Showing 1 - 3 of 3
'Double-tap' evil mustn't conquer hope
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 13/05/2017
» In Pattani, the checkpoints are frequent, more frequent than Islamic prayers. Every few turns, your van goes through one. Sometimes the driver is asked to lower the window, other times the armed soldiers just peer inside and wave the vehicle onward.
In search of the next hit
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 26/06/2015
» A string of box-office failures, an absence of hits, an onslaught of Hollywood blockbusters, an economic slump, the vacillating, unpredictable taste of audiences — all of this has plunged the Thai film industry into a gloom in the first half of 2015. Home-grown cinema can barely compete with the American juggernauts, but the past six months have been particularly wounding. Usually, Thai films take around 25% of the ticket sales, with Hollywood gobbling up the rest (the total box office value was around 4.5 billion in last year). This year, so far, local movies took a paltry 10%, according to industry analysts.
Believe it when you see it? Not so fast
News, Kong Rithdee, Published on 22/02/2014
» Thailand in the 21st century is replete with two things: images and firearms. There are more pictures of people in this country than actual people, thanks to selfies, whether at protest sites or elsewhere. Meanwhile guns, M79s and hand grenades are so ubiquitous that even peaceful protesters do not have to look far for one when they’re in need. That the police should carry so many live rounds despite Chalerm Yubumrung’s instruction not to is, unfortunately, no surprise, since Mr Chalerm couldn’t even keep his own son away from guns.