Showing 1 - 10 of 19
Thailand's crisis communication needs rethinking
Oped, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 08/10/2022
» The renewed interest in transistor radios is just so bemusing, even to those who own a set and use it for news updates like myself.
Whale of a problem on city pavements
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/10/2019
» Once in a blue moon, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) surprises me with a campaign that actually shows encouraging results.
Bangkok faces its very own 'airpocalypse'
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/02/2019
» City schools have been closed. Soldiers have been deployed to check and shut down factories that pollute the air we breathe (but we never find out which factories have been closed!) And our prime minister is acting tough in a desperate bid to combat the PM2.5 haze-causing particles.
Fresh optimism in KL
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/09/2017
» Anyone who visits Kuala Lumpur these days will feel the vibe of optimism, in the form of construction that is humming along across the capital city. The Malaysian government is injecting massive sums to develop transport infrastructure -- an element the country lacks in comparison with close neighbours Singapore or even Thailand.
Risky legacy for regime's pet projects
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 12/06/2017
» Leaders are always remembered for their legacy or their pet projects. For example, the Isan Khiew project, a grandiose plan to green the largely arid and infertile northeastern region, always comes to mind whenever I think of former prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who floated the idea, in 1997.
Coursing through a town's veins
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 23/01/2017
» Narong Tiammek, former deputy dean of Muban Chombueng Rajabhat University, should have felt like he was walking (or jogging) on a cloud. The Chombueng Marathon, a local running event that he created 32 years ago, has become a phenomenal success. The number of registered runners steadily climbed up from less than 100 runners in the first year to 13,040 this year, around 5,500 more than in 2016.
The valuable lessons from US election
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 14/11/2016
» As expected, the US presidential election which has just passed was a nail-biting event for millions of people around the globe, as Donald Trump emerged the winner. His success is being challenged by anti-Trump demonstrators (although some are protesting against the electoral college concept!) in major cities around the US.
Razing 'cane
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/03/2016
» March and April are months of haze. The white-grey smoke may be just a seasonal nuisance that exists only in the northern and southern regions in Thailand, but in a sugar plantation in Dan Chang of Suphan Buri province, haze has long been a part of the people's daily lives and of the worrisome harvesting cycle. Villagers in Dan Chang get used to dry-coughing. Smoke hangs over the roofs of their houses and seeps indoors.
Myanmar up-close and personal
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 22/03/2016
» 'Welcome to the Guesthouse. The small space is made to set you free from anxiety. But first you need to leave your old perceptions behind. You need to open your mind for new memories," says Kyaw Luck, a guide for the exhibition "Myanmar Up-Close", which opened last week at Museum Siam.
Myanmar races ahead as we back-pedal
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/03/2016
» All eyes have been on Myanmar this week as it finally voted a new president, Htin Kyaw, into office, in so doing becoming the latest debutante into the democratic club. A close aide (for many he is a proxy) of democracy icon Aug San Suu Kyi, who is blocked from taking up the role due to constitutional hurdles, Htin Kyaw is the first civilian leader of the country since 1962.