Sivarin Lertpusit

Visiting Fellow, Regional Social and Cultural Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute

Dr Sivarin Lertpusit is a visiting fellow at the Regional Social and Cultural Studies Programme, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute. She is also an assistant professor at the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Thammasat University.

This photo taken on 4 July 2023 shows fruit vendors waiting for customers along a street in the Chinatown area of Bangkok. (Sai Aung Main/AFP)

Society

Tackling the illicit use of Thai business nominees by Chinese networks

By Sivarin Lertpusit 20 Jul 2023

Illicit nominations of Thais as shareholders in businesses run by Chinese operators are threatening local concerns. This highlights a dense network of transnational criminal activity that the Thai authorities are up against.

Tourists from mainland China dressed in traditional Thai costumes visit Wat Arun temple ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year as China reopens the border in Bangkok, Thailand, 18 January 2023. (Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters)

Society

Chinese investment into Thai private universities: The need to keep standards up

By Sivarin Lertpusit 16 Mar 2023

Along with the rise in Chinese students in Thailand, there have been discussions regarding the takeover of private universities by Chinese investors since 2019. The authorities need to put measures in place to ensure that standards are maintained.

A screen grab from a video featuring an aerial view of the China-Thailand railway, October 2022. (Internet)

Politics

Long-delayed Thailand-China high-speed train: A political game on two tracks

By Sivarin Lertpusit 11 Jan 2023

The beleaguered construction and murky progress of the proposed Bangkok-Nong Khai high-speed railway are emblematic of deeper problems underlying Thailand’s and China’s infrastructural ambitions.