Showing 1 - 10 of 20
Preserving history
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 30/04/2018
» Ruins and ancient sites are always under threat from time and disaster. The great flood of 2011, for instance, damaged 128 archeological sites on and around the city island of Ayutthaya. After the incident, the government provided a budget of 600 million baht for the clean-up and restoration work, and there was also financial and technical aid from Unesco, as well as certain foreign countries.
Igniting the flame of royal affection
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 26/10/2017
» Throughout his 70-year reign, King Bhumibol Adulyadej travelled to countless places in the Kingdom, near and far, to listen to and relieve Thai people's problems. Not many people know his first visit to his subjects took place in Ban Pong district, Ratchaburi province, in 1954 after a big fire had ravaged the local market. That visit, which took the young king to see the people's grievances first hand, became an inspiration for the monarch to start his long, tireless and fruitful journeys throughout his reign.
A new look at old Hong Kong
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 17/08/2017
» As many more Thais opt to travel to South Korea and Japan due to the K-pop craze and Japan's visa exemption policies, Hong Kong, an all-time shopping and food paradise, is trying to regain its popularity by highlighting its heritage, delicacies, art and culture in the old district of Central.
'Stone doctors' operate in Thailand
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 25/04/2017
» Two pagodas of Wat Ratchaburana in central Ayutthaya are almost 600 years old, but their beauty is still visible due to conservation efforts. The remaining stucco and plaster at both stupas (prang and mondop), the Buddha statues at the Prang, the floral decoration at the east face of the prayer hall and the stucco at a small pagoda -- they have been preserved partly as a result of a German conservation project in close co-operation with the Ayutthaya Historical Park and Unesco Bangkok.
Don Chedi Fair
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 12/01/2017
» From Jan 18 to Feb 1, the "Don Chedi Monument Fair 2017" will take place around the Don Chedi Monument in Don Chedi district, Suphan Buri province, from 7pm-midnight. The aim is to honour King Naresuan the Great, who fought and conquered the Burmese and regained independence for the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1584.
Religious countdowns
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 30/12/2016
» A number of Buddhists in Thailand will cross into the New Year tomorrow by chanting prayers at Sanam Luang, national and historical parks, shopping malls and temples nationwide as well as certain temples abroad.
Handle with care
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 12/07/2016
» Around 2 million fascicles, or phuk, of manuscripts have been found so far in Thailand, massive records of ancient stories and knowledge mostly kept in temples. Many of them are in a sorry state, only about 10% of these manuscripts having been registered by the Fine Arts Department's Manuscripts and Inscriptions Group since 1975. The rest need the care of monks and local villagers to save them from the ravages of time.
Precious lessons for protecting our nature
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 13/06/2016
» Last week, there was good and bad news about the environment. I learnt a lot about environmental protection measures during my June 6-7 visit to Japan's Yakushima Island, of which 20% of the total area is registered as a World Natural Heritage Site by Unesco. Later on June 9, I was happy to hear that various groups of people planted trees on some parts of deforested land in Nan and many other Thais planted trees elsewhere and also at home.
Roads are a dammed hindrance
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 25/09/2015
» Earlier this month, I visited the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm and Training Centre in Saraburi province and heard some terrible news. A guide told me that the farm's Burmese Rosewood (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) forest, home to over 10,000 naturally grown trees would soon be gone as it has been marked for land expropriation under a motorway project.
Going digital
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 31/08/2015
» When going to public libraries in Thailand, people imagine a gloomy atmosphere, outdated technology and over-bloated bureaucracy. The National Archives of Thailand, the official keeper of historical documents of invaluable significance, inspires the same feeling. Visitors can easily imagine the traditional process: showing ID cards, opening drawers, searching through indexes, filling in forms.