” just because April is hot

Songkran is an elephant and everyone can be one of the blind men fumbling around for its shape. Road accidents make it a nightmare festival for related authorities or rescue…

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“Pragmatism” will clash with “idealism” in Thai elections

Four starving men trudge across a vast desert with just one piece of bread left. Sharing it and nobody will die first or immediately, but most likely they all will…

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Thaksin behind bars? Experts skeptical over former PM’s latest pledge

In a surprise move, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra last Friday (March 24) announced he was ready to return and serve his prison term in Thailand regardless of the May…

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Iraqi protesters gather to mark the third anniversary of the anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq October 1, 2022. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily

The 20th anniversary of the Iraq War – The power of narratives

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…

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Will this general election come down to policies or personalities?

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…

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Image released by A24 Films shows Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan in a scene from, “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” (Allyson Riggs/A24 Films via AP)

Smart, silly, epic, bizarre, peaceful and chaotic all at once

Multiverse teases, taunts, gives hope, darkens mood, sells books and inspires new-age movies. Cue quantum physics and screenplay writers can do just about anything, since the very fundamental concept of…

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Learning from our feminists

The marking of Women’s Day on March 8 in Thailand is considerably “political”. But it’s political “constructively”. Demands for free tampons at workplaces, extended pregnancy leave or legalised prostitution, whether…

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Models of Integrity: Why Thailand Needs More Women Sports Stars

Professional sports have long been a male-dominated arena. Both regionally and globally, this prevailing domination of the playing field by men disadvantages women and girls from media to participation. A…

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Case of desperate mother who dumped infant exposes failures in Thai care systems

When a 17-year-old recently confessed to throwing the body of her eight-month-old son into a canal and reporting him missing, she exposed huge flaws in Thailand’s three major social systems….

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Thai sour curry ‘Kaeng Som’ among the worst dishes? Maybe not…

The Thai foodie community was recently in an uproar after a website published a listicle article in which  “Kaeng Som” (sour curry) was named as among the world’s top 20…

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Political prospects may get harder to read

Prawit Wongsuwan, Jatuporn Prompan and the unbendable Move Forward Party have all expressed sound reasons lately when it comes to the future course of Thai politics. The greatest influencer, though,…

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Bad week for world peace

More resounding than explosions in Ukraine are words uttered over the past few days by top politicians of the rival superpowers. The statements did not quite offer anything new that…

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“Formula for Peace” to end Russia-Ukraine conflicts

Considering the time frame, it is not correct to assume that russia’s war against Ukraine started after 24, February 2022. In February last year, the world witnessed the escalation of…

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Thailand needs welfare schemes based on rights not charity, experts say

With a general election just around the corner, political parties are now competing to woo voters via the popular welfare card scheme. Academics, however, warn that this scheme has already…

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History won’t be made, unless …

The much-taunted and extremely unlikely post-election scenario of Pheu Thai joining hands with Palang Pracharath to form a government would be historic if it happened. Anything shorter than that will…

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Only Prayut, Prawit and Paetongtarn can realistically gun for PM post

The old “three Ps” were united. The new “three Ps” are anything but, yet there are scenarios where two would join hands and leave the other out cold. After the…

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Numbers, not words, will shape post-election landscape

This week’s virtual pledge of loyalty to allies by the Pheu Thai Party cannot entirely soothe them, because they know all too well that in politics, even cutthroat one like…

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Further return to normal not necessarily good

Bruised, defiant but clueless, humans entered 2022. At that time, COVID-19 was the main plot, but, as 2023 approaches, the bruise has largely gone and defiance has probably morphed into…

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Why so many supported Argentina in World Cup final

“This is my first time backing Argentina in a football match,” declared a Thai football fan. Coming from a Brazil supporter, who loves France’s Thierry Henry and Olivier Giroud to…

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Understanding history will enable the country to move forward

I grew up in the Thai education system. Stories from the past, including folk stories, are something I read mostly for entertainment. My curiosity about what has happened in the…

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FOREX-3D: Culmination of monetary absurdities

People drawn into a Ponzi scheme disguised as foreign exchange “investment” is ridiculous, but that is possible only because the world had either “normalized” or come to condone the senselessness…

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Fond farewell to young men in red, jeers for organizer

Early bird gets the worm, we all have been taught. But nobody has said anything about the fact that the worm can get jaw–droppingly expensive. Many Thai fans of Liverpool…

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Inflation hitting food manufacturers and food sellers hard

Inflation is taking a toll on food manufacturers and restaurant owners, forcing them to adapt to keep their businesses afloat even as consumers cut back on expenses. Soaring energy bills…

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Ukrainian soldiers and firefighters search in a destroyed building after a bombing attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)

Only paranoid world survives

After German troops invaded Poland in 1939, triggering an armed conflict that was to spread to virtually every part of the world, human beings made the most of their fledging…

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Ukraine lessons for everyone but Russia

To Vladimir Putin, the serious economic sanctions and major diplomatic embarrassment were not something to learn from. He had expected it, which leaves a question of what the current war…

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Opinion – Biden’s second year could be worse

For the Asia region, it is better to look ahead to the second year of the Biden administration. A review of the past 12 months is unlikely to bring cheer…

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Opinion : US-Russia tussle; mutual security or mutual destruction?

It was clear from the 50-minute conversation between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that their countries will be able to survive only through future…

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OPINION: Thailand and NGOs both need transparency

At the latest Thai cabinet meeting, on Dec 28th, the draft bill on so-called Not-for-Profit Organisations was withdrawn at the last minute. The bill will now be considered after the…

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Scala torn down, no old building fits the ‘New Bangkok’

The demolition of the Scala theatre has broken hearts all over the city and for many different reasons. The Scala theatre in Bangkok’s Siam Square area was more than just…

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Letting Thai culture live and breathe through time

Culture is like a little bird in your hand. You want to keep it and nurture it. Grasping it too firmly might stifle it, while holding it too loosely could…

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