Paritta Wangkiat
Columnist
Paritta Wangkiat is a Bangkok Post columnist.
City protest plan needs a few tweaks
The novelty of Bangkok governor Chadchart Sitthipunt designating seven areas for public gatherings invites praise and doubts.
Avoiding tourism's stresses and strains
Foreign visitors have started returning to tourist destinations since the start of the year after the government lifted some Covid-19 measures. The influx of tourists has been observed from Phuket to Chiang Mai, some of which report visitor overcrowding.
Soft power must have global appeal
The presence of the 19-year-old rapper Milli at the Coachella Music Festival in the United States has reinvigorated Thailand's soft power ambitions -- an area the Thai government has not fully explored nor exploited.
Sexual misconduct still little understood
Last week was dramatic for anyone who is concerned about sexual misconduct -- and the social stigma which is attached to it. A series of news items about women and girls experiencing abuse and sexual harassment were reported in one week. The sufferers came from all walks of life and the abuse took place at various locations -- university, on the street, at school or even in the community.
New narrative needed on getting rich
Tips on how to get rich and succeed in business, if not in life itself, are rife in Thai social media, such advice having already occupied bestseller lists in local bookstores for years.
LGBTQ law change is an inevitability
The release of the Constitutional Court's full written verdict on same-sex marriage spells a rough path ahead for the campaign to ensure equal gender rights for all.
Constructive dialogue on S112 needed
Amid a series of youth protests calling for monarchy reform, one thing I learnt is that what has been lacking is a space for a constructive discussion -- a platform where people, either royalists, proponents of monarchy reform or those with neutral ideas, can have a healthy debate, without being in fear of violating the lese majeste law, or being criticised by left or right political wings that seem to have become more radicalised and lacking in tolerance to differing views.
Embracing COP26 climate challenge
Reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 will be one of the priority discussions at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) started next week in Glasgow.
Online learning falls short in Covid era
Over one and a half years, millions of Thai students have been forced to forsake their physical classroom, schools, friends, and playground, to study in virtual classes conducted through online platforms.
