Unemployment. Bankruptcy. Rising inequality and a deteriorating environment. Can Thailand, weighed down by its ageing population, recover from the Covid-19 economic and public health crises to build a more secure future? No, if policymakers still pursue an economic growth strategy that weakens the people and destroys the environment to serve the rich few. Yes, the […]
Want children to learn? Encourage them to ask questions. Better still, help them to get the answers. This should be a norm in schools. Sadly, fostering a questioning mind is an exception rather than the rule in the Thai education system. But some exceptional schools in Satun province in southern Thailand offer a glimmer of […]
Cyber attacks and ransomware have become crimes of modern digital society. Yet, in Thailand what is of new concern is the attack on government database sources – particularly those of state hospitals. In September last year, Saraburi Hospital’s database was hacked and the attackers gained access to information of patients. Last month alone there were […]
The owner of Thai dessert shop Madame Choops recently got herself in hot water with religious authorities when she made her A-lua – a classic Thai dessert in various Buddha amulet shapes. When the photos of her sweets went viral online, a group of officials from the National Office of Buddhism rushed to her shop in […]
Air pollution is a persistent, deadly problem in Thailand. Time after time we watched as thick white smog rolled through the maze of roads to settle among buildings. We knew something was very wrong. After all, clean air should not be visible. We have been living with air pollution, PM2.5, and have worn N95 masks […]
Thailand has money to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet people are falling like leaves. It’s clear. Cash handouts cannot save lives. Highly effective vaccines can. Rapid mass vaccinations for everyone in the country can. Repeat, everyone. But can these effective Covid-19 solutions happen fast enough to save lives and rescue the national economy? Amid rising […]
Thailand has money to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet people are falling like leaves. It’s clear. Cash handouts cannot save lives. Highly effective vaccines can. Rapid mass vaccinations for everyone can. Everyone, Thais and non-Thais. No one is safe from the virus if anyone is left out. But can these effective Covid-19 solutions happen fast […]
Struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic, many people have turned to their home kitchens to sell home-cooked food online. Imagine the shock when tax officials knock on their doors. This is what happened to a family which sold fresh orange juice from their home kitchen recently. The incident made headlines and sent […]
It is now clear that this pandemic has hit vulnerable populations the hardest. Despite being one of the most vulnerable groups in society, migrant workers, including their family members, have been left with little care from the government. Despite helping the Thai economy for so long, there is no clear policy and little assistance to […]
On June 27, the government announced that accommodation for workers both inside and outside of the construction sites, building transformation sites or demolition of building sites shall be temporarily closed, while movement of workers shall be prohibited temporarily for at least thirty days.[1] The government reacted quickly in respond to the growing number of clusters of COVID-19 […]
On March 4, the Ministry of Labour planned to discuss with the Social Security Board about offering free Covid?19 vaccines to migrant workers who were insured under the social security programme. Migrant workers are vital to Thai industries and the economy; therefore, they should not be left out of the vaccination programme, said the labour […]
Ocean plastic pollution is threatening humanity and Thailand cannot escape the blame as one of the world’s worst marine polluters. Although the government has pledged to tackle marine pollution, one thing is certain. Success is out of reach if the state authorities fail to engage local communities as equal partners. According to the Thailand Development […]
