Former Senior Analyst, Australia’s Office of National Assessments (ONA)
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Thailand has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty over the past 50 years by attracting foreign investment and lifting productivity. But in the first of a series of three articles, Craig Keating examines how policy failures have contributed to the stalling of economic progress and the challenges that poses for an ageing society.
At the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand won global praise for the quality of its response. It has since watched a rising caseload overwhelm world-class public health defences. Craig Keating argues that government complacency left the country unprepared for the influx of new, highly-transmissible, virus strains.
Thailand was once a regional favourite for foreign investors – a status that has come under increasing challenge in recent years. As former intelligence agency analyst Craig Keating finds, a protracted legal saga over a failed Bangkok construction project offers some pointers as to why investors have been losing faith.
Thailand’s laws against defaming the monarchy are back in the spotlight amid popular demands to curtail royal privilege. But as former intelligence agency analyst Craig Keating notes, any changes to the lèse majesté system will need the intervention of the king himself.
In a test of the resolve of Thailand's rulers, student protesters in recent weeks have been agitating for deep institutional reform, including to the powers of the monarchy. Former intelligence agency analyst Craig Keating argues the student demands highlight fundamental differences in Thai society over the role of the state and are likely to shape the direction of politics in the coming months.