Showing 1 - 10 of 13
Strong cities needed
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 15/07/2018
» Bangkok has attracted millions of migrants seeking economic opportunity. They will be forced to handle the impacts of climate change in coming decades.
Spirited away
Spectrum, Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai, Published on 08/07/2018
» The search for 12 boys and their football coach trapped in Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai ended on Tuesday when they were finally found, 10 full days after going missing. The Moo Pa Academy football team stole the media spotlight not only in Thailand but internationally, with people joining together to pray for the safe return of the lost boys and their leader.
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.
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.
The dawn of digital banking
Spectrum, Somruedi Banchongduang, Published on 22/04/2018
» When out at any shopping mall, it's common for consumers to use anything from credit cards to e-wallets when making purchases nowadays. But when it comes to traditional markets, or talat nat, found faraway from these commercial venues, it's only been recently that one can catch sight of these types of transactions taking place.
All that glisters is not gold
Spectrum, Apinya Wipatayotin, Published on 01/04/2018
» More than a year after the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) used Section 44 -- the special executive order in the interim charter -- to close Chatree gold mine in the Central Plains region at the beginning of January 2017, conflicts centred on pollution and disputes between the state and the gold mining company are far from over.
Capital's original CBD set to rise again
Spectrum, Surachet Kongcheep, Published on 11/03/2018
» Large mixed-use developments now under construction or scheduled to start in the future are creating new buzz in Bangkok’s original central business district (CBD). When completed sometime between now and 2025, they will add even more value to already prime locations. The focus of all this activity is around Sathon and Silom roads, and Lumpini Park.
How women pay the costs of development
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 11/03/2018
» Heading down a dirt road, Khampan Suprom zigzags her motorcycle through the grove, passing a small reservoir and plantation on the way. She comes to park under some trees. Dressed in her gardening apron and rain boots, she dismounts and drifts towards her vegetable garden.
School's out ... for good?
Spectrum, Dumrongkiat Mala, Published on 25/02/2018
» Thailand has a huge demographic challenge. Its population is ageing quickly, and the number of college-aged students is predicted to decline sharply through 2040. The country has more university seats than it needs, but higher-learning institutions are under increasing pressure to maintain enrollments.
Checking up on universal coverage
Spectrum, Paritta Wangkiat, Published on 18/02/2018
» Installing the right medical facilities to take care of a sick family member at home could cost nearly the entire fortune for a household of six people. In the centre of Bangkok's commercial Lumpini area, the shabby-looking house of the Jan-urai family stands amid the Bon Kai community, a slum adjacent to the high-end Polo Club where the wealthy Bangkok elite gather for sporting events.