Showing 1 - 10 of 11
No room for victim blaming
Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 30/10/2023
» Recently, Mai*, an 18-year-old part-time male employee at a private hospital, became a victim of sexual assault. The incident occurred around 1am after a foreigner asked Mai for directions to the restroom. Mai helped the foreigner and then headed for the same restroom. Unfortunately, Mai was subjected to a non-consensual sexual act there. He told reporters that he cried for help, but nobody heard.
A broken system
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 24/04/2023
» Last year, Mintra Chuawangkham, better known as Minton, a young female influencer with 3.5 million followers on TikTok and 1.92 million subscribers on YouTube, revealed in a video that she had been stalked and sexually harassed by a security guard for a year. The security guard also created a fake Facebook account pretending to be her. The fake account defamed the influencer by posting false information about their sexual relationship. He created a fake marriage licence and tried to deceive other people into believing that they were a couple. He also posted many creepy messages which expressed his sexual desire for her on social media.
What to do with misbehaving monks?
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 16/05/2022
» Sunday marked Visakha Bucha Day which is the commemoration of the birth, enlightenment and death of the Lord Buddha. Buddhism is the largest religion in Thailand, but we cannot deny that faith in Buddhism has declined due to the inappropriate behaviour and misconduct of some monks.
Less comedy, more dhamma
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 20/09/2021
» A couple of weeks ago, two well-known monks -- Phra Maha Sompong Talaputto and Phra Maha Praiwan Worawano -- held a livestream talk show on social media that attracted 200,000 viewers. The chat led to several debates between their supporters and opponents since it was different from typical dhamma talks or dhamma preaching. The two monks used several teenage slang expressions and joked with their viewers who commented via the live chat. While Phra Maha Sompong focused on delivering his own jokes like a standup comedian, Phra Maha Praiwan, who knew many teenage expressions, giggled uncontrollably throughout the show. He was criticised for not being not calm or having self-control as a monk should.
Fears of a brain drain
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 17/05/2021
» A couple of weeks ago, the Facebook forum "Let's Move Abroad" was established and it grew rapidly to 500,000 members within three days. The founder of the forum, Pooh, said in an interview with The Standard that he runs many restaurants in Thailand that have all suffered financially due to the pandemic. He wants to expand his business to other countries so he established the forum to get information from people who have experience working and living abroad. The forum, which provides both positive and negative information about being an immigrant, includes how to study languages, what kinds of jobs are available, how to prepare visas and apply for jobs. Even though Pooh supports the youth protest movement, the forum does not aim to tackle political issues but focus on information regarding how to settle down in developed countries.
Celebs not liable for Wanchalearm
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 15/06/2020
» Last week, exiled Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit, who was living in Phnom Penh was reportedly abducted. In 2014, the 37-year-old Thai political refugee had refused a military summons and in 2017, he was accused of violating the Computer Crimes Act. In an interview with the press, Maj Gen Burin Thongprapai said Wanchalearm wasn't facing lese-majeste charges. Regardless, news of his abduction has caused an uproar on social media. Most people (on Twitter) think that someone who has a different opinion than the junta government should not be made to disappear. Yet, some people also commented that there was no evidence to prove that the state was involved in his abduction while others went as far as to believe the abduction was fake news.
Face masks are waste masks
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 06/04/2020
» Travelling to environmentally-aware countries inspired singer and actor Phakin "Tono" Khamwilaisak to improve his motherland. In January, he launched a project titled "Kebrak" (translated as collecting love) encouraging people and students to collect garbage. After working with many people, the star learned more about waste pollution and how it affects all creatures, including marine animals.
The ignorance of convenience
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 27/01/2020
» It's fair to say that the campaign to reduce single-use plastic bag at major retailers and convenience stores since the beginning of the year has not been entirely smooth. While many understand the environmental concerns driving the campaign, there are still a great deal of people who can't look past the minor inconvenience of doing without plastic bags.
Ethics of waste
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 09/09/2019
» Some weeks ago, a Facebook page shared posts from a closed group of people who believed in urine therapy or urotherapy.
A better Korean option
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 06/05/2019
» South Korea is one of the most popular destinations for Thais -- both tourists and illegal workers. According to the Ministry of Labour, there are 165,854 Thais living in South Korea, 143,169 of them illegally. Such a large number of illegal workers has caused Korean immigration officers to strictly screen Thai visitors. On April 20, a Facebook user shared a post saying that only five Thai passengers from a low-cost flight could get through Seoul, while the rest were detained for deportation. On the post, many comments blamed illegal workers for causing trouble for those attempting to travel legitimately. An unlawful worker defended himself by saying others didn't have sympathy for his poverty.