Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Five more years? Concern as military gets out the vote
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 10/07/2016
» The coup-makers have spent over two years asking Thais for a bit more time to restore happiness to the country. Now, they are asking for another five years -- and they've asked community leaders to spread the message.
Caught in the madness of the system
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 08/05/2016
» The solider pointed towards Bandit Aneeya, the man the legal system has previously found to be insane, identifying him as the person who allegedly committed lese majeste. Bandit, who sat quietly throughout the court session on Wednesday as testimony from two prosecution witnesses was heard, flashed a smile.
A complete waste
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 01/05/2016
» When the Samart Corporation partnered in a lucrative deal to dispose of waste at Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2006, questions were raised as to why a telecommunications company was awarded the contract. The 600 million baht agreement with the Airports of Thailand (AoT) called for the construction of two incinerators to handle all waste generated at the country's biggest airport.
The jury's still out on young judges
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 17/01/2016
» Five years ago Thidaporn Kornchoodej, then a 24-year-old lawyer’s assistant, was asked to sit in court to hear the verdict in a case she’d been working on. Her client was an American businessman fighting for custody of his four-year-old son, and Ms Thidaporn ended up sitting alone in the room with the judge as she delivered her ruling.
Cracking the code to freedom
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 30/08/2015
» About three months after his arrest on lese majeste charges, Surapak Phuchaisaeng was certain the evidence against him had been doctored.
Teflon Thailand starts to flake
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 12/04/2015
» It’s almost noon and the Toyota saleswoman still hasn’t seen her first customer. Thaiyont, a Toyota dealership in Chon Buri’s Muang district, used to serve at least eight customers a day. But these days, they are lucky to have two.
‘VIP students’ in a class of their own
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 15/03/2015
» It’s called a “VIP classroom” and the students are referred to in official records as the “VIP Group”. The classes take place at a public university in Chachoengsao province on alternate weekends, in one of the institution’s more stylish rooms, with lunch and snacks served.
The battle to ban asbestos
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 30/11/2014
» Depending on which medical expert you listen to, Thailand has either recorded just five cases of asbestos-related illness in its history, or use of the controversial material is a lurking menace affecting up to 1,000 people every year.
Rise of the rural middle class
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 10/08/2014
» Outside the Central department store in Ubon Ratchathani, a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class with yellow Lao licence plates drove from the car park. It was a Wednesday, but at weekends, a security guard told me, some 20% of the vehicles parked here are from Laos, many of which are European cars travelling to the northeastern province through Pakse or Mukdahan.
The isan 'Problem'
Spectrum, Nanchanok Wongsamuth, Published on 10/08/2014
» Throughout history, Isan has seen "revolts", "mad people's movements", "segregation bids" and "communist domination". Anthropologist Charles Keyes writes in his book Finding Their Voice: Northeastern Villagers and the Thai State that the 1901 Phu Mi Bun uprising in Isan, which followed economic restrictions and tax burdens, foreshadowed the subsequent challenges by rural northeasterners to the Thai state's authority.