Opinion

Hardship of setting up a restaurant in Bangkok

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 10:14:00 +0000

In an article for The Atlantic, American food critic Jarrett Wrisley writes about the hardship of setting up a restaurant in Bangkok.

Should journalists give up their sources in criminal cases?

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 14:04:00 +0000

An article in TIME Magazine ponders whether giving sources away in criminal cases is deemed fair according to journalists' ethics. The debate started after a French reporter turned in paedophile suspects, whom he had contacted for the purpose of an investigative report about cyber-predators.

Thailand Recruitment and Selection: A good system to study AND a bad style to avoid

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:31:00 +0000

Serious Shortcomings in Human Resource Departments - First of all, I like to say HR skills are very much needed in all managers, simply because one of several main responsibilities of any manager is “people management”. As a former director of human resources and a current human resource lecturer & trainer, I theorize some human resource functions that need both “Science” and “Art” practices to share here in Mai-BS’s blog.

"Flip-flop diplomacy" at its best: Barack Obama meets Dalai Lama despite objections from China

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:37:00 +0000

U.S. President Barack Obama received the Dalai Lama at the White House Thursday despite objections from China. During the talks, Obama expressed his support for Tibetan rights. China, which regards the Dalai Lama as a separatist, called the meeting a "violation of US policy on Tibet". Although the White House downplayed China's concerns, it organized a low-key meeting in the Map Room avoiding the symbolic power of the Oval Office.

Analysis: House dissolution, civil war, coup most feared in Thailand

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:46:00 +0000

A House dissolution, civil war and a coup top the list of investment risks facing businesses ahead of the February 26 landmark verdict on the Bt76-billion assets foreclosure trial.

HIKING THE RANKINGS: Thailand's quest to establish world-class universities

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:46:00 +0000

IN RECENT YEARS universities across the world have been going through enormous pressures to transform. From the United Kingdom to the United States, from South Korea to Singapore, the call to become a "World-Class University" is loud and clear.

Stop 'zero fare tours' before they start in Phuket

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:54:00 +0000

Plans by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and three tourism business associations to stop ‘zero tour fare’ operators from setting up in Phuket are laudable, especially given the damage such outfits have already done to the inbound Chinese market in places like Chiang Mai and Pattaya.

Amid coup buzz, Thai army chief heads to Pentagon

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:54:00 +0000

BANGKOK, Thailand — When Thai political crises heat up, it begins: a nationwide game of hushed speculation revolving around one question. Will the military stage yet another coup? For now, the man with the answers is on the opposite side of the world.

Analysis: Temasek and Thaksin lost in space

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:37:00 +0000

When Singapore's state-run investment arm Temasek Holdings bought Thailand's Shin Corp telecommunications conglomerate in 2006, its 73 billion baht (US$2.2 billion) acquisition of Shin Satellite was a strategic afterthought.

Analysis: Coup debate refuses to die

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 07:51:00 +0000

The military has repeatedly denied it, Democrats apparently aren't worried about it. Yet, a coup remains a compelling prospect for many. Here are the caes for and against the possibility of it happening.

Greed in Green

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:05:00 +0000

As global warming has been an issue worldwide, many green projects are coming up like mushrooms; no matter if they are real true green projects.

Nobel Peace prize may weigh heavily on Obama

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Washington - The gold medallion given to recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize doesn't come with a ribbon, but the award could still end up being a weight around President Obama's neck.

Man in the Middle: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:09:00 +0000

His mates back in Newcastle, where he was born, and at Eton, where he was schooled, knew him as Mark, a soccer fanatic who later scored first-class honors at Oxford. Today, Thailand's urbane Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, says he dreamed of leading his Southeast Asian nation ever since he was a little boy, but he still seems more comfortable roaming the corridors of international diplomacy than engaging in the rough-and-tumble politics of his homeland. Just days ago, the 45-year-old economist headed to New York City to hobnob with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly. In his inaugural speech to the international body on Sept. 26, Abhisit is expected to reference everything from sustainable development and foreign-investment incentives to the wisdom of Alfred Lord Tennyson. No doubt he will be warmly received.

Doing business in Thailand? Please ignore the burning bus.

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:15:00 +0000

BANGKOK — After each major Bangkok street protest finally fizzles, a fresh damage tab is drawn for the torched city buses, seized airports, tour group cancellations and even mangled shrubbery at the often-seized prime minister’s compound.

Petition drive lacks what it seeks

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:52:00 +0000

The biggest problem with the pardon-Thaksin campaign is not the fact that the ousted leader has not even expressed the slightest remorse or received legal punishment for his conviction in the Ratchadapisek land case. The hostility of the red shirts, it has to be said, is the main reason why neutrals and the anti-Thaksin camp are looking at the petition drive with great suspicion. You can't seek mercy without showing mercy. It's that simple.

That's what I call a good service!

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:35:00 +0000

Today I feel the urge to write down a great experience I had with Bangkok Airways on my early morning flight from Bangkok to Phuket on Wednesday 22nd. July 2009.

Wear black campaign under way

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:25:00 +0000

As supporters of exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra are busily preparing celebrations for his 60th birthday this Sunday, a campaign has started in cyberspace for people to wear black on that day as a gesture of protest against the celebrations.

Someone to keep us guessing

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 22:25:00 +0000

Newsrooms are being filled with educated as well as simply clueless guesses about the "big surprise" being planned for ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's 60th birthday celebrations in various provinces. Here is a summary of all the theories we have heard:

Internet, Satellite Communications Widen Political Debate in Thailand

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:44:00 +0000

Thailand has undergone a quiet revolution as satellite broadcasters and the Internet have challenged traditional broadcast outlets to lead the political debate. There are concerns the government now wants to undercut these new challengers.

New executive board chairman wants to change Thai Airways ethics

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:49:00 +0000

Is Wallop Bhukkanasut the right man for Thai Airways International (THAI)? Khun Wallop left the airline at the end of 2006 as executive vice president of Marketing and Sales to go into retirement. I met him a year later in a Thai Airways lounge in Bangkok and we chatted together in private for a while. He then confessed that despite many voices asking him to come back, he was quite happy to enjoy his newly regained freedom.