Showing 1 - 8 of 8
When art gets stifled
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 21/11/2022
» 'Art is short, a case is long," read a banner. Students apparently hijacked the well-known motto "art is long, life is short" by Prof Silpa Bhirasri, the father of Thai modern art, in protest of Chiang Mai University's legal action against its own lecturers and a student who "trespassed" on the art centre to exhibit works, some of which might challenge those in power, last year. It is a case in point for stifling democracy in Thai art.
Heritage is not soft power
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/05/2022
» Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power", or the ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction, rather than coercion or payment, in his book Bound To Lead in 1990. However, he has since seen his brainchild, scribbled out on his kitchen table, grow in scope of application and distance.
Will liberal arts perish much like razed Scala?
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/11/2021
» Surrounded by a tall fence, the once-grand Scala, the last stand-alone cinema in Bangkok -- a quasi Cinema Paradiso for movie buffs -- was razed to rubble and thus no more.
Move Forward Party warns court ruling may trigger social unrest
Thana Boonlert, Published on 11/11/2021
» The Move Forward Party (MFP) has warned the Constitutional Court’s ruling against young protesters on Wednesday may trigger a social explosion, and asked those in power not to view the young generation as enemies.
Lessons learned from the October uprising
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/10/2021
» When the Oct 14, 1973, uprising culminated in the collapse of the military dictatorship, Sutham Sangprathum, the former deputy interior minister who joined the protests at the age of 19, felt that it was the great victory for people, but gradually learned that it had not challenged the status quo.
Controversy amid camaraderie
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 03/03/2021
» In less than a year after its launch, Clubhouse is challenging the social media paradigm. From those old days when people tuned in to popular television and radio shows, now they can be invited by existing Clubhouse users to join virtual rooms where they can hear people speaking and raise hands to enter the discussion.
Student protesters fearful over safety
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 28/07/2020
» Youths who joined a rally at Democracy Monument yesterday evening refused to give their names during the protest amid what they say is a climate of growing state repression.
Sometimes lost in translation, with dialects, context is key
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/07/2019
» To speak or not to speak dialects, that is the question for the House.