Road Blocks: The Big Issues That Thailand Needs to Solve [S8.E20]
The Bangkok Podcast11 Marras 2025

Road Blocks: The Big Issues That Thailand Needs to Solve [S8.E20]

Greg and Ed discuss an article on Ajarn.com by Dr. Jesse Sessions called "What Does the Future Hold" which discusses some of the bigger problems currently facing Thailand and how they might impact the country's prosperity, competitiveness and social longevity. The guys walk through the issues one by one and give their take on its significance,

The first issue is border security. Ed points out that Thailand actually has major security issues on the Burmese, Malaysian, and Cambodian borders, something that is easy to forget from the security of Bangkok. In fact several of the later issues tie in to this problem, including the major problems of government corruption and of scam centers in Cambodia and Burma, that implicate Thailand in international crime networks. Greg points out that these 'scam cities' are sometimes connected to the Thai power grid or Internet service and may also be trafficking victims through Bangkok. As a 'rule of law' guy, Ed emphasizes the importance of cleaning up these issues and ridding Southeast Asia of its Wild West image.

Another cluster of issues centers around the economy, such as the slower the expected recovery of the tourism sector after COVID and Thailand's perennial fixture in the 'middle income trap,' clearly surpassing Cambodia but somehow also managing to be miles away from South Korea and Japan.

Check in for discussion of a bunch of other topics, including demographics, AI adoption, and environmental problems, and make sure to read the full article for a more thorough breakdown of each issue.

Jaksot(560)

That Thing All Thais Do? Yeah, No They Don't

That Thing All Thais Do? Yeah, No They Don't

Greg and Ed explore common Thai stereotypes and symbols that are heavily associated with Thailand internationally, yet play a surprisingly small role in the daily lives of average Thai citizens. They ...

31 Maalis 33min

Author Chris Baker Discusses Thai History, Culture & Conflict [S8.E37] (Classic ReCast)

Author Chris Baker Discusses Thai History, Culture & Conflict [S8.E37] (Classic ReCast)

Greg and Ed interview expat legend Chris Baker, co-author (along with his wife Pasuk Phongpaichit) of A History of Thailand, in addition to several other well-known books on Thailand. Greg and Ed gush...

24 Maalis 55min

New Frontiers: A (Literal) Conversation With Ed's AI Assistant About Podcasting [S8.E36]

New Frontiers: A (Literal) Conversation With Ed's AI Assistant About Podcasting [S8.E36]

In a special main show, Greg and Ed interview Hal, Ed's OpenClaw bot about his knowledge of the Bangkok Podcast. The guys begin the show discussing their mutual obsession with AI but also explain how ...

17 Maalis 37min

Photographer Tim Russell on the Fading Glory of Hualamphong Station [S8.E34] (Classic ReCast)

Photographer Tim Russell on the Fading Glory of Hualamphong Station [S8.E34] (Classic ReCast)

In a ReCast episode from season 7, Greg interviews well known Bangkok-based photographer Tim Russell about his book 'Bangkok Station,' which focuses (literally) on the iconic and now mostly defunct Hu...

4 Maalis 44min

Linguist Rikker Dockum on the Royal Institute's Thai Language Oversight [S8.E33] (Classic ReCast)

Linguist Rikker Dockum on the Royal Institute's Thai Language Oversight [S8.E33] (Classic ReCast)

Greg interviews old friend of the podcast Rikker Dockum, Thai language expert extraordinaire about the Thai Royal Society, an organization dedicated to overseeing, promoting and regulating the Thai la...

24 Helmi 50min

Election Analysis: Young Thais, Old Parties...New Tricks? [S8E32]

Election Analysis: Young Thais, Old Parties...New Tricks? [S8E32]

Tech Fail Alert! The last 5 minutes of our discussion was cut off by dastardly internet Gremlins, but we said most of what we wanted to say anyway.  In a follow-up to the recent Thai election, Greg an...

17 Helmi 32min

Greg & Ed Discuss Ed's Big Thailand Quiz [S8.E31]

Greg & Ed Discuss Ed's Big Thailand Quiz [S8.E31]

In a followup to a recent episode, Greg and Ed walk through the entire 'Facts About Thailand' quiz that Ed gave his Thai Society students. It's a broad test of Thailand - geography, history, politics,...

10 Helmi 41min

Dreamster's Mario Butler on Thai Music and New Creative Frontiers [S8.E30]

Dreamster's Mario Butler on Thai Music and New Creative Frontiers [S8.E30]

Greg interviews Mario Butler of Dreamster.io, a platform that allows musicians to connect directly with their audience, and fans to own the music they buy, not just rent. Greg begins by asking about M...

3 Helmi 55min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
i-dont-like-mondays
sita
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
uutiscast
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
kolme-kaannekohtaa
aikalisa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
rss-murhan-anatomia
mamma-mia
rss-nikotellen
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-haudattu
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
loukussa