Showing 1 - 10 of 13
The power of boycotts
Thana Boonlert, Published on 24/07/2023
» Soon after Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed to gather enough support for the premiership, some voters launched retaliatory campaigns with the hashtag #senatorbusiness to boycott business networks of handpicked junta senators who rejected him or abstained. Senators then took legal action against those who they believe harass them and their families. Voters are not only cutting off social relations but also punishing senators for committing crimes against democracy.
Curtains for Chinese opera?
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/02/2023
» "Hurry up," shouted a crew member who climbed up onto a makeshift stage. Casting sidelong glances, performers, half-clad, looked in the mirror and concentrated on applying layers of make-up. Nearby, a motley bunch of musicians and technicians double-checked their instruments. A stream of chatter from a growing audience -- without any partition between the theatre and real life -- put unintended pressure on the band.
Letting go is key to moving forward
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/02/2023
» Some humans desire to transcend their biological limits. Such pursuit of immortality is expressed through art or architecture, or living through their descendants. I have been in touch with a number of artists who struggle to preserve their craft amid changing times. A succession crisis occurs when one cannot find anyone to continue his or her artistic legacy and only some can let go, though not easily.
Time is on our side
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/08/2022
» Win or lose, a protest is a process of trial and error. To put it simply, it is disruption, innovation, or something in between, just the way the now-defunct but shape-shifting Future Forward Party was in 2019 because it is born out of a spirit, not a person or a party. If the student-led demonstration goes down in history for demanding the boldest political reform, including the role of the monarchy, its resurrection last week proves that the pro-democracy movement is coming of age.
Euthanasia a service not a sin for the elderly
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/02/2022
» Have you ever imagined how you might die in old age? I remember once telling a close friend that I would use a "sleeping pod" -- if euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide were legal. But in Thailand, it is only terminally ill patients who have the right to forgo treatment in such a way that allows them to die "naturally". Under Section 12 of the Public Health Act, they can make a will denying the use of public health services that would prolong the end stage of their illness.
Growing climate of fear
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 25/05/2021
» Like other immigrants, Chutikan Hoover remembered the thrill of stepping foot in the US -- the land of opportunity -- for the first time nearly two decades ago. She now lives with her husband in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, and runs a licensed spa business.
Point of no return
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/03/2021
» The world has about six years and 10 months left before its carbon budget -- the amount of carbon dioxide that can be released into the atmosphere at the current rate -- will be completely depleted. Unless human beings join hands to limit global warming under the 1.5C safe threshold, they will face worsening famines, disasters, and displacement. The climate clock by two artists, Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, in Manhattan's Union Square, is a stark reminder of how destructive and fragile we are.
To Rayong and beyond
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 05/09/2020
» Rayong's Wang Chan Valley is the next beating heart of the tech industry. Tucked away in a secluded corner of the province, the nearly 4,000-rai hub of the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) is being groomed to be at the forefront of Thailand 4.0.
Moving forward, together
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/08/2020
» Five decades have gone by, but the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is still standing. That said, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the coronavirus crisis is a clarion call for increased cooperation in what some observers have described as the age of "deglobalisation".
Thailand's Covid hit worst in region, say experts
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 08/08/2020
» The kingdom's economic growth is likely to fall 7.8%, the biggest projected drop in the region, due to the impact of Covid-19 on the tourism and service sectors, according to the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (Amro).