Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Pin-up stars
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/04/2023
» In the erotic novel Hom Dok Praduan (1968), Rong Wongsawan hints that a teenager fondled his flesh in front of her. “On the door is a cover photo of a socialite in Bangkok. Clad in her swimsuit, she allows waves to break on her thighs. But someone with restless hands drew overgrown grass so that he can rub it gently until it is torn. (In Mathayom 4, he often fantasised about her. The first syllable of her name begins with the mor letter. He feels thankful whenever she comes into his mind [...]).”
Nationalism is not the answer to land woes
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/11/2022
» Resistance to the controversial foreign land ownership bill is giving rise to the term khai chat -- used to denounce traitors who sell the motherland -- being used in political discourse. Whether a person is a government critic or supporter, he or she believes their ancestors fought very hard to protect our land and it should not be given away to foreigners.
Preserving an ancient art
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/04/2022
» Despite a two-year hiatus, Nutchanat La-ongsri commanded a stage with unwavering power. Donning a large headpiece, she pulled on a white costume with a red strap tied on her upper body. Her back rose up like a bird's tail. She pressed her hands in front, showing silver bracelets and nail tips. After a wai kru ceremony, she staged a play in nora kaek, the dying breed of performance art from the Deep South.
The healing power of art
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 05/04/2022
» Seated at an easel, a boy put his heart and soul onto blank paper. With bold brush strokes, he painted a red house with six yellow fish. As Tommy put it in Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, art says what is inside of you. Little does anybody know this is part of art therapy for patients with rare diseases.
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.
Snacking towards bad health
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 20/04/2021
» After working all day, a worn-out mother does not have time to buy something fresh for dinner on the way home. Instead, she raids a convenience store in her condo and puts frozen food in a trolley. She also picks up her son's favourite potato crisps because it can keep him busy in front of a tablet while he waits for his dad to come home from work late at night.
Hanging by a thread
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 13/04/2021
» For Korn, the coronavirus outbreak has heightened loneliness. He feels trapped in his cave-like apartment in Samut Prakan where he has been living and working, with his depression still lingering after a painful break-up three years ago. Songkran is the only time of year he visits his family in the Thon Buri district of Bangkok. They are not close but at least the thought gives him a sense of belonging. Moreover, Songkran allowed him to join boisterous pool parties and water fights and "free his spirit".
Brotherly ties endure
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 05/10/2020
» The Chinese had touched down in Siam before the Ayutthaya era, but it was not until the second half of the nineteenth century, in 1861, that they arrived in unprecedented numbers when a passenger steamship port in Swatow offered a direct route to Bangkok.
Expats lend support to protesters
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 24/08/2020
» In front of Democracy Monument under police guard was a grey-haired foreigner in a blue T-shirt and shorts. He wore sandals and carried a backpack. He looks like a tourist, but he said he is "observing" the pro-democracy protest which has become the largest anti-government rally since the military coup six years ago.
Volunteers on the frontline
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 20/04/2020
» Knocking on the door is a life-and-death mission for now. While medical staff are combating the coronavirus outbreak on the frontline, under-resourced village health volunteers are conducting house-to-house visits to monitor the health of community residents at their own risk.