US president arrives in Asia amid concerns about the direction of American foreign policy. US President George W Bush flew into Asia yesterday, no doubt relieved to be away from Washington and the political problems that have besieged his second term. At the top of the trip’s agenda are the nuclear ambitions of North Korea, an issue which is expected to be taken up later this week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference in Busan, South Korea.

THAI TALK: Thaksin, have guts, face Abhisit in a public debate

Up to a point, it doesn’t really matter what he says in defence of his populist policies. The fact that PM Thaksin Shinawatra felt pressured enough to come out with a counter-barrage against opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on this issue was sufficient proof of how vulnerable his position is today.

Egat row reveals political failings

Those who oppose the privatisation of the former Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, which is now known as Egat Plc, have been in a celebratory mood since the decision of the Supreme Administrative Court on Tuesday to order the freezing of its initial public offering (IPO). But looking at the large picture of how the conflict found its way to the court in the first place, it’s clear that there’s little reason to rejoice.

Broad horizons of cooperation

The development of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR) is really amazing. One can often hear suggestions that an economic miracle is being born here. However, a more pragmatic approach is the one I like more. After all, one can only hope for a miracle yet. Here we witness the results of large-scale and intensive work being carried out by the APR economies.