Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Memes of dissent
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/08/2023
» It is not as whimsical as it seems. After the onset of the largest pro-democracy movement since the military coup in 2014, university and high school students cuddled hamster dolls and ran around in circles. "Delicious tax!", hundreds of them sang, from a cartoon jingle at Democracy Monument in late July 2020. Crowdsourced from a social media platform, Hamtaro, a shorthand for caged mice demanding freedom, spawned many internet memes, including a greedy caricature of junta leader Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Student filmmakers focus on Thai society for 'Voices Of The New Gen'
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 11/05/2023
» After screenings in August last year, "Voices Of The New Gen", four short films by university students, are once again revisiting the gamut of social and political issues of 2022 on Netflix.
Giving evidence
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 20/03/2023
» Under authoritarian rule, truths are silenced, censored and mutilated. Yet, many people find ways to tell their stories. It is an irony, though, that a repressive regime is a precondition of creative resistance.
Challenging the norm
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/11/2022
» Yaoi or Boys' Love (BL) has grown from an underground to mainstream fictional genre. It emerged from women's manga comics in Japan in the 1980s, which portrayed the relationship between young boys based on the seme (active) and uke (receptive) dichotomy. Through an informal fan network, the transnational phenomenon came to Thailand in the early 1990s and a subculture was formed online.
The tough road to democratisation
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 03/10/2022
» Taiwan has been hailed as a textbook example of a successful transition to democracy. At the end of the civil war in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), lost to Mao Zedong's communist forces and fled to the island. After almost four decades of martial law until 1987, Taiwan eventually held its first presidential election in 1996.
Marriage bill lags LGBTI rights, activist says
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/03/2022
» Tunyawaj Kamolwongwat, a member of the Move Forward Party, said the civil partnership bill and marriage equality bill cannot be tabled together because they differ in principles.
Revisiting history through memorabilia
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/03/2022
» 'The winner writes history, but don't forget that we create it," said Anon Chawalawan, in his most comprehensive offline exhibition titled "Collectible Show: Museum Of Popular History" at Kinjai Contemporary, to mark the 90th anniversary of the Siamese Revolution in 1932.
In pursuit of academic freedom
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/02/2022
» A temple is more than a place of worship. Located on a bank of the Chao Phraya River, Wat Thong Noppakhun is offering food for democratic thought. Surrounded by leafy trees, its library is now home to a large number of non-official history books, some of which are controversial in what remains a conservative society.
Dr Dolittle Prayut does little but talk
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/12/2021
» Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made ludicrous headlines again when he broached the subject of animals during his official visit to southern border provinces. It is not surprising that the macho general again doted on creatures. A few years ago, he shared a photo of him in casual clothes and a cuddly dog on his lap. However, his interaction with animals in provincial trips often lands him in hot water.
Lessons learned from the October uprising
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/10/2021
» When the Oct 14, 1973, uprising culminated in the collapse of the military dictatorship, Sutham Sangprathum, the former deputy interior minister who joined the protests at the age of 19, felt that it was the great victory for people, but gradually learned that it had not challenged the status quo.