Category: The Bangkok Post

Back in the 16th and 17th centuries, two-thirds of the Danish kingdom’s income came from taxes paid by every ship passing through the Øresund (‘The Sound’) Strait, the only exit from the Baltic Sea. Each ship had to declare its cargo — and if the Danes thought they were undervaluing it, Denmark had the right to buy it at the declared price.

The Danes don’t do that anymore, but they still don’t like to be jerked around. They were quite cross when unidentified drones forced them to shut down their airports on several occasions late last month, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Russian involvement could not be ruled out.

She was being diplomatic. That was the week when Russian drones also violated Polish and Romanian airspace. Ms Frederiksen had good reason to suspect that the drones harassing Denmark were coming from a Russian-chartered ship off the Danish coast, so she or one of her aides came up with a devastating response.

This week, Royal Danish Navy ships began stopping and checking ships in the Øresund Strait. Not just any ships. Old oil tankers flying flags of convenience from low-rent countries that are heading for the North Sea and thence into the open Atlantic. Ships that belong to the “shadow fleet” transporting Russian oil to India, China and other Asian countries.

Fossil fuel sales account for between 30% and 50% of the Russian government’s budget revenue. Two-thirds of the country’s gas and oil is exported, and most of the exports used to go to Europe — until Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. International sanctions then stopped most European sales, but Russia cut its prices and found new markets in China and India.

The problem was that while there were lots of pipelines connecting Russia and Europe, there were no oil pipelines and only one gas pipeline between the oilfields of northwest Russia and the new customers in Asia. Almost all of Russia’s fossil fuel exports now go by sea — 14,000 nautical miles from, say, Kaliningrad in the eastern Baltic to Qingdao in China.

To make matters worse, the sanctions regime makes it hard for Russia to charter ships from legitimate shipping companies and buy insurance for them. Instead, it has built a “shadow fleet” of almost a thousand elderly oil tankers (average age about 20 years), most of which would otherwise be on their way to the ship-breakers’ yards.

Their flags may change weekly, as may their names. Their insurance cover, if any, is dodgy, and their documents certainly do not say that they are carrying Russian oil. Their crews are multinational, with few or no Russians. Some transfer oil to other ships in the mid-Atlantic; others go the full distance in the same ship.

It’s a more expensive way of doing business, and there are more accidents, but until recently, Russian oil and gas exports were holding up fairly well. Oil income was down because Russian sales are heavily discounted, but there was enough money coming in to pay for the war and still keep the civilians contented (or at least quiet).

But now Denmark is stopping some of these “shadow” ships in the strait and boarding them. “These old ships pose a particular risk to our marine environment. That’s why we are tightening controls with very basic environmental rules,” explained Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke, but it’s really a legal excuse to stop them and get on board.

Then the Danish inspectors can examine the fake documents, discover safety issues, note the absent or inadequate insurance, and delay the ships or even detain them. Denmark only has so many inspectors, so not every ship of the shadow fleet is being stopped yet, but the number will grow. Mr Trump’s new sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies will help a bit, too.

And in just a little while, the big oil terminals in Russia that pump the oil onto the ghost ships will be coming under direct attack. Ukraine doesn’t have to wait for Donald Trump to sell it Tomahawk missiles (indirectly, through Nato). Its new Flamingo missiles have the range to hit all three of the main terminals: Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk.

They are less accurate than Tomahawks, but their warheads are twice as big, and they are coming into high-volume production, so they can overwhelm Russian air defences with swarm tactics.

Ukrainian strikes on refineries and pipelines are already causing fuel shortages in Russia, but these new approaches will actually damage the whole economy. No single new weapon or tactic can decide the outcome of a war of attrition, but the odds are moving in Ukraine’s favour.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has filed new lawsuits to reclaim 15 additional land plots in the Khao Kradong area of Buri Ram province, targeting individuals and companies occupying large parcels for commercial purposes.

The move follows earlier legal action on Oct 14 and 17 against occupants of 11 other plots.

According to an SRT statement, the new cases, filed with the Buri Ram Provincial Court yesterday, involve major holdings, including plots Nos. 600, 601, 602, 1095, 1096, 2767, 2869, 3188, 3195, 3863, 8626, 8662, 8811, 9235, and 25091. The agency said the lawsuits aim to protect public assets and safeguard its long-term interests.

