Showing 1 - 10 of 10
More taxes may not be a bad thing
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/12/2018
» On Monday, I spent an unusually long time -- more than half a day -- just to get my car tyres replaced at a shop. Usually, it takes about two hours to get the old tyres replaced with the new ones.
Breaking the nation's bad plastic habits
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 10/08/2018
» As of this Sunday, visitors to any of the 154 national parks across the country may get frustrated with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation's (DNP) new rule, which prohibits them from bringing single-use plastics and styrofoam food boxes into the compounds. It is an effort to cut non-recyclable waste.
Wildlife, drug trades cross bloody paths
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 08/11/2017
» The Golden Triangle -- an area where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet -- has long been notorious. In the old days, it was known as Asia's second opium production hub, behind the Golden Crescent in Afghanistan. After opium use declined, the Golden Triangle transformed into a production hub for heroin and recently ya ba, or methamphetamine.
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.
When the price isn't right
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/11/2016
» Regardless of the market price, khao remains a symbol of life and sustenance, of joy and sometimes pain, especially for farmers who tend to the minuscule grains. Rice is in our mouths, but given its economic and cultural importance, it also occupies a special place in Thai people's hearts.
Banana split
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/08/2016
» High on the list of fruits Thais cannot live without is kluai namwa, or cultivated banana, a tropical strand only grown in South and Southeast Asia. The cultivated banana has long been an affordable, ubiquitous food staple for Thais, the same way apples are for Westerners.
The fear of becoming a banana state
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 15/08/2016
» 'The company changed the pattern of the rains, accelerated the cycle of harvests and moved the river from where it had always been." This vivid line is from the book <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i>, a magnum opus written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Nobel Prize-winning writer.
It would be better not to find Dory
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/07/2016
» In the Hollywood blockbuster Finding Dory, the forgetful fish Dory finally finds her parents and returns to live with them happily in their natural environment. In reality, Dory, a blue tang fish, might not be that lucky.
My black coffee,my black heart
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 01/11/2013
» Coffee _ black and strong _ is my morning ritual that enables me to stay awake and ready for the day.
Bucking a trend
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 03/04/2012
» E-books have become more than a fashion statement for lovers of new gadgets on the market. For people in the publishing industry everywhere, including Thailand, it's seen as a medium imperative to their survival, the way they conduct business and tap the opportunities it will spawn.