Showing 1 - 10 of 27
Flood control to shore up Pattaya
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 15/10/2017
» As a Pattaya native, Noppinun "Nu" Sangthong, a 47-year-old owner of a souvenir shop on Beach Road, has seen virtually everything -- from the behaviour of crazy drunken sex tourists to transgender thieves with tricks up their sleeves.
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.
Isan kids get fighting chance
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 23/07/2017
» Growing up in the remote area of Ban Krabuang in Nakhon Ratchasima, the closest thing to a city for Anupong "Bpaet" Pongkan was located over 70 kilometres away. In his childhood, he had scarcely encountered any outsiders. Then, one day, when at a local lake with friends, he came across a sight he wasn't so accustomed to seeing in his hometown: a foreigner.
Tied in a knot: the Thai wives who go abroad
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 05/03/2017
» After 12 years in a bad marriage, Mali, a 33-year-old woman from Kham Ta Kla in Sakon Nakhon, made a bold move that many women from her village would never dream of doing. Getting a divorce bears a heavy stigma in a culture where special emphasis is placed on remaining a virgin before marriage. It's hard to find Thai men interested in dating female divorcees.
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.
A cell of their own
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 04/12/2016
» Before being sentenced to prison, Chalom lived her life in a carefree way. She had a full-time job as a hairdresser in a Pattaya beauty salon, which she enjoyed. The only thing she wanted was some extra spending money. With some help from her friends, she became a drug dealer at the age of 26.
Lifting the veil on virgin brides for sale
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 16/10/2016
» After being sold by her own father, Anong, a 15-year-old girl from Muang Fuang in Laos, came to realise that her home wasn't the protective, caring place she thought it was.
Tale of the travelling dolls
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 25/09/2016
» When the Empower Foundation surveyed migrant women in Chiang Rai about where they would travel if they had the chance, many of them answered that they wanted to see the ocean -- they'd never been before.
Lt Yai's million dollar babies
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 14/08/2016
» Lieutenant Yai first started Thai boxing when he was 18 years old and four decades later, he is still involved with the sport, but not quite in the way he may have imagined.
Women play the ball, not the men, in fight for their rights
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 03/07/2016
» Toward the end of last year, a crowd of men at a small public field in Pattani stood dumbstruck as they witnessed an unusual spectacle. Their eyes were fixed on the 10 players who had turned out for a football training session -- dressed in long sleeves and hijabs.