Asia September 24, 2021 THAILAND: Attempting a path toward tourism normalcy, but it’s complicated Politics, Thailand Bob Herrera-Lim Thailand will push forward with a broader reopening of its tourism sector in the fourth quarter due to the relatively positive experience in Phuket of foreigners not being a major source of transmission. The Phuket and Samui sandbox schemes may... Read More...
Asia August 19, 2021 THAILAND: A more confrontational protest movement Politics, Thailand Bob Herrera-Lim Anti-government rallies that were a fixture in the fourth quarter of 2020 have returned to Bangkok’s streets. However, there are noticeable differences from the earlier protests, which could be signaling an added set of risks for Prime Minister Prayuth... Read More...
Asia April 14, 2021 THAILAND: Unaccustomed population struggles with rising case numbers Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand Bob Herrera-Lim Thailand is facing its worst increase in cases since the start of the pandemic. Public apprehension is noticeably higher compared to the December-February spike. A continued worsening through the last week of April could result in the reimposition of movement and... Read More...
Asia March 11, 2021 THAILAND: Protests have lost some momentum, but a write-off would be premature Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand Bob Herrera-Lim Protests restarted in mid-February, but their frequency and size in the month since then have fallen well short of those last year, easing the immediate pressure on the government. The sentiments that strongly drove the demonstrations persist, but coordination and,... Read More...
Asia February 11, 2021 THAILAND: Protests return for 2021, but with still no endgame in sight Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand Bob Herrera-Lim After nearly two months, protests have restarted. Health concerns may limit the size and frequency of rallies in the near term. The main question remains the ability of the protest movement to broaden its base. Protesters have taken to the... Read More...
Asia December 23, 2020 THAILAND: A test for the country’s contact-tracing and testing system Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand covid-19 Bob Herrera-Lim An outbreak that apparently started sometime over the last two weeks with migrant workers in a province southeast of Bangkok is threatening to spread to the rest of the country, and causing Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to warn of... Read More...
Asia November 19, 2020 THAILAND: Headed for escalation Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand editorial Bob Herrera-Lim Parliament is moving forward with constitutional reform, but without changes to the monarchy. The political avenue for compromise has narrowed. Frustrations on both sides increase the risk of conflict in the streets. Political tensions have increased in the past few... Read More...
Asia October 20, 2020 THAILAND: Is This the Calm Before the Real Storm? Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand Bob Herrera-Lim Press play to listen <audio... Read More...
Asia October 2, 2020 THAILAND: A fundamental political shift may be under way Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand Asia Bob Herrera-Lim The student protests may be a signal that the forced political equilibrium of the past five years is fraying. The monarchy’s prestige may be declining, dragging down with it the clout of the military. This may be creating a vacuum in... Read More...
Asia September 23, 2020 THAILAND: Tensions are rising and the ball is in Prayuth’s hands Emerging Markets, Politics, Thailand Asia Bob Herrera-Lim The government still seems to want to pursue a calibrated response to the protests, rather than suppression. There are possible two triggers for a hardline government response over the next few months: the continued increase in the movement’s size and... Read More...
