Editorial: Prayuth’s PM Victory is a Sham
Last night’s vote, which secured junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha another term in office, proved the process was rigged from the start.
Opinion: Why Don’t Thais Read?
By Tayo Tunyathon Koonprasert
At 13, having just moved back to Bangkok after seven years in the United States, I asked my mom to take me...
Opinion: Social Media as Thailand’s Public Sphere of Last Resort
A recent controversy reminds us that in Thailand, certain topics cannot be publicly deliberate without severe risks.
Opinion: Bangkok, a Most Visited City on Earth, and The Other Bangkok
Many Thais expressed pride when a travel website, Travelness.com, recently reported that Bangkok was the most visited city on earth in the first half of 2023 – 22.78 million foreign visitors compared to 19.1 of Paris and London’s 19.09 (Dubai clocked in the fourth place at 15.93 followed by Singapore at 14.67).
Opinion: Thailand’s Sinovac Dilemma
The government of Gen. Prayut Chan-ocha is facing double challenges in handling COVID-19. First, how to get enough vaccines in time before the situation is too critical, and second, how to convince enough people that Sinovac is a good and adequately safe vaccine.
Bangkok’s Class Divisions: An Outsider’s Opinion
Some landscapes paint a more graphic depiction of poverty than others. Such is the case in Bangkok.
Opinion: Thai Poor Face Either Death by Coronavirus, or Economic Ruin
Monitoring daily government press conferences and its latest coronavirus figures has become a daily ritual for many Thais as they enter a nationwide lockdown in April.
Rule With an Iron Fist. Lie Without Shame.
A long, long time ago, just one day after junta leader Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha staged his May 2014 coup, I was asked by Al Jazeera TV what I thought of him.
Opinion: Amanda Obdam and Hegemonic Thai Identity
Thailand’s Amanda Chalisa Obdam may not have won Miss Universe 2020 Crown last week, but the debate about her Thai identity was ignited anew.
Opinion: Emergency Power in the Hand of an Ex-Dictator is Worrying
Even though I personally support lockdown measures as long as there are adequate compensations to affected people, we can debate whether a state of emergency is really warranted at this point.