Showing 1 - 10 of 17
The missing agenda
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/02/2026
» Rights groups have urged political parties to push for gender equality in the upcoming poll on Sunday, calling for enhanced protection against domestic violence and more inclusive policies for the gender-diverse community.
Unseen potential
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 28/08/2025
» 'Bird!" A cheer erupted from a workshop when Gift, a young girl with Down syndrome, spoke for the first time. In a class presentation, while some students actively presented their artwork, others kept silent. After seven months of being in this classroom, Gift pointed to her painting and described it as a feathered creature.
Chasing a better life
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 11/08/2025
» Over two decades ago, Mai and his family took a train from Surin to Bangkok. Like other young people, they searched for better opportunities in the big city. Initially, they helped with chores in an exchange for shelter at a shrine. Soon, he found other jobs and a place to sleep. Since then, he has delivered charcoal to shops and collected trash. He toils long, back-breaking hours for 150 baht per day.
The rise of rental companions
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 22/07/2025
» A recent post on Facebook read: "Buddy Home Care is starting a new service called Children for Rent. It is for seniors in need of companions. Maybe they want to go to the doctor, shop, run errands, or want someone to accompany them. Maybe they just want someone to be there. We charge only 350 baht per hour. Please book a time slot in advance. Currently, the service is available in Chiang Mai. PS: Proceeds will go to seniors charity."
Cut from the same cloth
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/04/2025
» A second-hand sewing machine hums from a two-storey house in a remote village in Ra-ngae district of Narathiwat. Rahimah Saud has been at the helm since her early 20s. Going through seasons of life, the 49-year-old single mother is now sharing the spinning wheel with her daughters.
Reintegrating lost youth
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/04/2025
» Ruswadee Sa-i stopped going to school after completing lower secondary education at 15. However, he was considered too young to get a job, so for the next three years, he ended up hanging out with friends and helped his mum with household chores. Then, a knock on his door changed the course of his life. It was a youth worker who had come across his mum and worried about her son's limbo.
Temperatures soar, headaches rise
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/05/2023
» Like other early birds, Dao Dul, 35, goes on duty at first light. For her, time is literally money. Her office is not a well-built weather-proof skyscraper. It is a makeshift cart that provides affordable dishes to hundreds of community residents from dawn to dusk.
The elusive objects of truth
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/03/2023
» The recent shooting down of flying objects, identified and otherwise, over the US and Canada has spurred interest in extra-terrestrial life further afield. Here in Thailand, ufologists have taken to social media and presented evidence of sightings while describing their personal experiences as well as theories about alien lifeforms.
Curtains for Chinese opera?
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/02/2023
» "Hurry up," shouted a crew member who climbed up onto a makeshift stage. Casting sidelong glances, performers, half-clad, looked in the mirror and concentrated on applying layers of make-up. Nearby, a motley bunch of musicians and technicians double-checked their instruments. A stream of chatter from a growing audience -- without any partition between the theatre and real life -- put unintended pressure on the band.
Freelance artists need rights protections, union says
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/12/2022
» A recent survey by the Creative Workers Union Thailand (CUT) shows that almost 80% of illustrators have commission-based, underpaid jobs, highlighting the precarity of freelancers who have no access to financial security, welfare benefits orlegal protection.