Thailand Voice

(Would be extremely difficult to get these two mixed up – but Mrs Clampton did) Due to the positive feedback from the last blog “The Legendary Edith Clampton (Mrs)” , I think it’s only fair to write up a part 2 and include some of the readers’ responses – some…

Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva gives a speech detailing his achievements in the 1st year of his administration to the public at the Government House in Bangkok December 23, 2009. Thailand’s economy is projected to switch to 2.7-3.2 percent annual growth in the fourth quarter after contraction in …

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (R) shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) at a house that Hun Sen prepared for Thaksin in Phnom Penh on November 10, 2009. Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Cambodia to start …

Twenty five contestants competing in the Miss Poland 2009 contest are presently touring Thailand. They will be here from 5th-14th October 2009. Some of the major locations that they will visit include Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Krabi. As well as touring tourist attractions, they will also take part in activities such as Thai cooking, …

The Ministry of Culture has planned many cultural activities to promote Thai culture and stimulate confidence in Thailand among international tourists and investors. Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch said that Thailand, in the eyes of in the world community, is a land of peace and that Thai people are generous and apply…

(Click here to read about the boat trip to Sakhla) Sakhla Village (ban sakhla), in Phra Samut Chedi District of Samut Prakan, dates back to the late Sukhothai period. Its original name was “Ban Sao Kla” which refers to the women of the area that bravely fought off the Burmese…

During the full moon of this month we celebrate the religious holiday of Asarnha Bucha Day. The following day marks the start of the Rains Retreat which is sometimes referred to as the Buddhist Lent. It lasts for about three months. This year it runs from…

They will never learn. The Bank Of Thailand, the thai central bank, lost all credibility mid january, when it announced the recovery … When actually the thai economy was plunging , very deep ! Bank of Thailand (BoT) deputy governor Atchana Waiquamdee on Wednesday voiced confidence that the country’s … Read full story >>>

Am busy, but here are some links and reading: 1. Suthep interviewed by The Nation – his answers about the Blue Shirts and the government formation are interesting. 2. People satisfied with Abhisit, but less so with other Ministers (what no Kasit?). Korn also does quite well considering we have -7.1% growth which as have blogged… Read full story >>>

The Nation : Moody’s Investors Service has been fast to pick on Thailand. Earlier, it pointed out that the Thai economic downturn is going to be one of the worst in the region. Then it downgraded the credit outlook of Thailand from positive to negative. Now, Moody’s announces that it has… Read full story >>>

Doi Tung in Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand is home to what is perhaps the most stunningly beautiful garden in the whole of Thailand. The name of this Thailand garden on the slopes of Doi Tung is Mae Fah Luang Garden. Mae Fah Luang Garden was constructed by the Doi… Read full story >>>

When the economy goes down, the business of fortune-tellers goes up. The SMEs Promotion Department’s chief said yesterday that the volume of business among Small and Medium-sized companies offering training courses on astrology and other kinds of fortune-telling has risen despite — or perhaps because of –the economic … Read full story >>>

Han ten Brummelhuis, King of the Waters: Homan van der Heide and the Origin of Modern Irrigation in Siam , Leiden, KITLV Press, 2005. pp. xvi, 409 This important work of scholarship breaks new ground in the history of Siam’s political economy and the transfer of technology that took place in Southeast Asia … Read full story >>>

The GDP report for Q1 has been published by the NESDB ( here ). The main information is : the thai economy shrank 7,1 %, compared to the first quarter 2008. In Q4 2008, the drop was 4,2 %. Therefore, we are in recession (classic definition is 2 quarters… Read full story >>>

WSJ: “ Thai Protest Group Votes to Form a Political Party ” PATHUM THANI, Thailand — Members of Thailand’s yellow-shirt protest movement voted to form a political party, creating a potentially influential force as the country struggles to pull itself… Read full story >>>

…Members of the public will be encouraged to join different projects initiated by His Majesty the King, particularly ones involving the philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. The goal is to prevent people from becoming too obsessed with political conflict. – A quote from Suthep Thaugsuban (Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister with responsibility for security), “… Read full story >>>

Bloomberg : May 25 (Bloomberg) — Thailand’s economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter, contracting the most in a decade as the nation slid into a recession. Gross domestic product fell 7.1 percent last quarter from a year earlier, after declining a revised 4.2 percent in the previous three … Read full story >>>

It was supposed to be the Abhisit’s Day, AKA The Slap In The Face Day (read here ). Well… “mission accomplished” ! GDP in 1Q 09 drastically contracted by 7.1%, compared with a decrease of 4.2% in 4Q08, due to world economic crisis which severely affected … Read full story >>>

There have been a few stories that the government may not last that much longer – see this previous post . Now, The Nation : As relations with allies get worse, Abhisit might be compelled to form a minority government Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva might be forced to run a minority government if the bad blood between his… Read full story >>>

Atiya Achakulwisut is the editorial pages editor at the Bangkok Post . Usually, she is quite reasoned in her opinions, but her latest op-ed well is something truly to behold: I am also concerned about the usually vocal members of the foreign press corps. Has one standard dropped and another popped up … Read full story >>>

Bangkok Post re: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi This is a democratically elected leader of a severely oppressed country whose people have long suffered under the heavy boots of the military junta. A leader who was not only robbed of her election victory but of her basic human rights … Read full story >>>

The Bangkok Post : A group of “peace ambassadors” made up of priests and representatives from the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim faiths, as well as peace advocates from Malaysia’s Kelantan state, recently met 4th Army chief Pichet Wisaijorn at the Sufficiency Economy learning centre in Pattani’s Yarang … Read full story >>>

You want me to do what? “Gybzy” Wanida Termthanaporn and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang are featured in a series of photos in yesterday’s “In Pictures” feature from Cannes on the BBC website . The shots are by Agence France-Presse’s Francois Guillot, and they all aren’t … Read full story >>>

The Bangkok Post : Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij is demanding the opposition take the rap for any adverse impacts on the country from the delay to the draft executive decree to seek 400 billion baht in loans. Parliament’s reading of the draft decree to allow the Finance Ministry… Read full story >>>

Thanong speculated recently on how long the government would last saying it might not last longer than August or October. As BP blogged at the time, this was a possibility, but it seems to be the advantage of all parties to… Read full story >>>

In February when there is a furore over whether Commerce Minister Pornthiva had been denied a visa, but the more important issue as flagged at the time was how the Democrats had given Bhum Jai Thai the Commerce Ministry, but were taking away it powers: However, … Read full story >>>

Last week, Thitinan was at the FCCT to talk about political reform. Philip Golingai in The Star covers it in his weekly column : This tightening space, which Thitinan likened to a box, has a ceiling – lese majeste (insulting the monarchy). From the bottom pushing up there’s an “effective longstanding official indoctrination”. … “This space… Read full story >>>

Thai Takes By PHILIP GOLINGAI THITINAN Pongsudhirak, a Thai political lecturer, believes space for intellectual honesty is tightening in Thailand. This tightening space, which Thitinan likened to a box, has a ceiling – lese majeste (insulting the monarchy). From the bottom … Read full story >>>

Emailed a reader: “Did you see the proposed new prior permission required before each program is broadcast rules for all TV and radio programming in Thailand that were laid out today? Unbelievable …. if Thaksin had proposed anything near this, the PAD/yellow crowds would be in the streets.”… Read full story >>>

Thai resources on Google Books… As what usually happens when blogging, one subject leads to another. For instance, this week I posted about Mary Haas Thai-English Student’s Dictionary in Bangkok . And then, after a suggestion made in the comments (thanks Aksara Anwa Akson Thai ), I was led to create a post on … Read full story >>>