Showing 1-10 of 84 results
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A place among the dead
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 26/07/2016
» Cemeteries are a sanctuary for the dead and the mourners. But the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery on Charoen Krung 72/5, known as Soi Susan Farang, has been known as a tourist attraction, due to the beautiful architecture of the memorial sites and splendidly carved gravestones. The cemetery, besides being one of the oldest burial grounds that remain unaffected by the urban development of the city, has a cultural value as a testament of foreign cultures present in Thailand from the mid-19th century until the present day.
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Watching history unfold
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 06/04/2015
» When Vitthya Vejjajiva said he was going to write a biography of Phan Wannamethee — diplomat, Red Cross chief, former Free Thai Movement member and ex-permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) — he received encouragement from everyone except his subject.
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He who dares wins as Grisada leaves his mark
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 11/07/2019
» Prior to his appointment as Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister over a year ago, Grisada Boonrach, a former interior permanent secretary, had already been known as a man who always left his mark on offices of state that he served.
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Regime push for 'Thainess' turns sinister
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 26/01/2018
» "Thainess", or <i>Thai Niyom</i>, has become the moniker attached to the latest fad of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government. First, the premier floated the idea of "Thai-style democracy", on Children's Day.
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Double-edged sword called Section 44
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 06/03/2017
» At first, the interim charter's Section 44 appears like a hidden sword that a knight in shining armour brings out only to fight a justifiable cause. Indeed, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha makes us believe so. Power and force will be used when necessary and applied constructively, we are told.
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The fear of becoming a banana state
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 15/08/2016
» 'The company changed the pattern of the rains, accelerated the cycle of harvests and moved the river from where it had always been." This vivid line is from the book <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i>, a magnum opus written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Nobel Prize-winning writer.
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Trials and tribulations of Bangkok taxis
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/03/2017
» The cab driver pressed on the accelerator, driving fast and furiously until I felt enough was enough; I ordered him to pull over, gave him the fare and stepped out of the car. Picking up a local passenger like me from a shopping mall on Sukhumvit Road is not a way for him to make much money. I bet he drove straight back along the same road to pick up tourists.
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Going bananas over Chinese investment
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 20/04/2016
» Kluai hom -- or the Cavendish banana -- found itself in the spotlight recently on social media and in local news. The issue involves Chinese investors renting land in Chiang Rai to grow kluai hom. Local villagers complained about water because the farm sucked up a large volume of it, leaving so little for local farmers. Fears about the use of chemical fertilisers also arose. Another problem is that the practice might be against the law, which reserves the occupation of farmer for Thais. The public is alarmed because Chinese-backed kluai hom farming in Laos has already proved a disaster. Toxic pesticides are dumped into the river, while environmental management is below par.
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No rhyme, no reason
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/05/2016
» There's a beautiful piece of prose in a Thai poem that reads: "Kavee rue lang laeng Siam" -- (Siam never runs out of poets). Composed over 120 years ago by Prince Paramanuchit Chinoros, the verse is part of Samuta Koj Kam Chan, and it describes the golden age of Thai literary culture, in which poetry was ingrained as part of people's speech. It was a time when rhyme and stanza were infused in normal dialogue. Men wrote poems, or sang them for courtship.
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Books of secrets
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/11/2016
» Pintima Lertsomboon, a librarian at Thammasat University, remembered trying to work on Oct 14 in order to soothe the bereavement brought by news of the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol. Her task as librarian usually offers her peace of mind. She has been tasked to separate the cremation books out of 10,000 rare books in the library, putting them in their own category.
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