Showing 1 - 10 of 12
From clam to crab governments
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 14/12/2015
» From the Tanin Kraivixien government following the massacre of Oct 6, 1976, the premiership of Gen Prem Tinsulanonda in the 80s, the post-economic crisis time of Chuan Leekpai up to the politically turbulent times of Thaksin Shinawatra, Abhisit Vejjajiva and Yingluck Shinawatra -- few have witnessed the history of Thai contemporary politics as closely as Somlak Songsamphant.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
News, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 25/02/2016
» I wonder if People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters must, in one way or another, take responsibility for where we are now as a country, nearly two years under the military regime. This is if you care to look at the situation, out of curiosity and an attempt at straightforward reasoning, rather than vengefulness.
The shape-shifting form of protests
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 06/10/2015
» The streets remained empty and all was quiet when thousands of people gathered last Wednesday night to protest against the government's Single Gateway proposal. Protesters weren't, however, down at major landmarks like Asoke or Ratchaprasong intersections, but simply in front of their computer screens. By merely punching the refresh button, these protesters let their resentment known to the authorities by crashing at least six government sites, including the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
War of words
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 27/01/2014
» When the red shirts camped out at Rajamangala Stadium last December to support PM Yingluck Shinawatra, a popular quip among the anti-Thaksin camp was that the football field needed a proper re-turf as those "kwai daeng", or red buffalo, had eaten all the grass.
The means justify the end
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 10/12/2013
» Allow me to venture a thought we might have overlooked during the weeks-long fight between Suthep-led anti-Thaksin protests and Yingluck Shinawatra's government _ Thais are fighting over something that may become beautiful.
Remaking the scene
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 21/12/2016
» It has been a busy year for the Thai art scene, with well-known artists taking turns treating Bangkok viewers to their latest works, new galleries welcomed and old ones closing down, and politics remaining deeply embedded in artistic expression.
Art attack
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 08/06/2016
» The art dispute of the year is upon us. As the art community sees the rift open up, it also reminds society of the ideological divide that has plagued Thailand for many years. The stage is the exhibition called "The Truth_ To Turn It Over" curated by Gwangju Museum of Art to commemorate the 1980 Gwangju Uprising against the military dictatorship; it's been almost a month since the show opened in South Korea, but it's still very much "an ongoing process" -- a very heated one at that.
Blinded by the light
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 25/05/2016
» As stated in the text, "Oscillation", an exhibition at Chulalongkorn University's Art Center which opened earlier this month, "considers a state of actively moving back and forth between multiple reference points and ideas, during which meanings are produced and reproduced".
A calendar for the 99.3%
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 08/01/2016
» New year is for new beginnings. This is as much a cliché as it is true. While it is just a new day, we carry the illusion that comes with Jan 1. The past is suddenly forgiven and forgotten, a clean slate: new hobbies, new goals, new habits, new lives, and, of course, new calendars. Now, the first week of January is already over, and if you are still in search for the right calendar to guide you through the year, there's never a more fun place to search for one than our beloved country, Thailand.
Trainwreck from top to bottom
Life, Kaona Pongpipat, Published on 03/03/2015
» Perhaps what one remembers best about a third-class train ride in Thailand is the shower you take afterwards — the lumps of dust coming out of your nose, the grimy water running off your body and how washing your hair three times isn't enough to take the odour of metal away.