Showing 1 - 10 of 36
Trading up from terror
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 06/08/2017
» With the ongoing deep South insurgency in Thailand, it's hard to imagine how the provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat can start tackling issues like development when the threat of violence still lingers. The sounds of bombs and gunshots are a regular part of people's lives.
Tainted by a sordid tradition
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 21/05/2017
» For Note, a 42-year-old freelance journalist in northern Thailand, there's nothing bigger or more exciting than welcoming government officials from the central office in Bangkok. The officials visit for inspections, meeting with locals and talking to the local media. The trip is usually well organised from the moment they arrive until they leave the area.
The coin-swallowing turtle weighed down by good will
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 12/03/2017
» Merit-making is integral to Buddhist tradition. In this belief system, practising good deeds in daily life increases one's chances of getting into heaven and enjoying a blissful afterlife.
No sex please, we're Thai
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 26/02/2017
» It started off as nothing more than a small fishing village on the Gulf of Thailand. Its long sweeping bay was dotted with a few boats and shacks where the villagers lived. Then a group of 500 American soldiers stationed at a military base in Nakhon Ratchasima were driven to Pattaya on June 29, 1959, for a week of rest and relaxation (R&R). They rented several houses at the southern end of the beach from a prominent local, Luang Sunthorn, thus opening a Pandora's box for this sleepy fishing village.
Fielding his future
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 22/01/2017
» 'All I ever wanted was to play football and own a pair of good football boots," says Suvin, the seven-year-old football sensation, better known among the public as Nong Pee. "The fame and the attention I've got was never my goal."
The rice man cometh
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 06/11/2016
» Born and raised in the rice-growing centre of Surin, Maytar Kochai, 52, is certain he knows about two things — the prized Hom Mali grain and poverty.
The Businessman
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 23/10/2016
» In the mountainous Doi Chang village of Chiang Rai, a vast plot of coffee crops was set on fire by its people. The villagers had returned from a 14-hour trek on foot to the bottom of the mountain shortly before. They had hoped to sell their coffee, a new crop that had been introduced by a development initiative by His Majesty the King.
Tale of the travelling dolls
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 25/09/2016
» When the Empower Foundation surveyed migrant women in Chiang Rai about where they would travel if they had the chance, many of them answered that they wanted to see the ocean -- they'd never been before.
The sex workers embraced by the wrong arms of the law
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 24/07/2016
» Strolling around downtown Udon Thani, visitors quickly gain the impression it is not much different from other major cities in Thailand. The locals are genuinely friendly and the streetscape consists of the usual food stalls, mega shopping malls and night market, adding a big-city vibe to the culturally rich northeastern hub.
Cry of the tiger
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 17/04/2016
» Chatraporn "Jang" Tamthong spends her working day caring for the dozens of tigers she has raised by hand.