Showing 1 - 10 of 29
Sex work lures African women to Pattaya
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 17/09/2017
» Sea, sand and sun are what most people expect when they come to visit Pattaya. But one thing that makes Sin City so infamous is its wealth of nightlife and entertainment venues. For this beachfront city, the day seems to stretch on endlessly into the wee hours.
Law cops out on transgender rights in Pattaya
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 20/08/2017
» After a long night performing at one of Pattaya's most famous cabaret shows, Aom only wanted a good rest. The 35-year-old cabaret performer left work at 1am without pausing to remove her make-up. Mounting her motorcycle, she decided to go home via Pattaya Beach Road, a stretch known as a hangout for transgender sex workers and heavily patrolled by police.
Deep southern comfort
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 04/06/2017
» After living a happy life with her family in Pattani's Sai Buri district, Janjira Prasatsin faced an incident that completely turned her life upside down when her policeman husband was shot dead in 2003.
Tainted by a sordid tradition
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 21/05/2017
» For Note, a 42-year-old freelance journalist in northern Thailand, there's nothing bigger or more exciting than welcoming government officials from the central office in Bangkok. The officials visit for inspections, meeting with locals and talking to the local media. The trip is usually well organised from the moment they arrive until they leave the area.
No sex please, we're Thai
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 26/02/2017
» It started off as nothing more than a small fishing village on the Gulf of Thailand. Its long sweeping bay was dotted with a few boats and shacks where the villagers lived. Then a group of 500 American soldiers stationed at a military base in Nakhon Ratchasima were driven to Pattaya on June 29, 1959, for a week of rest and relaxation (R&R). They rented several houses at the southern end of the beach from a prominent local, Luang Sunthorn, thus opening a Pandora's box for this sleepy fishing village.
The 'thieves' whose story got stolen
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 11/12/2016
» 'Dad, what did I do wrong? Why don't we go to the temple any more?" Dokmai, a 10-year-old Hmong hill tribe girl, asked her father innocently. She was wondering why she and her sister no longer visit Doi Suthep temple as much as they used to.
Answering naturism's call
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 13/11/2016
» In an isolated area of Ram Intra in Bangkok, a typical two-storey, modern Thai house sits at the end of a quiet street. House number 85 is situated in a dead-end soi with little traffic and there is not much to distinguish it from the few neighbouring homes apart from a large wooden door at the entrance to the white building. But ringing the doorbell at Baan BareFeet opens the door to a whole new world.
Gem thieves not so brilliant
News, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 11/09/2016
» Bangkok's gem fair is the jewel in the crown for regional gangs who see the biannual event as easy pickings, with more than 50 robberies every year.
Natcha Suvanphorm
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 21/08/2016
» Even though there were bomb attacks in Hua Hin the previous night, Natcha Suvanphorm, a 36-year-old restaurant owner, still tried to live her life as normally as possible.
The sex workers embraced by the wrong arms of the law
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 24/07/2016
» Strolling around downtown Udon Thani, visitors quickly gain the impression it is not much different from other major cities in Thailand. The locals are genuinely friendly and the streetscape consists of the usual food stalls, mega shopping malls and night market, adding a big-city vibe to the culturally rich northeastern hub.