Showing 1 - 10 of 33
Bangkok's clean streets, empty souls
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 10/11/2025
» Banthat Thong used to be a neighbourhood, not a concept. You could live here and find everything: restaurants, bookstores, hardware shops, clinics, banks -- even a place to have your shirts made. It was one of those streets where life unfolded upstairs and business happened downstairs. Today, it is something else entirely.
Rising Leaders
Life, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 13/01/2025
» In a meeting room at Wat Khao Mai Kaew School in Chon Buri one morning in late December, five young observers sat attentively, taking note of the discussions and dynamics before them. They were watching Mechai Viravaidya, a celebrated social innovator and education advocate, as he led a talk with the school's management about their current activities and future plans.
Put culture first in old town revamps
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 28/03/2024
» Will Thailand's old towns include their old communities as they are renovated? In many of these important districts, institutional owners of land are apt to evict legacy tenants to make way for redevelopment, threatening vintage architecture and eroding vibrant local cultures and ways of life.
New year, new inspiration
Life, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 17/01/2024
» It was early morning of the first Saturday of the year and a lively crowd had gathered at the entrance of the Unicef office on Phra Athit Road. Young and eager attendees had arrived early for Unicef Thailand's first Open House.
Govt needs to get its vaccine priorities right
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 13/05/2021
» The government's recent change in its vaccination rollout plan to re-prioritise a risk group, the majority of them low-paid workers in the capital, may sound like a perfect preventive plan. But it's not yet inclusive enough.
City slum clusters demand special care
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 06/05/2021
» Just when we were made to believe that the Thong Lor cluster had subsided, the Klong Toey cluster emerged.
Thainess and surf-skating, a safe match?
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 01/04/2021
» The "Rattana Go Surf" surf-skating group, with the presence of a woman politician and luminaries who showcased their surf-skating skills on the city streets last Sunday caused a stir. It's no surprise. In contrast to the latest trend of surf-skating in Thailand, Sunday's crowd turned up in traditional Thai attire, while some women also showed up in Thai-style strapless tops and other participants put on royal-patterned shirts. I can only imagine how suffocating it would have been wearing costumes which are obviously not appropriate for sports. Not to mention, several joined the risky sport without protective gear, such as helmets, all while trying to balance themselves on a skateboard, side by side with moving cars and other motorised vehicles.
Capital needs a new approach to tree surgery
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 17/02/2021
» Pictures of numerous chopped down tree trunks scattered near the walls of Wat Po in the Rattanakosin old town area were shared on social media and immediately triggered public outrage.
Singapore's win shows street food scene needs push
News, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 21/12/2020
» Singapore has done it again! The island state's hawker culture has finally won Unesco recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
CP-Tesco merger spells pain for small businesses
Oped, Sirinya Wattanasukchai, Published on 20/11/2020
» The decision by the government's competition watchdog to approve the merger of Charoen Pokphand Group and local retail business Tesco Lotus left me speechless.