Showing 1 - 10 of 21
Heritage on trial
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/01/2026
» For some, the Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine is a beacon of resistance against a larger force.
The fight for clean air
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/08/2025
» After a public hearing wrapped up recently, the Clean Air Bill is heading to a second reading in parliament next month. If passed into law, it will guarantee people's access to clean air.
Pageant for progress
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/07/2025
» There is more to a gay pageant than crowning the good-looking, charismatic winner. Beneath the glamorous veneer lies an expectation that the candidate have goodwill and sacrifice himself for the community. And this is what the champion of Mr. Gay Universe Thailand 2025 should embody.
Voices of change
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 31/03/2025
» What if a media crew goes to great lengths to construct rather than record an event? With this question at heart, Asst Prof Viroj Suttisima, a lecturer at Bangkok University's Faculty of Communication Arts, illuminates the dark side of media ethics in his short story The Last Night Of A Documentary Filmmaker -- winner of the Phan Waen Fah Award in 2024.
MFP to press House on charter rewrite
News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 17/08/2023
» The Move Forward Party (MFP) will submit an urgent motion asking the House of Representatives to pass a resolution seeking a public referendum on rewriting the constitution.
Micro oases in the concrete jungle
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/08/2023
» Created from a scrap of land, a pocket park is a micro oasis of landscaped nature that can breathe new life into grey Bangkok. Spread across a lawn, flowers, shrubs and trees provide respite from the hustle and bustle. The use of solar cells does not cause any pollution. Its universally designed walkway is well-catered to all groups of visitors, including the disabled and elderly. Inside, there is a small space for exercise and leisure.
A vanishing heritage
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 10/07/2023
» If it were not for a handful of visitors, the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine would completely vanish. Flanked by metal sheet fences, a narrow alley leads to the remnants of age-old communities. An entrance is adorned with red lanterns. A facade is painted with mythological figures. A roof is embellished with tile dolls. The smell of burning incense wafts through the open gate. Inside, deities are worshipped on an altar with a gilded frame.
Move Forward rules out Palang Pracharath, UTN coalitions
Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/01/2023
» The Move Forward Party (MFP) leader on Sunday vowed not to join either the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) or the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party to form the next government.
The tough road to democratisation
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 03/10/2022
» Taiwan has been hailed as a textbook example of a successful transition to democracy. At the end of the civil war in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), lost to Mao Zedong's communist forces and fled to the island. After almost four decades of martial law until 1987, Taiwan eventually held its first presidential election in 1996.
Thailand's Big Brother is upping the ante
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/08/2022
» In the late 18th century, British philosopher Jeremy Bentham visited his younger brother, Samuel, in Russia, who arranged unskilled factory workers in a circle so that he could supervise them. Inspired by this principle, Bentham developed "the panopticon", an inspection tower surrounded by cells. Its uniqueness was that it enabled a watchman to monitor prisoners without them knowing they were being watched.