The shocking events on Friday show that Thailand is not immune from senseless violence. The stabbing rampage by a female attacker at the Saint Joseph Convent School in Silom on Friday should serve as a wake-up call for everybody. The incident’s biggest and most chilling warning is that a random attack on helpless, unaware victims by demented individuals is no longer something foreign.

SIDELINES: Two mavericks whose fates will speak volumes

By now most people should be fairly accustomed to all sorts of twists of irony under the Thaksin administration. These events defy sanity and a common sense of right and wrong. It is amazing, but that’s the trend, and nobody can predict where we are heading. What happened last week was utterly inexplicable.

A global language (except in Europe)

The European Union has a single currency, but what about a single language? Since its inception, the EU has made each member state’s language one of its official tongues. Recently, even Irish, spoken at home by only a tiny minority, was granted full official status.

SUNDAY BRUNCH: Born to be a diplomat

Kantathi Suphamongkhon draws from a wealth of international experience as Thailand’s foreign minister

A yen for innovation

Thailand taps into the great potential to make use of tapioca and other resources in a host of environmentally friendly products

WATCH DOG: Building a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship

Since its inception in August 2003, the National Innovation Agency (NIA) under the Ministry of Science and Technology’s oversight, has exemplified a new generation of Thai bureaucracy which promises increased efficiency, effectiveness and speed in implementing the nation’s strategic goals.