Earlier this week, SRT officials held mediation talks with 35 villagers whose land utilisation certificates (Nor Sor 3) in the same area were revoked by an Appeal Court ruling in 2017. SRT Asset Co, a subsidiary of the agency, is preparing lease agreements to allow these villagers to continue using the land legally.

An SRT source said the 35 villagers are part of a larger group of 995 litigants in a land dispute covering 5,083 rai in Samed and Isan sub-districts of Muang district.

While some residents have accepted the court’s ruling, many remain anxious about rent and eviction.

Sudthai (surname withheld), 65, a former village headman, said locals have fought the case since 1968. Another villager, Yothin (surname withheld), 67, urged the SRT to lower rental rates, citing financial hardship.

The SRT reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issue fairly and legally.

In 2021, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the Khao Kradong land forms part of the railway corridor and is state property, ordering the Department of Lands (DoL) to revoke the deeds it had issued and return the land to the state.

This year, with a recommendation from its special committee reviewing the overlapping title deeds, the DoL resolved against the revocation. The SRT thus filed its own lawsuits to assert ownership rights.

Real estate developer Central Pattana Plc (CPN) opened Central Krabi on Friday, the province’s first mixed-use project and the sixth in southern Thailand, with a total investment of 4.5 billion baht.

The project covers a total area of 114 rai, comprising 54 rai for Central Krabi mall, with 86,609 square metres of gross building area, the Baan Ninya Krabi residential project, a luxurious mountain-view villa, and the Phyll luxury resort-style condo and hotel.

The company expects to complete the project in five years and roughly 90% of the shopping centre’s space is open, said Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, chief marketing officer at CPN.

He said the company sees economic growth potential in Krabi, as the province’s infrastructure and transport systems are increasing rapidly with the new terminal expansion at Krabi airport and the Andaman Sea Port Network expected to connect Krabi, Phuket and Phangnga as a comprehensive tourism hub.

The mall is targeting customers with high purchasing power in the South, as well as quality tourists, expats and long-stay tourists, with projected customer traffic of more than 25,000 visitors per day, Mr Nattakit said.

The mall features more than 300 national and local brands covering every lifestyle, including dining, drinking, shopping, health and entertainment.

Central Krabi aims to become the first Thai mall to achieve EDGE Zero certification, the global standard for green buildings, according to the company.

Kree Dejchai, president of residential business at CPN, said Krabi is transforming from a tourism city into a full-fledged investment city, with outstanding potential for economic, tourism and residential growth.

Average land prices remain attractive at 70,000-75,000 baht per square wah, which is half of Phuket’s average land price, indicating potential for long-term growth.

In response to growth trends in the real estate market, CPN expanded its portfolio and developed residential projects in the premium and super-luxury segments, with a total investment of more than 2 billion baht.

Mr Kree said these high-end customers are 80% Thai and 20% locally registered entrepreneurs.

With a total of 100 houses sold in phases, the company has sold out all 10 houses in the first phase of the Baan Ninya Krabi project, generating roughly 160 million baht. The buyers are entrepreneurs from Krabi and Phuket.

Four out of 10 houses in the second-phase development, priced at 16-25 million baht each, have been purchased by a local entrepreneur and foreigners, he said.

Moreover, the company began pre-sales for Phyll Krabi, its luxury condo project, on Oct 25.

The low-rise condo comprises five four-storey buildings, totalling 160 units, and is expected to be completed in 2028.

Mr Nattakit said the company plans to develop a hotel within this mixed-use project, but the hotel brand and specific area have not yet been decided.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has approved a plan for Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin to visit Sri Lanka to negotiate the return of two Thai elephants due to health concerns.

Mr Suchart announced via Facebook yesterday that he will travel to the South Asian country to oversee efforts to bring the two elephants, Pratu Pha and Sri Narong, back to Thailand, adding that Mr Anutin has approved diplomatic coordination between all relevant agencies to facilitate their return.

According to Mr Suchart, he will be accompanied by the permanent secretary of his ministry, the director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), and a team of veterinarians.

The delegation will examine the elephants’ health, assess their living conditions, and discuss their care with Sri Lankan authorities before bringing them back to Thailand.

