Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Banana split
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/08/2016
» High on the list of fruits Thais cannot live without is kluai namwa, or cultivated banana, a tropical strand only grown in South and Southeast Asia. The cultivated banana has long been an affordable, ubiquitous food staple for Thais, the same way apples are for Westerners.
A cuppa sustainability
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 25/05/2016
» For the urban cool, coffee has somehow become a form of luxurious indulgence -- not just a tonic to wake you up in the morning, or a kick to keep your eyes wide open in the yawning afternoon. But for Theerasit Amornsaensuk, managing director of Green Net SE, coffee drinking has a higher function still -- that of protecting forested mountains, while coffee-growing can provide a means for local villagers to coexist with their environment.
Going bananas over Chinese investment
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/04/2016
» Kluai hom -- or the Cavendish banana -- found itself in the spotlight recently on social media and in local news. The issue involves Chinese investors renting land in Chiang Rai to grow kluai hom. Local villagers complained about water because the farm sucked up a large volume of it, leaving so little for local farmers. Fears about the use of chemical fertilisers also arose. Another problem is that the practice might be against the law, which reserves the occupation of farmer for Thais. The public is alarmed because Chinese-backed kluai hom farming in Laos has already proved a disaster. Toxic pesticides are dumped into the river, while environmental management is below par.
Against the flow
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 17/02/2016
» Songkhram River is a little-known tributary of the Mekong River. Yet staying under the radar has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, for the placid 420km river has been left untouched from development projects such as dams and major construction. Compared to other waterways in the northeastern region such as the Chi and Mun rivers, which are straddled by dams, the Songkhram -- known as a source of delicious freshwater fish -- is the only tributary of the Mekong which runs free and unobstructed.
Daydream believers
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 28/05/2014
» Don’t panic if the person next to you gazes upward and murmurs a word like “cirrus”, “pileus”, or “crepuscular”.
Regional consciousness
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 14/11/2013
» The rise of Asean has been perceived as an investment opportunity. Yet veteran conservationist Premrudee Daorueng, director of Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliances (Terra), has witnessed the mounting presence of environmental problems and the resistance against environmentally harmful projects in politically oppressed countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
The tipping point
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/10/2013
» It is just small news, just another report of deaths. Two forest rangers were killed earlier this month by illegal poachers in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, in the country's rich Western Forest Complex.
A grisly end
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 10/07/2013
» Phuc Tho, a farming village west of Hanoi, has had its heyday. Busloads of Korean tourists used to visit the bear farms in the area, but they didn't come simply to watch and take photos with the fluffy mammals.
Writer's wait is over
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 16/03/2012
» When his retirement from diplomatic service came in October 2008, Prabhassorn Sevikul never thought about taking a rest.