• LIFE

  Struggling to survive

  Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/05/2023

  » You are what you eat, but some do not have the privilege to choose. Nai, who is skinny and short for his age, lacks more than just a proper diet. He has been abandoned by his mother, and his father is serving a jail term. As a result, his uncle has kindly taken him into his own family. But like others, he is living from hand-to-mouth, so providing his nephew with a balanced diet from the five food groups is difficult. Due to a lack of variety in their diet, slum children, though not starving, are suffering from malnutrition.

• OPINION

  Songs for life as it's no longer lived

  Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 17/04/2023

  » Ad Carabao's new song Prachathipatung revives the myth of vote-buying and ignorance in rural society. The title is a coinage blending prachathipatai (democracy) and tung (money). On the track, parents ask children to return to their home village to vote for local politicians who give them money. It puts into song from the political discourse of an urban middle class that expresses disdain for villagers along with antipathy for one type of money politics as well as full-fledged democracy.

• THAILAND

  Srisuwan gives Watanya share scrutiny all clear

  News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 30/05/2019

  » Activist Srisuwan Janya insisted that there is no reason for him to file a complaint against former media executive and newly endorsed party-list MP Watanya Wongopasi of the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) with the Election Commission (EC) as he found Ms Watanya to be "in the clear".

• OPINION

  When art gets stifled

  Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 21/11/2022

  » 'Art is short, a case is long," read a banner. Students apparently hijacked the well-known motto "art is long, life is short" by Prof Silpa Bhirasri, the father of Thai modern art, in protest of Chiang Mai University's legal action against its own lecturers and a student who "trespassed" on the art centre to exhibit works, some of which might challenge those in power, last year. It is a case in point for stifling democracy in Thai art.

• OPINION

  Time is on our side

  Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 15/08/2022

  » Win or lose, a protest is a process of trial and error. To put it simply, it is disruption, innovation, or something in between, just the way the now-defunct but shape-shifting Future Forward Party was in 2019 because it is born out of a spirit, not a person or a party. If the student-led demonstration goes down in history for demanding the boldest political reform, including the role of the monarchy, its resurrection last week proves that the pro-democracy movement is coming of age.

• OPINION

  Riding the green wave

  Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 27/06/2022

  » Only two weeks after decriminalising cannabis, Thailand is experiencing a green rush. Since June 9, when the legalisation of marijuana for home and commercial use took effect, almost 1 million people registered to grow it with food and drug officials, while more than 40 million have checked out the registration platform. There's a growing public interest in the cash crop -- though some farmers remain doubtful -- and it is paving the way for "cannabis journalism".

• OPINION

  No one benefits as old regime drags out its end

  Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/10/2021

  » Standing together in a space demarcated as a forbidden area, two actors began to spread red paint over their bodies and create flags out of ropes and twigs. When they ran wild and cried out "Long live the people!" the message could not be clearer. Performed by the Layyim Theatre group, the gig was a part of the rally held by the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD) to commemorate the first year of the movement. It was held in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on Sunday.

• OPINION

  Migrants seek better times close to home

  Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/01/2022

  » Carrying a large rucksack, I bought a ticket and walked into a crowded bus terminal in Ekamai where thousands of passengers, wearing face masks, were counting down the clock to return home for the long holidays. The vast station was packed as New Year drew closer. When I got on the bus, a familiar luk thung song was being played, evoking memories.

• LIFE

  Patriotism's problem

  Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 01/11/2021

  » 'When will you come home?" a mother asks her on the phone. A teenage daughter, now a university student, is busy completing her assignment. She is about to go on a field trip to historic places ranging from temples to museums to collect information for her report.

• THAILAND

  Hong Kong students pledge loyalty to Thai protesters

  News, Thana Boonlert, Published on 25/10/2020

  » Hong Kong students have pledged support for the pro-democracy movement in Thailand after the recent wave of anti-government protests has rocked the capital for over a week.

1 2 3 4 5 Next Last