Showing 1 - 10 of 13
The last sanctuary
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 08/07/2018
» On a lush hill overlooking Da Nang Bay, central Vietnam, red-shanked doucs freely wander in one of their few remaining sanctuaries on Earth. At the Son Tra Nature Reserve, a mountainous peninsula known to American soldiers during the Vietnam War as "Monkey Mountain", sights like a douc couple hanging from a treetop can still be seen.
Migrants face changing climate
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 01/07/2018
» The arrival of May once reminded Lin Na that the first rain of the year was on its way. The ground in her small village of Prey Veng province in southern Cambodia would start to soften, dampened by rainfall. This time each year, she would help her family cultivate a two-hectare rice field, the main source of food and income for them throughout the year.
E-waste plant fight hits home
Spectrum, Dumrongkiat Mala, Published on 10/06/2018
» Until a month ago, Somsri Wichianchai, a villager of Ban Klong Song in Chachoengsao's Plaeng Yao district, had to keep the windows of her house sealed to escape the acrid smell caused by waste recycling factories nearby.
Worlds apart: Maniq confront modern life
Spectrum, King-oua Laohong, Published on 27/05/2018
» A cluster of children from the Maniq ethnic group are doing something their ancestors may have never been able to picture -- watching a TV show.
A life in limbo
Spectrum, Jan-David Franke, Published on 06/05/2018
» It is Monday morning in Suan Phlu, Bangkok. Its streets as busy as usual -- motorbike taxis rushing by, vendors selling fruit on the corner, a Koel singing its annoying song and someone somewhere cooking fish. The city is full of life. And yet, just a few hundred metres from the air-conditioned cafe in which I am sitting, more than a thousand men, women and even children are deprived of the ability to take part in this life. Seen from the soi's main street, the unassuming complex bears an equally unassuming sign which reads "Immigration Bureau". The building conveys little of the reality behind it.
Rail service on track to crisis
Spectrum, Om Jotikasthira, Published on 29/04/2018
» 'The government can build all the new railways it wants, but the wheels on the trains will never turn if there are no drivers to operate them," warns Yai, a State Railway of Thailand (SRT) train driver on the verge of retirement.
Kra Canal advocates continue bid
Spectrum, Wassana Nanuam and Nauvarat Suksamran, Published on 25/03/2018
» The Kra Canal project connecting the Gulf of Thailand to the Andaman Sea in the South has experienced stops and starts for decades now, with still no strong signs of it moving forward. But one advocacy group of retired military men still cling to the hope it can be done.
Condo market on a rollercoaster
Spectrum, Kanana Katharangsiporn, Published on 25/02/2018
» Drive past Sukhumvit-Asoke intersection and you may notice a new billboard has come up in the past few days advertising a special discount for buyers of a high-end condominium project on Sathon Road that until recently was being touted as having been 100% sold out.
Cashing in on the flood crisis
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 04/02/2018
» After flooding hit his village last year, Abisit Sitthiwong, a 42-year-old farmer in Na Khu district of Kalasin, struggled to restore the farmland he had so faithfully cultivated. The owner of 10 rai of rice fields and 5 rai of fruit plantation, his produce was his main source of income.
The lost cause
Spectrum, Om Jotikasthira, Published on 21/01/2018
» Sureerat Buanak, 53, hesitated when her ex-husband invited their eight-year-old son Naruedol "Oat" Yuanuwong to come stay with him and his new partner for one month in Samut Sakhon. During the year, Nong Oat was based in Bangkok with his mother, and she was used to having him around. But since it was summer holidays, it felt like a good time for him to get out.