Showing 1 - 10 of 31
Equality still a dream
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 09/01/2023
» In the lead-up to its second reading, the civil partnership draft bill marks a decade since its inception, dating back to a gay couple who were denied legal recognition in 2012 because the law limits marriage to a man and a woman. Given the conservatism of earlier decades, civil partnership was "the first brick" at a time when marriage equality was almost inconceivable. However, history is often ignored. Despite its long journey in conjunction with the new bill, the uphill push for marriage rights will remain an unfinished business under the current government.
Give mental health a chance
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/10/2022
» A string of mass shootings by officers in recent years may involve many factors, but they highlight the need for an improvement in mental health services, experts say, following the nursery massacre in Nong Bua Lam Phu's Na Klang district that left 36 people dead, mostly young children, and others injured.
A call for help
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/08/2022
» We pull on layers to protect our vulnerable core. When they break, we are exposed and desperate for new shells, but they take time and do not come easily. Sometimes, we borrow them from the dead.
Recalling Bangkok's dark side
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/06/2022
» Many places are veiled in darkness. Arguably, they were once -- or still -- a reminder of things that should be left unsaid. You may entertain the thought of them, but should not make them known. Who wants to hear of social evil and death? But these places can offer a deeper understanding of what our city is made of.
On the road back to normalcy
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 22/03/2022
» Anchalee Woratai, 79, lives alone in a small room. Her daughter and niece died years ago, but their photos still hang on the wall. Piles of clothes, bottles and food containers are neatly squeezed into a confined space. Anchalee was able to make her own way until she caught the coronavirus.
Regulate in moderation
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/03/2022
» 'Section 32 has been very painful to me," said Wichian Inkraidee, an owner of Kacha Kacha, a Japanese restaurant. He was blacklisted and faced a hefty fine for breaking the draconian alcohol law. In the last hour of 2014, an inspector on patrol found an image of a glass of beer on the menu, which was claimed to promote drinking.
A natural remedy against Covid-19?
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/01/2022
» Short of breath at night, Ekkaluk Thongchan decided to ignore his doctor's instructions and rummage through his bag for herbal pills believed to treat fever and respiratory symptoms. Made of kot chula lumpa (sweet wormwood) and boraphet (heart-leaved moonseed), the temple-grown remedy gave him a new lease of life.
Debunking the endgame theory
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/01/2022
» Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 adapts for survival. First identified in South Africa in November, the new variant of concern, Omicron, has now swept across the world. It carries a large number of mutations, including those on the spike protein, which are thought to increase transmissibility. However, studies have found that it causes milder infection than previous variants.
Pandemic progress
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 29/11/2021
» When the Covid-19 crisis unfolded two years ago, researchers scrambled to uncover the source of and cure for the killer virus. At the time, there were no medicines. Soon after, vaccine development kicked off, giving hope of protection to us all.
Waiting for change at Din Daeng
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/10/2021
» It was after dusk when the first bang went off somewhere in a war-like zone. "They are just warming up," said a young dropout waiting for his friends amid an explosion near the bridge at Din Daeng intersection in Bangkok.