Showing 1 - 10 of 17
He who dares wins as Grisada leaves his mark
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/07/2019
» Prior to his appointment as Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister over a year ago, Grisada Boonrach, a former interior permanent secretary, had already been known as a man who always left his mark on offices of state that he served.
Dam disaster a damning indictment
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 27/07/2018
» The spirit of volunteerism is running high among Thais as was recently demonstrated during the mission to rescue the 12 "Wild Boars" and their coach in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai earlier this month.
Open economy evangelist
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 14/08/2017
» New Zealand has long been known for kiwi fruit, lamb and the invincible All Blacks, the fearsome national rugby team. But in the global economic sphere, the country is also known as a champion of open economies and free trade. Last year, the country was rated the world's second-best place to do business by Forbes magazine. That helps confirm its reputation in the field of trade -- and explains why the British government chose a New Zealander to head its post-Brexit trade negotiating team.
Greening the palm oil supply chain
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 08/05/2017
» 2016 will be remembered as the year of clear blue skies and clean air in the southern peninsula of Southeast Asia. For the first time in nearly two decades, choking haze from fires set to clear land for oil palm plantations was reduced significantly, in keeping with a promise made by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
When the price isn't right
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/11/2016
» Regardless of the market price, khao remains a symbol of life and sustenance, of joy and sometimes pain, especially for farmers who tend to the minuscule grains. Rice is in our mouths, but given its economic and cultural importance, it also occupies a special place in Thai people's hearts.
Banana split
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/08/2016
» High on the list of fruits Thais cannot live without is kluai namwa, or cultivated banana, a tropical strand only grown in South and Southeast Asia. The cultivated banana has long been an affordable, ubiquitous food staple for Thais, the same way apples are for Westerners.
The fear of becoming a banana state
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 15/08/2016
» 'The company changed the pattern of the rains, accelerated the cycle of harvests and moved the river from where it had always been." This vivid line is from the book One Hundred Years of Solitude, a magnum opus written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Nobel Prize-winning writer.
Seizing energy
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 29/06/2016
» 'What if we can capture the sun and put it in a box?" Park Jaeyoung, an astrophysicist who once worked at the nuclear research centre Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US, told students and guests at Khon Kaen University, his eyes reflecting his enthusiasm as passion lit up the room.
To squat or not?
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 09/05/2016
» Like religion and politics, toilet etiquette is a touchy subject. The latest proof is the debate on the future of traditional squat toilets in Thailand after a new law on the manufacturing standard of toilet seats came into effect on April 23. The law has provoked discussion and even fear that the state will ban the use of squat toilets, archaic but cheap household facilities that are still used in rural areas, as well as many houses and buildings.
Going bananas over Chinese investment
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/04/2016
» Kluai hom -- or the Cavendish banana -- found itself in the spotlight recently on social media and in local news. The issue involves Chinese investors renting land in Chiang Rai to grow kluai hom. Local villagers complained about water because the farm sucked up a large volume of it, leaving so little for local farmers. Fears about the use of chemical fertilisers also arose. Another problem is that the practice might be against the law, which reserves the occupation of farmer for Thais. The public is alarmed because Chinese-backed kluai hom farming in Laos has already proved a disaster. Toxic pesticides are dumped into the river, while environmental management is below par.