Showing 1 - 10 of 10
A missing item in the rural soundtrack
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/01/2026
» As usual at this time of the year I have been enjoying life in the Northeastern province of Chaiyaphum for several weeks. However on this visit there was something slightly different which I couldn't immediately put my finger on. It took a few days before realising I was not being woken up by the usual early morning chorus of roosters or chickens of any sort.
Welcome spell of fashionable weather
Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/01/2025
» By Thai standards the weather has definitely been on the chilly side in recent weeks. Or to use the correct meteorological term, it's been "a bit nippy" in the early morning and evenings.
Handout pros
Oped, Postbag, Published on 22/04/2023
» Re: "Pheu Thai's giveaway might just work", (Opinion, April 20).
Where roosters crow before daybreak
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/01/2022
» For the past three weeks I have been waking up to the sound of roosters, many of which sneakily start warming up their vocal chords well before dawn. With this evidence you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to deduce that I have been in the Northeast of Thailand, or Isan. It has become a regular destination at the New Year and with the exception of the early morning calls from the chickens, it is always a pleasurable experience.
Civilians bear the brunt of conflict in Karen State
Oped, Saw Kha Pay Mu Nu, Published on 28/04/2021
» We were all woken from our sleep by the loud noises from vehicles that were reverberating in our ears. They sounded like heavy vehicles on caterpillar tracks.
A knee-jerk reaction
Oped, Postbag, Published on 13/02/2021
» I take a somewhat different view from that of David Brown in his Feb 11 letter on what Australia's reaction to the latest Myanmar coup should be.
You can't escape a rural soundtrack
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 03/01/2021
» Admittedly it's is not exactly earth-shattering news, but for the first time in 20 years I haven't spent the New Year holiday in Isan (the Northeast). This was not due to any dramas, but simply a combination of factors that made it more sensible to stay in the Big Mango.
Lazing on a stormy Sunday afternoon
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/06/2019
» Every now and again, I escape to the Northeast (Isan), more specifically the northernmost part of Chaiyaphum province, to relax, unwind, mellow out, chill out and hopefully not freak out. It is always a rewarding experience to shake off the madness of the Big Mango for a few days and settle into a pace of life that drifts between slow, very slow and practically dormant. That's something I can handle quite comfortably. In some ways it must resemble being transferred to an inactive post.
Is your friend overworked?
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 18/05/2018
» Working too hard can take an emotional toll on us. Since I'm all about the peace, love, zen and well-being of everyone, I would like to propose a few telltale signs that someone near you may not be doing well. If someone you know exhibits one or all of the following, you should, as a good friend, tell them to take it easy or tell them to consider resigning because the job may not be the right fit. Look out for this behaviour:
End scourge of corruption
News, Editorial, Published on 17/02/2018
» The Year of the Rooster under the Chinese lunar calendar ended this week and one of the happiest people in this country could be Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who is still clinging on to the country's top job. With the start of the Year of the Dog, he has no reason to celebrate but a major problem to tackle with the rise of corruption in the public sector.