Showing 1 - 10 of 28
Krabi cops uncover memorial sculpture
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 22/03/2021
» Krabi police have found a 100 million baht sculpture commemorating the 2004 tsunami they had forgotten they were keeping, seven years after it was quietly transferred from Bangkok.
City plots to beautify its many unsightly manholes
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 22/09/2019
» Bangkok's streets are known for their potholes, uneven pavements and, especially recently, unsightly manholes that are posing an increasing safety risk for pedestrians.
Backtrack on cultural centre is far from convincing
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 18/05/2018
» Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang appeared to cave in to pressure from artists who demanded the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) halt plans to take back the administration of the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC). But judging from his statement, the maverick cop will not lay low for long.
Hong Kong connects
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 16/10/2017
» Two decades after its return to the "motherland", some people lament that Hong Kong is not the place it used to be. Political protest, symbolised by the "Umbrella Movement" of 2014, has tarnished the island's image of stability and Western-style open society. The tightening grip of Beijing has worn down the territory's mojo, to the dismay of the creative classes, artists and publishers who helped make Hong Kong a bastion of freedom of expression in Asia.
Hong Kong giving its image a makeover
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 06/02/2017
» What do travellers usually do when they visit Hong Kong? The answers may vary, but most are not hard to guess. Eating and shopping are high on most lists, especially for visitors from other Asian countries.
New books worth reading
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 29/12/2016
» From Dust To Dust: A Journalist's Memoir
Iron man
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 10/06/2016
» Banjerd Lekkong, who grew up in his father's garage and whose intricate iron-welded sculptures are being exhibited in a New York gallery, is an outlier among Thai artists. The 47-year-old did not graduate from any art school -- neither Poh Chang or Silpakorn University, the most respected training grounds for local artists. His works have never been displayed in a local museum or gallery. Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC) turned down his proposal for an exhibition. Private galleries did the same. The only show he had was a brief display at Amarin Plaza, a shopping mall.
No rhyme, no reason
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/05/2016
» There's a beautiful piece of prose in a Thai poem that reads: "Kavee rue lang laeng Siam" -- (Siam never runs out of poets). Composed over 120 years ago by Prince Paramanuchit Chinoros, the verse is part of Samuta Koj Kam Chan, and it describes the golden age of Thai literary culture, in which poetry was ingrained as part of people's speech. It was a time when rhyme and stanza were infused in normal dialogue. Men wrote poems, or sang them for courtship.
Thais must face up to China reality
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 28/03/2016
» There has always been a special bond between China and Thailand, which hosts the largest overseas Chinese community in the world. In Thai culture, the Chinese influence is easily traced, through descendants whose origins can be found in rural areas of the southern Chinese mainland, from where their ancestors fled poverty, communism and political oppression to the more hospitable environs of Thailand.
Death becomes us all
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/01/2016
» The year began with grim news in the entertainment industry. For fans of Western pop culture, the unexpected death of David Bowie shocked the entire world. Just a few days later, fans of the Harry Potter movies were stunned by the death of British actor Alan Rickman, who played the role of the series' most complex character, Severus Snape, a role that fortified Rickman's acting repertoire.