Showing 1-10 of 10 results
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Precious lessons for protecting our nature
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 13/06/2016
» Last week, there was good and bad news about the environment. I learnt a lot about environmental protection measures during my June 6-7 visit to Japan's Yakushima Island, of which 20% of the total area is registered as a World Natural Heritage Site by Unesco. Later on June 9, I was happy to hear that various groups of people planted trees on some parts of deforested land in Nan and many other Thais planted trees elsewhere and also at home.
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Royal funeral books to cherish
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 15/09/2017
» A heart-wrenching day for Thailand -- that of the royal cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej -- is only about one month away. The beloved monarch is in the hearts of Thais always, and many are in pursuit of memorabilia associated with His Majesty. Almost everything, ranging from coins and medals to stamps, was sold out or fully reserved within a day.
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Our ageing society is on creaky foundations
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 19/06/2015
» My increasing grey hair and fine lines and referring to the young generation as "people these days" are among signs that I am ageing. Although I have long admitted I am old and must prepare myself for a lonely retirement, I am not quite ready for it and the latest news made me feel pessimistic about the future.
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Slaying the beast of human-elephant conflict
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 23/07/2015
» A Thai proverb says, "You can't hide a dead elephant with a lotus leaf". This means a guilty conscience needs no accuser. It is absolutely true. The consequences of last week's brutal killing of a family of three wild elephants at a meditation centre in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan, prove the rule of karma does exist. The tragic deaths made headlines and raised public concerns. Officials later found the three pachyderms were electrocuted. An employee of the meditation centre was finally arrested for erecting the electrified fence that killed the elephants. He was charged with hunting protected animals and faces up to four years imprisonment and a 40,000 baht fine under the Wildlife Conservation Act if found guilty.
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Travelling towards neighbourly understanding
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 06/03/2015
» In December, I expressed concerns about the bad reputation of Chinese tourists in Thailand and other countries. Unfortunately, problems caused by them have persisted and many Thais have started to react. Last month, Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai imposed a temporary ban on Chinese tourists after some of them dirtied the temple's toilets. Days later, a picture showed a Chinese tourist kicking sacred bells at a temple in Chiang Mai. Many Thais were understandably outraged.
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Time for action against 'troublemaking' Chinese
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 18/12/2014
» The series of troubles and embarrassments caused by Chinese tourists over the past few years has continued, but never fails to take me by surprise.
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A pain in the bin
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 04/06/2014
» Over the past two weekends, I have spent most of my free time tidying up my house. The first week I cleared unused things from my bedroom and moved all my books and DVDs from the first floor, back to the ground floor.
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Age is more than a number
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 02/05/2014
» Many say that age is just a number. Yet, such numbers can hurt you if your physical and psychological health has become poor and does not allow you to live as happily as before. My deteriorating memory, my excuses about being “a senior” and my referring to the young generation as “people these days” are among the signs of ageing. These “ageing indicators” and my increasingly grey hair make me admit I am already old and must by now prepare myself to ensure my well-being after retirement.
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Should schools have condom-vending machines?
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 17/10/2013
» Over the past month, one of the most discussed online topics in Thailand is the Public Health Ministry's plan to seek cooperation from the Education Ministry to install condom-vending machines in schools in order to curb teenage pregnancy. The public is almost equally split between supporting and rejecting the idea, but both sides agree that sex education is a better solution. Whether or not the plan will be realised, it is worth discussion and comparison to previous measures to promote safe sex.
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Fuming over first-car scheme
Life, Pichaya Svasti, Published on 27/12/2012
» The worst is yet to come for Bangkok's traffic. Over the past few months, I have spent twice as much time as before stuck in traffic jams. Although I am not an expert, I believe this has something to do with the government's first-car scheme. The programme allows new car buyers to claim tax rebates of up to 100,000 baht per vehicle per person. Since its inception, more than one million new vehicles have been purchased, or about 30,000 new cars a day. By the end of this year, the number of the "first cars" is likely to exceed 1.2 million.
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