Attempts to return Thai elephants to their home country have drawn public attention following the successful repatriation of Sak Surin, a Thai elephant who lived in Sri Lanka for 22 years and returned home for medical treatment in 2023.

Reports over the past two months revealed that Sri Narong and Pratu Pha, both gifted to Sri Lanka as symbols of friendship, are now in poor health after years of ceremonial labour.

Sri Narong, sent alongside Sak Surin in 2001, resides at Kelaniya Temple in Ratnapura, while Pratu Pha, sent earlier in 1980, is kept at Suduhumpola Temple in Kandy, about 105 kilometres apart.

DNP director-general Atthapol Charoenchansa said Thai citizens and elephant conservation groups in Sri Lanka have raised concerns about the animals’ welfare and requested their return.

He added that the DNP is scheduled to meet with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Thailand and elephant conservation groups on Tuesday to discuss concerns related to the elephants’ health and diplomatic procedures to bring them home.

Mr Atthapol said any decision must be approved by both governments and the temples that own the elephants.

He said Thailand no longer exports elephants abroad as in the past, and any future animal exchanges must ensure humane treatment.

According to the DNP’s data, between 2001 and 2016, Thailand sent 20 elephants to five countries, including Sri Lanka, Denmark, Japan, Sweden and Australia.

The government yesterday unveiled plans for the nationwide expansion of solar farms.

Under the programme, community solar farms would be established depending on the potential local demand, government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat said.

The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) would handle power distribution for the scheme, which was discussed at yesterday’s meeting between Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas and Energy Minister Auttapol Rerkpiboon.

The Energy Ministry proposed the initiative to promote clean energy in local communities and, according to Mr Siripong, the prime minister also approved in principle a solar-powered water pump project covering 700,000 rai of farmland nationwide.

Plans to reduce the cost of water use while also stimulating local investment and economic activity are expected to go before the cabinet for approval on Oct 28, he said.

These two projects are part of the government’s “Quick Big Win” strategy to deliver concrete results within its four-month tenure.

Two more solar plans under the strategy include a tax rebate for households installing solar panels, benefiting about 90,000 homes nationwide, and the deployment of floating solar farms at the Bhumibol, Vajiralongkorn and Srinagarind dams.

Egat wants nine dams with 16 solar floating farms, adding 2,725MW to the power supply. According to the government, the solar initiative will help cut carbon emissions by 3.6 million tonnes a year.

The Democrat Party has outlined three key policy priorities as part of its preparations for the general election next year, party spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said yesterday.

He said the party’s policy workshop on Thursday, chaired by deputy leader Korn Chatikavanij, agreed to focus on three main areas that could be implemented immediately — boosting the economy, combating corruption and scam operations, and strengthening Thailand’s global role.

The meeting brought together party strategists from several fields to set a new policy direction. Participants included Gardee Liaopairoj, Rudklao Intawong Suwankiri, Werapong Prapha, Samart Ratchapolsitte and Apichart Sakdiseth.

The workshop followed the election of the new leadership in which former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva returned to lead the party.

Mr Pongsakorn said the party would come up with high-quality policies that resonate with the public’s demands, adding that to ensure fresh ideas and practical solutions, it would start with a “blank canvas”.

The party will also use data analysis to identify problem areas and work with social influencers and opinion leaders to improve its public perception, he said.

According to Mr Pongsakorn, Ms Gardee will oversee digital policy, Ms Rudklao will focus on children and women’s affairs, and Mr Werapong has the economic remit.

Good news fans of klezmer music. The groundbreaking, award-winning klezmer outfit The Klezmatics have reissued their classic album Rhythm + Jews: Revisited (Piranha, Germany), which was recorded in 1990 and released in 1991. The reissue is part of the band’s 40th anniversary celebrations.

Originally formed in New York’s East Village in 1986, the band made an immediate impression, with their Yiddish, East European and Hasidic music roots brought into the later part of the 20th century with attitude and a willingness to blend klezmer with jazz, gypsy music, rock and the spirit of punk.

The band has released more than a dozen albums, toured globally and have appeared on TV shows across the planet. Bands like The Klezmatics, known as probably the most innovative of the new gen klezmer groups, have played and continue to play an important role in preserving the Yiddish language and music traditions by blending klezmer with contemporary music (including pieces sung in Aramaic and Bavarian). The band has also made the genre accessible and popular with younger audiences.

