Showing 11 - 20 of 42
Leaders reject govt proposal to limit terms
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 24/04/2017
» Clad in official khaki uniforms, a group of kamnan and phuyai ban, local leaders at the subdistrict and village levels respectively, recently made their presence felt in Bangkok as they gathered to call for the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) to rethink its proposal to limit their terms in office.
Soaps and sensibility
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/03/2017
» I have never watched Plerng Phra Nang (A Lady's Flame), a prime-time soap opera on Thai television that depicts a bloody dynastic power struggle in a fictional kingdom. The series -- with elaborate period costumes and a lot of face-slapping and cat-fights among royal consorts -- has received bad press in Myanmar and Thailand alike.
Trials and tribulations of Bangkok taxis
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/03/2017
» The cab driver pressed on the accelerator, driving fast and furiously until I felt enough was enough; I ordered him to pull over, gave him the fare and stepped out of the car. Picking up a local passenger like me from a shopping mall on Sukhumvit Road is not a way for him to make much money. I bet he drove straight back along the same road to pick up tourists.
Citizenship for sale
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 13/03/2017
» Having multiple passports and citizenship that bears no relation to where you were born is something most people associates with James Bond or Jason Bourne. But these days it is no longer simply the stuff of spy stories.
Predicting the unpredictable
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 13/02/2017
» With no political track record to speak of, Donald Trump is confounding the analysts attempting to forecast what the US president will do next. Everyone is on a steep learning curve, but the early lessons are that the billionaire reality TV star has a penchant for throwing away the playbook, disdains multilateralism, and is absolutely determined to deliver on campaign promises that many observers thought were just slogans.
Local voting offers clues to reconciliation
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/01/2017
» The charter drafting process is dragging on. Again. Another national reconciliation effort -- which have historically led to irreconcilable differences -- is back on the horizon. Again. These hurdles are enough to make many of us wonder whether a general election will occur as the junta promised. This year? Next year?
Teachers need relief from some burdens
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 16/01/2017
» Today is National Teacher's Day in Thailand. But Sangsoem Harntalay, a renowned teacher at Ban Koh Adang, a school on Lipe Island, a famous tourism destination in the Andaman Sea in Satun province, sees no cause to celebrate.
The valuable lessons from US election
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 14/11/2016
» As expected, the US presidential election which has just passed was a nail-biting event for millions of people around the globe, as Donald Trump emerged the winner. His success is being challenged by anti-Trump demonstrators (although some are protesting against the electoral college concept!) in major cities around the US.
Thai youth leaders get to quiz Obama
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 07/09/2016
» LUANG PRABANG - Two Thais will join some 200 youth leaders from Southeast Asia today in attending US President Barack Obama's town hall meeting in the historic town of Luang Prabang where they will have the chance to engage in a discussion with the president.
It's a load of rubbish, and it's sinking us
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 01/08/2016
» Better late than never jumped immediately to mind when I read the authorities were about to return illegal containers carrying 196 tonnes of hazardous electronic garbage to Japan.