https://www.scmp.com/rss/519560/feed Panarat Anamwathana is a Visiting Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. She is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Thammasat University in Thailand. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Panarat Anamwathana Panarat Anamwathana An old Thai proverb says, “If you love your cow, tie it up; if you love your child, beat them”. It is meant to convey that a loving and responsible guardian should discipline their child and that corporal punishment is an act of care as sensible as tethering one’s cattle so that it does not wander off. For many generations, this proverb and traditional practices have normalised corporal punishment. This attitude is also displayed by teachers in schools. One year after Thailand legally banned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3352136/year-after-corporal-punishment-ban-thailand-needs-curb-resurgence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3352136/year-after-corporal-punishment-ban-thailand-needs-curb-resurgence?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 04:00:16 +0000 Eugene Mark,Panarat Anamwathana Eugene Mark,Panarat Anamwathana When two young lives ended in suicide in Thailand earlier this year it cast a spotlight on a swelling mental health crisis among the nation’s youth. The reasons for these tragedies range from heartbreak to mental health struggles, but together these deaths serve as a warning – evidence of a generation beset by anxiety, loneliness and despair. As traditional support systems falter, many young Thais are seeking solace in substances – alcohol, drugs and, increasingly, cannabis – reflecting a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3332862/thailands-youth-mental-health-crisis-fuelled-neglect-and-legalised-weed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3332862/thailands-youth-mental-health-crisis-fuelled-neglect-and-legalised-weed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 02:00:16 +0000 On August 7, the Thai Constitutional Court announced its unanimous decision to dissolve the Move Forward Party (MFP). The last dissolution of a popular progressive party in 2020 kicked off a large youth-led pro-democracy movement that lasted months. However, a similar response this time around seems unlikely. MFP won both the popular vote and the largest number of seats in the May 2023 general election. Despite this victory, the party was blocked from forming a government. A year after the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3274814/will-dissolution-thailands-move-forward-party-reignite-wave-youth-led-protests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3274814/will-dissolution-thailands-move-forward-party-reignite-wave-youth-led-protests?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 17 Aug 2024 02:30:21 +0000