Opinion

The Chinese Embassy has committed a diplomatic faux pas in its recent Facebook post in Thai and English last week admonishing a Thai media interview with Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu.

The quixotic National Office of Buddhism is back on the news. This time they want the individuals behind a few AI-generated photos of naughty monks playing rock music, drinking alcohol, smoking and singing with beautiful ladies at a karaoke bar, and racing motorcycles literally behind bars – citing the Computer Crime Act.

Beyond whether you are for Israel or Palestine in the latest war, some Thai-Malay Muslims see the latest conflict in the middle east through a different prism. Soon after Hamas’ inhumane attack against Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s counterattack, a Thai Malay-Muslim Facebook friend said he feels as if Palestine is Pattani and Thailand is Israel.

Over the past week, the Srettha Thavisin administration repeatedly urges Thai workers in Israel to leave the country for Thailand as soon as possible, rightly citing the risks to their life.

We are seeing more of the type of diplomacy the new prime minister is engaging abroad and there is valid cause to be concerned. PM Srettha Thavisin was in Beijing a few days ago as part of the gathering of leaders from 130 nations attending China’s 10th anniversary of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Exactly a week after Hamas’ savage and merciless attacks against Israel, PM Srettha Thavisin made it clear that Thailand is not taking side in this war in a faraway land despite 24 Thai workers having been killed in Israel after a week and over ten taken hostage. This follows Srettha’s earlier condemnation of Hamas’ attacks.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin this week rightly highlighted the need to think about the poor and underprivileged people. First, it was announced on Thursday that the-real estate-billionaire-turned-PM has decided not to accept his monthly salary and donate them to different charities instead. It was a good gesture and the first of his 125,590-baht monthly salary went to the Foundation for Children, which assists needy school children.

Attention on peace is hard to sustain in a world of attention deficit, particularly when conflicts or war occur far away from home.

The new Srettha Thavisin government has declared war on influential figures and mafias following the recent killing of Pol. Maj. Sivakorn Saibua by a gunman allegedly working for a local sub-district chief (Kamnan) in Nakhon Pathom province, who is believed to be a local influential figure.

The Srettha Administration starts on a very fetid note – literally.