Showing 1 - 10 of 56
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 faces of hardship
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 21/10/2025
» In Sai Mhok, the number of those diagnosed with depression was below average until 2023, when it experienced an unprecedented spike as the village saw the presence of psychiatrists 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.
Three nights of film frights kick off today
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/07/2025
» The Bangkok Horror Film Festival debuts today at the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority's Maen Si building in Bangkok. Running from today until Sunday, the free event features outdoor screenings, horror exhibitions, short film contests and stories from filmmakers, actors and others. It runs from 5pm to midnight.
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.
The fake bookshop
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 22/04/2025
» Almost every wall, corner and even the staircase of a century-old two-storey shophouse is covered in books. Nestled in the historic community of Tha Tien, a new bookshop just opened its door to visitors in need of escape from the daily grind. They can grab soul-searching books, wind down or start a deep conversation. It looks like a real bookshop, however, everything is fake.