Showing 21 - 30 of 37
Waterworld
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 19/09/2016
» Once deserted and useful only to drain Bangkok's floods, Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem is now abuzz with people. During rush hour, passengers queue up to board free boats running from Thewet pier to Hua Lamphong. In the morning or after work, boats get crowded and passengers sit all the way to the back.
New sugar policy has a bitter taste
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 12/09/2016
» Last week, the government announced a policy to expand the sugar industry. The strategy, initially, sounds good, because it will catapult the Thai agriculture sector from a raw material supplier to a high value industry. FarmVille version 4.0, if you will.
A place among the dead
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 26/07/2016
» Cemeteries are a sanctuary for the dead and the mourners. But the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery on Charoen Krung 72/5, known as Soi Susan Farang, has been known as a tourist attraction, due to the beautiful architecture of the memorial sites and splendidly carved gravestones. The cemetery, besides being one of the oldest burial grounds that remain unaffected by the urban development of the city, has a cultural value as a testament of foreign cultures present in Thailand from the mid-19th century until the present day.
Bash the trash
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 10/06/2016
» Garbage, or garbage management, is a problem, that much is clear. It's estimated that last year, 27 million tonnes of rubbish was produced across the country, yet only 19% was collected and disposed properly, and that left the country strewn with trash.
Razing 'cane
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/03/2016
» March and April are months of haze. The white-grey smoke may be just a seasonal nuisance that exists only in the northern and southern regions in Thailand, but in a sugar plantation in Dan Chang of Suphan Buri province, haze has long been a part of the people's daily lives and of the worrisome harvesting cycle. Villagers in Dan Chang get used to dry-coughing. Smoke hangs over the roofs of their houses and seeps indoors.
Myanmar up-close and personal
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 22/03/2016
» 'Welcome to the Guesthouse. The small space is made to set you free from anxiety. But first you need to leave your old perceptions behind. You need to open your mind for new memories," says Kyaw Luck, a guide for the exhibition "Myanmar Up-Close", which opened last week at Museum Siam.
Of me, my wellness and ThaiHealth
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/01/2016
» The name "ThaiHealth" (Thai Health Foundation), a public organisation well oiled by "sin taxes" from cigarettes and alcohol companies, has become the talk of the town. The glare of the spotlight came early this month when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha invoked Section 44 of the interim charter to sack seven of its board members for alleged "conflicts of interest".
A chance of less haze?
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/01/2016
» Despite the cool weather, the period between late January to March is not a pleasant time for villagers in Lampang and the other northern provinces. It is the time that haze -- caused by the swathes of smoke from forest fires and the burning of agricultural waste -- blankets the region. The man-made smog has been an inevitable seasonal event. Every year, farmers need to clear agricultural leftovers on their farms before sowing new seeds in May. In the old days, haze was tolerable. But mono-cultivation, especially large scale corn plantation, has recently forced farmers to clear large plots of land quickly for re-harvesting.
Water scarcity calls for nationwide change
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 03/10/2015
» As the threat of prolonged drought becomes imminent, questions mount over whether the country needs new water management in order to better deal with the “new normal” of water scarcity.
A momentous step into the digital
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 07/09/2015
» The first public digital library in Thailand was launched last week, with 7,000 titles from five major local publishers awaiting readers.