Showing 1 - 10 of 35
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.
When students rise
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 28/10/2025
» Back in the mid-19th century, female education increased literacy and access to jobs and they began to fight for participation in public life. The public sphere promised them a new horizon. From the 1890s onwards, print media began to allow women to express their voice and authors vaunted personal talent and equality, including gender relations. Following the Siamese Revolution in 1932, women were enfranchised for the first time.
The history of Siamese erotica
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/10/2025
» In high school, Artyasit Srisuwan saw his friends bring erotic books to class. Teachers confiscated the material and scolded them, but Artyasit did not take the genre seriously until over a decade ago when he got to know Luang Vilaspariwat, known as Kru Liam, a pioneer of erotic literature in the early 20th century, and wanted to write a thesis about it. Due to the lack of primary sources, his adviser convinced him to change the topic.
The price of progress
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/06/2025
» Ongoing construction at the former site of Scala is opposite a major predecessor. Opening in 1985 at the corner of Pathumwan Intersection, MBK Center is located on a plot of land leased to Mah Boon Krong Drying and Silo Co Ltd. It features a 20-storey office building and an eight-storey shopping mall.
Creative destruction
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/06/2025
» Salinee Hanvareevongsilp's family moved home for a job opportunity when she was five and the land was subsequently developed into Siam Square in 1965. Still, it remained her favourite haunt. She frequented three movie theatres in the area -- Siam, Scala and Lido. In Matthayom 3, she protested against Japanese goods on Rama I Road.
Rising rents threaten the vibrant street food scene of the once-booming Banthat Thong Road
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 09/06/2025
» As night fell, neon signs gradually lit up Instagrammable restaurants and cafes. Despite pouring rain, tourists were taking photos of a dessert shop's logo of a boy holding a bun at an iconic intersection. Some eateries were teeming with customers, with a long queue of them spilling onto the sidewalk. Some, less popular, saw staff sitting idle. Others put up advertisement for lease.
Protecting urban memory
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 29/04/2025
» Penprapa Ployseesuay did not know her husband's family had been the guardians of the Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine until they married in 1997. She quit her factory job in Nakhon Pathom and relocated to Bangkok to start a family. Despite the departure of her husband, she has been unwavering in her caretaking duties.
Evolving language
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 21/04/2025
» During a medical check-up, Pin consulted a doctor about receiving gender-affirming care. In an ideal setting, a sign language interpreter would communicate with her by painstakingly finger-spelling the concept "hormone". But when such assistance was not available, she and the doctor resorted to writing on paper.
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.
Healing with puppets
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/04/2025
» A ventriloquist is helping children and adults in Thailand process trauma after devastating events.