Showing 1 - 10 of 29
A sustainable model
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/07/2023
» Over a decade ago, Aracha Boon-Long embarked on her first journey to Doi Luang Chiang Dao. No signal. Silence. Sometimes, the forest made strange sounds at night. Only when she made it to the summit, a herd of gorals appeared and lay down basking in the first daylight. It is the moment when life begins. She thought to herself how small she is in the face of nature. What could she do to protect her home?
Tales of queer migration
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 19/06/2023
» There is a border that defines the contour of his identity. Only by crossing it can Jaokhun Promchana be the man he wants to be. After moving to the US, he studied a new language and toiled in the kitchen. Holding a dream close to his heart, he went the extra mile to join the US Navy and police. Currently, he is running a restaurant with his wife. From the outside, he looks no different from other men, but in his expired documents, a name and its title are a reminder of the former self that he already shed.
Abode of the gods
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/08/2022
» Cicadas sang a chorus as the forest opened out. I peered into the darkness and traced the distant contour of a monumental religious complex, a remarkable feat of human civilisation. Keyed up with my first visit, I crossed a floating bridge, a soon-to-be-dismantled construction, over a large moat in the midst of lush vegetation. Before dawn, I arrived at Angkor Wat.
A hundred baht and a dream
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/06/2022
» Before a lucky draw this week, a middle-aged woman stared intently at a stall in front of Bangkok's shopping mall. She prayed and plucked three lottery tickets, 100 baht each, out of endless possibilities. "I hope you will win the prize," Sudta Tamnudee, a vendor, told her first customer.
Graffiti artist follows his rebellious roots
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 06/06/2022
» A daubed wall marks off a rundown area where makeshift houses were put up for rent, a stone's throw from a luxury condominium in the heart of Bangkok's Sathon. A 40-year-old man exits his car with pink luggage. He puts on a black hat and ties a small cloth around his head. He's wearing a long-sleeve checked shirt, shorts, and black sneakers and his socks are printed with cannabis patterns. Mue Bon, literally translated as "restless hands", opens his arsenal and begins to spray paint a rough sketch of the flightless black bird on the wall.
Heritage is not soft power
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 02/05/2022
» Harvard University Professor Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power", or the ability to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction, rather than coercion or payment, in his book Bound To Lead in 1990. However, he has since seen his brainchild, scribbled out on his kitchen table, grow in scope of application and distance.
Regulate in moderation
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 14/03/2022
» 'Section 32 has been very painful to me," said Wichian Inkraidee, an owner of Kacha Kacha, a Japanese restaurant. He was blacklisted and faced a hefty fine for breaking the draconian alcohol law. In the last hour of 2014, an inspector on patrol found an image of a glass of beer on the menu, which was claimed to promote drinking.
Pandemic progress
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 29/11/2021
» When the Covid-19 crisis unfolded two years ago, researchers scrambled to uncover the source of and cure for the killer virus. At the time, there were no medicines. Soon after, vaccine development kicked off, giving hope of protection to us all.
Turning back the clock
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/11/2021
» Phonrapee Rianchaivanich and his three siblings would like to build a time machine, but not the kind seen in sci-fi movies that transports people to the past or future. Instead, they want to turn the clock back to the 1990s when Oden-ya was a popular corn snack.
Paying a heavy price
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 25/10/2021
» Smokers are now paying higher prices for their nicotine cravings after retailers and convenience stores made adjustments last week after the introduction of a controversial new excise tax structure earlier this month to curb smoking.