Led by trumpeter and producer Frank London, who has since worked with everyone from Itzhak Perlman to Gal Costa to poet Allen Ginsberg and David Byrne, the band won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album for the Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah in 2007.

London also leads his other projects. Readers may remember a recent review of an album by Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars.

The reissue is not a re-release of the original album, the “revisited” album includes material from 1990 previously not released, including alternative takes on several tracks.

The album includes many songs that have become a popular part of the band’s repertoire. The album opens with an Oriental arrangement of the classic Fun Tashlikh, which always has me foot tapping when I hear it. The funky riddims continue with another standout, this time the melancholic lullaby Di Zun Vet Aruntergeyn and the achingly beautiful Shnirele, Perele.

If you missed out on this seminal album when it was first released, do check out the revisited album which has a fresh, clean sound. And don’t forget to play it loud. The album will release on Nov 7.

If you want to find to more on the history (and influence) of the band, check out the 2010 documentary film The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground. More information at records@piranha-arts.com or klezmatics.com.

In 2012, I reviewed a most unusual and unique album titled He Is #1 by the Malawi Mouse Boys. In between selling barbecued rodents on a stick by the side of the road, the Malawi Mouse Boys played music on homemade instruments. As far as I could tell this was one of the first international releases of Malawian music.

The new record label Mass MoCA Records, a joint venture between the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and Hen House Studios, aims to bring together musicians through museum residences, creative collaboration and live performances.

Mass MoCA’s first signing is the multi-generational The Kasambwe Brothers, whose new self-titled album showcases Malawian roots music and was released yesterday.

The band, although street musicians from a village called Ndirande, are well known in the country. They use acoustic and home-made instruments, including the fascinating babatome, a kind of bass banjo, as well as pots and pans and bottle cap shakers.

The tunes on the album range from love songs like Mtima Wanga (My Heart) and Getu, which are sung in the national language Chichewa. The band’s delightful vocal harmonies are showcased on these songs but they also write about important social issues in Malawi like Ahedi (Head Teacher) which talks about the abuse of women and the risk of being a whistleblower.

The vocal traditions and rhythms of Southern Africa are evident through the album, something they have in common with the Mouse Boys, so the listener (and dancer) can hear the gorgeous vocal harmonies of mbube (Southern African gospel) and those unmistakable township rhythms of mbaqanga. If you like South African popular music, then this one is for you.

I do like the idea of art institutions teaming up with indie record labels to collaborate on music projects with the aim of helping the band record and perform. The background to this project revealed that Mass MoCA Records is committed to live recording, rather than piecing a song together digitally, which helps the band develop performance strategies.

I was recently part of a discussion on how to promote and develop the soft power of molam music and suggested something similar, or to focus on artist support from the roots upwards and not from the top down, helping with microfinancing and communication. So far, government officials seem to prefer big statement events, rather than developing the capabilities of musicians to explore international markets.

Re: “Jane Goodall and the chimp wars”, (Opinion, Oct 11).

It’s distressing to read how columnist Gwynne Dyer used the plight of chimpanzees in such a negative way with regard to humans.

By taking isolated examples in which Jane Goodall found that even chimps can band together in groups and wage war against other tribes whom they dislike, the writer then generalises this fact towards humans, acting as if it is natural for humans to wage wars against one another. Yes, he states that wars can be prevented from occurring, but rather than believing that wars are the exception to the norm, he acts as if they are natural in the human sphere. Shame on him for doing so!

Paul

Absurd logic

Re: “Vegan future”, (PostBag, Oct 23).

I read Jason Baker’s (VP of PETA Asia’s) religiously shifty letter which shames any of us who, like me (a Buddhist), eat meat, and when he said, “Traditional Thai cuisine never relied on cow’s milk or cheese. … and with a quick check for fish sauce or shrimp paste, you’ll find countless naturally vegan dishes.” This came after he put up a horror story involving torn calves and collapsing chickens.

For his information, many dishes at the Thai Buddhist temple I trained at had meat and fish in them, and when fish are hooked to eventually become fish sauce, their bodies register pain, just like our bodies do, so throwing their sauce on his fried tofu hardly creates “cruelty-free meals”.

