Thoughts from last week
Isabelle Wei, 17, Canadian International School of Hong Kong
A one-year beer deal in Thailand, established between the government office responsible for improving teachers’ welfare and Tawandang German Brewery, offers educators a 10 per cent discount at select brewery branches.
However, this partnership has faced criticism from the Thai Teachers Against Vice-Promoting Welfare network.
Some social media users have dismissed the network’s concerns, stating that a modest beer discount is unlikely to significantly increase harmful drinking.
Others have criticised the focus on image over educational quality, particularly given recent headlines involving disciplinary measures for teachers and misalignment with professional decorum.
This partnership unfolds amid shifting alcohol policies in Thailand, which include relaxed advertising restrictions aimed at boosting the country’s beverage industry and enhancing its soft power. Although this liberalisation is still in progress, it suggests a societal move toward moderation rather than prohibition. Therefore, if the goal is to protect students, I believe that education on responsible consumption – rather than outright condemnation – might be more effective.
A 2024 survey found that nearly 40 per cent of Thai teachers experience monthly financial difficulties. Addressing these challenges would be more beneficial for educators and pave the way for structural reforms.
I believe it is important for teachers to care about their image, as students often observe and imitate their behaviour, whether consciously or not.
However, despite the network’s concerns about professionalism, the intensity of the reaction risks reinforcing respectability politics that do little to genuinely improve teachers’ well-being.
Therefore, the focus should shift from questions of image alone – “Should teachers drink?” – to interrogating underlying issues of income and inequality, which may prove to be more pressing concerns.
Read up on this issue in last week’s The Lens
Read and observe
Cambodia has banned imports of fruit and vegetables from Thailand as the two countries face off over a border dispute that led to a bloody military clash last month.
A Cambodian soldier was killed on May 28 as troops exchanged fire in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.
Thailand has imposed border restrictions on Cambodia in recent days, while Cambodia has banned Thai dramas, closed a popular border checkpoint and cut internet bandwidth from Thailand.
Cambodia’s influential former leader, Hun Sen, issued an ultimatum to Thailand, demanding that it lift border crossing restrictions within 24 hours or face a ban on all Thai fruit and vegetable imports.
Cambodian authorities stated that their Thai counterparts had still imposed the border restrictions and Hun Sen’s ultimatum had taken effect.
Sok Veasna, director general of the General Department of Immigration, said visitors could still cross the border between the two countries.
Cambodia has formally requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to assist in resolving border disputes in four areas.
Hun Sen also called on tens of thousands of Cambodian migrants working in Thailand to return home, saying they would face increased discrimination as the border spat drags on.
Cambodia has previously sought help from the ICJ in a territorial dispute over a border temple. In 1962, the court ruled that the disputed Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, and in 2013, the ICJ awarded an adjacent area to Cambodia as well.
Thailand said it did not accept the court’s jurisdiction.
Violence sparked by the dispute has led to 28 deaths in the region since 2008.
Agence France-Presse
Research and respond
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How might the Thailand-Cambodia dispute impact diplomatic relations in Southeast Asia in the long term?
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What are the implications of restricting trade on both Cambodia’s and Thailand’s economies and local communities?
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In what ways could the involvement of the ICJ influence future border disputes in the region?
