Thailand

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Environment
A farmer burns a sugar cane field at night as local growers try to avoid arrest by authorities who banned on the practice to curb smog in Suphan Buri province, Thailand, on January 20, 2020.

The Tangled Problem of Sugarcane Burning in Thailand

by Danny Marks

Agricultural burning is causing dangerously high air pollution levels, but stopping it is complicated

Governance
A health worker prepares a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the Central Vaccination Center inside the Bang Sue Grand Station (railway station), in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 21, 2021.

The Question of Booster Vaccines in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

by Saudamini V. Dabak, Dian Faradiba, Myka Harun Sarajan, Jirathorn Sutawong, Yot Teerawattananon, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai 

High-income nations aren't the only ones seeking the COVID-19 vaccine "holy grail"

A girl from a migrant worker family that came to Thailand from Myanmar and lost their jobs due to COVID-19, lines up for free food in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 23, 2020. The photo shows a small girl wearing a facemask looking at the camera. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
Migration

In Thailand, Noncitizen Health Matters

by Titiporn Tuangratananon, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Piya Hanvoravongchai, Swee Kheng Khor

National progress on migrant health is expansive, effective, and has helped Thailand avoid the worst of the coronavirus

Image shows a map of the world color coded according to percent of government spending on health in 2017.
Governance

Which Governments Prioritize Health Spending?

by Joseph L. Dieleman, Hayley Stutzman, Angela E. Micah

As COVID-19 causes simultaneous health and economic crises worldwide, it's an opportunity to evaluate health spending

Firefighters wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at the National Monument area to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 17, 2020. Photo shows several workers in bright red protective suits walking though an open area spraying from tanks they carry on their backs. A monument can be seen in the background. REUTERS/Antara Foto/Wahyu Putro
Governance

Southeast Asia Needs Its Own CDC

by Swee Kheng Khor, Jeremy Lim, Li Yang Hsu, Jemilah Mahmood

COVID-19 is a baptism by fire and highlights the need for an effective, durable disease control authority in the region

A Buddhist monk adjusts his protective face mask before a blessing ceremony for the people affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, at a temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 22, 2020. This is a striking image with the monk in the foreground and some very colourful Buddhist temple features in the background. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng
Governance

Why is Southeast Asia Responding Differently to COVID-19?

by Swee Kheng Khor

Fundamental differences and objectives between nation states in Southeast Asia influence their responses to COVID-19

You wouldn’t know it from this image of hustle-bustle on the streets of the Mong Kok district in Hong Kong on Oct. 4, 2011, but the workforce in many Asian economic powerhouses is steadily shrinking. Picture shows the street from above, a wide pedestrian walkway with broad yellow lines painted at an angle. Dozens of people can be seen in the frame, all blurred due to fast movement and a slow shutter. REUTERS/Bobby Yip
Aging

Lessons From an Aging Asia

by Erin Gallagher, Sheila A. Smith

How will demographic shifts affect workforce, health care, gender equality, disaster response, and societal well-being?

Migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh in Thailand's southern Songkhla province on May 9, 2015. In 2001 Thailand launched a health insurance scheme for migrants and expanded it to dependents in 2005. Picture shows a triangle of men sitting cross-legged looking at the camera. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom.
Migration

The Geopolitics of Polio in Southeast Asia

by Swee Kheng Khor

The risk of re-emergence highlights the looming political choices Southeast Asia now needs to make to protect its people