This is just more Western virtue signalling, which is devoid of deep knowledge of the Eastern religions, which he bounced around like a football for convenience; I am going to have a hamburger now, but Mr Baker may keep my ketchup and mustard.

Jason A Jellison

Get the margin

Re: “SEC toughens stance on margin accounts”, (Business, Oct 24).

The most important key rule with stock margin loans is the force-sell rule, which this article does not even mention. This is the core-protocol rule of maintenance margin, where every day, closing prices of stocks bought on margin are revalued, and based on this, the margin percentage is retabulated.

If the market value falls below this daily mark-to-market threshold, a force-sell order is issued to the investor. Enough shares must then be sold or new cash (or shares) deposited to bring the account back up to above this minimum level.

If the investor ignores this, the broker not only can, but must sell stocks to cover the shortfall without delay.

This is a mighty important key rule in any stock margin account, as if not adhered to could snowball into a financial crisis, leading to a negative balance owed, and so potentially cause brokers to go out of business. This, in fact, happened during the Asian financial crisis of 1997, when many back then closed permanently.

Also, IPOs should never be allowed to be marginable securities as it promotes and induces overpricing of such and then overspeculating, only to later endure a potential price crash.

To my knowledge, no major stock exchange allows IPOs to be bought on margin.

Four people were killed and at least 31 others injured when a box pickup truck carrying undocumented migrants lost control and overturned in Sai Yok district on Saturday morning. The driver fled the scene.

Local police received a report from the Narenthorn radio centre at about 9am of an accident involving a Nissan pickup with a box container and Bangkok licence plates.

The vehicle was travelling at high speed from Thong Pha Phum district towards downtown Kanchanaburi when it lost control on a curve near kilometre marker 108 on Highway 323, in village Moo 9 of tambon Lum Sum, said police

The truck’s left rear wheel detached, causing the vehicle to veer across lanes and overturn violently into a roadside forested area.

The force of the crash ripped off the canopy and scattered belongings across the area. CCTV footage from a nearby house captured the moment of the crash and was being examined by police as evidence.

Three people were found dead at the scene and 32 others injured – 22 men and 10 women – all of them migrant workers. Teams from the Kanchanaburi Rescue Foundation and Pitak Karn Foundation responded swiftly, transporting the injured to Sai Yok Hospital. (Story continues below)

Of the injured, six people suffered severe head trauma and breathing difficulties and were later transferred to Phaholpolpayuhasena Hospital in Kanchanaburi for further treatment.

One male victim died en route, raising the death toll to four. Officials fear the number of fatalities may rise as several victims remained in critical condition.

Witnesses told police that many of the surviving migrants fled into a forested area near the crash site. This prompted police, soldiers from the Lat Ya task force and local officials to launch a manhunt. Ten migrants were later caught, some with injuries, and were taken to Sai Yok Hospital for treatment.

Pol Col Natthawut Kantayot, chief of the Sai Yok police, said the driver of the pickup took advantage of the chaos to flee.

‘We are now working to identify and arrest the driver. It is not yet clear whether he is Thai or a foreign national,’ said Pol Col Natthawut.

Rain is the most ordinary of things. It should nourish crops, fill reservoirs and cool the air. Yet, for millions of people living in the world’s big cities, rain has become something to fear.

When the clouds open, traffic stalls, homes flood, and smelly, brown water fills the streets. The sound of rain, once comforting, now signals the opposite.

This is the new face of climate change — not the distant threat of melting ice or rising seas, but the very local, immediate problem of water with nowhere to go.

When Cities Do Not Breathe

Water, by nature, must go somewhere. In the countryside, it soaks into the soil, seeps through roots, collects in ponds, and trickles toward streams and rivers. But in many big, modern cities, the ground is sealed beneath asphalt, concrete and tile. The soil can no longer breathe, and rain can no longer penetrate.

In Bangkok, for example, the city’s storm drains — designed more than half a century ago — can handle only a fraction of today’s rainfall.

When the downpours exceed their limits, which they often do, the water backs up, streets turn into canals, motorbikes and cars stall, and shops flood. For days afterwards, the stink of stagnant water lingers in the air.

This pattern repeats itself elsewhere, too. Jakarta, Mumbai, Lagos, New York — very different cities, same story. As climate change intensifies, rain is falling harder and faster than ever before.

The problem is not only the quantity of water but also the speed at which it arrives, overwhelming drainage systems and our patience.

The Lost Sponge

Once, nature managed. Wetlands, forests and floodplains acted as vast sponges, absorbing excess rainfall and releasing it slowly.

But in our rush to urbanise, we drained the wetlands, filled swamps and paved forests to build housing, industrial estates and parking lots.

Without these natural buffers, rainwater has nowhere to go. It rushes across smooth surfaces, collecting pollutants and debris before finding the city’s lowest points — often the poorest neighbourhoods — and settling there.

In China, urban planners have revived an ancient idea to address this: the sponge city. Rather than treating water as an enemy, a sponge city, if not welcoming it, at least accommodating it. Parks, gardens and permeable pavements allow the water to soak into the ground. It’s a principle as old as nature itself: let the earth do the heavy lifting.

Concrete as the Enemy

Look down from your aeroplane window at any big city — Bangkok, Manila, São Paulo, Los Angeles — and what you see is not green but grey. Highways, rooftops and car parks go on and on. Such impermeable surfaces repel rain like glass, funnelling it into drains and canals that now can’t cope.

By design, cities aim to keep water out, and so, today, cannot take it in. Urban flooding is not an act of nature — it often results from bad urban design.

We Can Design Our Way Out

The story need not end in wet feet and flooded streets. If poor design helped to create the problem, better design can help to solve it. Around the world, urban planners are today trying to build urban landscapes that work with, not against, climate change-driven rising rainfall.

Some solutions are large-scale, costly and structural. Expanding storm drain networks, improving canal management and installing underground reservoirs can make a difference. Unfortunately, these measures may come with high financial and, too often, environmental costs.

Other solutions are smaller, greener and surprisingly effective. Trees, for example, are natural. Their roots hold soil, their canopies intercept rain, and their trunks and roots store water.

A single mature tree can absorb hundreds of gallons of rainfall in a day. Multiply this across thousands of trees and you have a natural, living defence against urban flooding.

Rethinking a City’s Surface

Permeable pavements, whether open-grid concrete, porous asphalt, or biochar-infused surfaces, allow water to pass through rather than race away. In some European cities, small streets and roads are being replaced with grass-covered pedestrian walkways and lanes that can double as paths for water drainage and infiltration.

Green roofs are another powerful tool. Across Bangkok, tens of thousands of flat rooftops could be transformed into living landscapes, absorbing rain, cooling buildings and slowing runoff. In Singapore, Seoul and Copenhagen, such “sky gardens” are already standard features.

At ground level, rain gardens, bioswales, and retention ponds can capture runoff, while also providing beauty and supporting biodiversity. These elements, collectively known as green infrastructure, turn cities into living ecosystems rather than lifeless shells of concrete.

The Human Element

Urban flooding poses not only an engineering challenge; it sets a cultural one, too. For decades, modern development has equated progress with pavement and, in effect, productivity with impermeability. Wetlands were seen as wasted land, and rivers were necessarily channelled into concrete boxes.

But as climate change exposes the weaknesses of such thinking, urban planners are being forced to reconsider their approach to water. Perhaps the most effective adaptation strategy is not to build more, but to restore what was lost.

At the Warm Heart Foundation in northern Thailand, where I work, we have seen firsthand how local action, reforesting degraded hillsides, creating small wetlands and improving soil health with added water-absorbing biochar can reduce downstream flooding. What works for a village ought to work for a city as well.

Living with Rain

No intervention will prevent the kind of catastrophic floods recently seen in Pakistan and India. Collectively, however, measures such as these can reduce flood frequency and severity, giving cities breathing room.

Imagine a future Bangkok where the rain arrives and the city sighs, not panics. Water pools briefly in parks and gardens, then seeps quietly into the earth. Streets stay passable. The air smells clean.

That future is not a dream. It is a design choice, a matter of how we rebuild and reimagine the places we live.

Too often, cities fight against water, seeing it as an enemy to be contained. The future demands the opposite approach: to embrace water as a partner in design, a reminder that even in the heart of concrete, nature still matters.

If we have learned anything from the floods that now plague our cities, it is that water always wins in the end. The only question is whether we choose to go with the flow or live with wet feet.