Thailand Voice

The security of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s residence has been beefed up with more special police and K-9 dogs. Screening at a checkpoint near the house has been strengthened. More closed-circuit TV cameras have been installed and there are now more police motorcycle patrols. (Manager/The Nation) …

This large Reclining Buddha can be found at Wat Khun Inthapramun in Angthong Province in Central Thailand. It is 50 meters long. Some guidebooks mistakenly say that it is the longest in Thailand. However, I know one at Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang in Samut Prakan…

On reading the title, most of you are probably wondering “Who the heck is she?” Well, she was one of Thailand’s most well-known farang names during the early to mid 1990’s; a name that was highly controversial, but in the stupidest way possible (She even has her very own Wikipedia entry). So, who was…

Well, about a few weeks back it was my turn, the first in years actually, to do a visa run to Vientiane, Laos. And I did the visa run on my own and not with some over-priced Visa Run trip company. Thinking back, the…

(no, that is not me!) Some people say they admire my adventures – but there is nothing adventurous about me, I am just a lazy traveller. I first went rafting on the Pai river in May or early June in 2002, when I had got so badly …

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, …

How come no charges of lese-majeste have been filed against these two? Here are another 20 amazing Thailand facts as compiled over on the ThailandQA.com Forums. You can see the other facts already posted by clicking here. Most of them were compiled by myself, but for the ones not, the name is in …

A Thai Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) official checks the 230 kv Underground Transmission line in Bangkok. The 230 kv Underground Transmission cables would be placed in an underground tunnel for approximately 7.5 kilometers in length to support demand increase and stable electricity supply for the center of business areas in the Thai capital. (Getty Images) More…

Towards the end of the Rainy Season, people from all around Thailand come together to race boats on their local canals and rivers. At Bang Phli, where we went this morning, this happens a few days before the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat. At this time, …

I talked before about “Pok Deng” which is a card game that even young children can play. It is small time gambling. The bet could start from a few baht up to whatever you want. But really if someone wants to gamble with lots of money, they usually go to a higher level game …

For many years my favourite guidebook has been the Lonely Planet. This has always been my first choice for its comprehensive look at tourist attractions in just about any country in the world. In Thailand, the person who is most associated with guidebooks is Joe Cummings whose name is well-known among backpackers…

Just into part one only, but Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand, the UK documentary series on Bravo TV, has already caused much controversy, and especially in regards to the Phuket jetski scam that Richard has just blogged about. Thanks to the raw footage, one typical jetski scammer is…

Another chapter in the life of Panrit “Gor” Daoruang” has come to an end with his release from prison after serving his full three years for dug possession. Gor shot to international fame during his teenage years for his stories …

One of the oldest markets in Thailand that is still operating is the Bang Phli Riverside Market in Samut Prakan. It was first started by Chinese traders back in the 1850’s. This now makes it older than 150 years. The original name for the market is “Talad Siri …

If you are planning on visiting Chiang Mai, I would recommend that you include a Sunday in your schedule. That is the day when Thailand’s best handicrafts market spreads out in the streets of the old city – a perfect opportunity to buy souvenirs and presents. It stretches from Thapae gate almost all the …

I think spring rolls are a favourite appetizer for many people. In Thai it is called “poh pia tod”. The ingredients do vary but in our picture below you can see, spring roll sheets, mungbean noodles, chopped garlic, minced pork, bean sprouts, white…

The www.ethaimusic.com website started out as a way for people to learn the Thai language. We have a popular website at www.learningthai.com for people wanting to learn the Thai language. So we were always on the lookout for new ways for people to learn the language. Listening to …

This is one of my favourite curries that I cook every now and then. It is Chicken and wax gourd curry or “gang khua fak gup gai” in Thai. You cook it in much the same way as other red curries but there is an…

In Thailand, one of the cheapest places to buy and eat food is by the side of the road. These are the mobile stalls which vendors wheel to their locations every day. Sometimes they might leave the cart there and then bring…

The rainy season has been rather dry so far up here in Chiang Mai, ideal for daytrips – if you don’t mind baking in the sun shining right above your head at this time of the year. For a change, I decided to hop on a bus today and go on one of …

In Thailand, July 29th every year is celebrated as National Thai Language Day. However, a recent poll showed that 85.3 per cent of people surveyed in Bangkok and its neighbouring provinces were not aware of Thai language day. The survey also revealed some shocking results. According to the poll, 84.9 per cent of people …

Khao Sarn Road Cop Box (AKA: Chanasongkram Police Station) seems to have a fetish for trying to bust pot-smoking backpackers but not the hundreds of scammers operating in their vicinity. Let me take the chance today to write a …

The largest network of English language websites about Thailand is our very own Paknam Web Network . We have been making websites since 1997 and twelve years later we are still going strong. What amazes many people is that we are still very much family friendly. We don’t talk about the …

Long before Chiang Mai was founded some 700 years ago, the Mon people set up the legendary kingdom of Haripunchai in the area that is today known as Lamphun. Wat Chammathewi (also known as Wat Kukut) dates back to the 8th century. The spire on top of the chedi is said to have been lost …

Transfer passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport will now be able to choose between a range of tours if they have at least six hours to spare before they need to catch their next plane. Paknam Web was invited over to the airport this …

Paphiopedilum Callosum is a Thai Orchid of the type commonly known as a Slipper Orchid or Lady’s Slipper Orchid. This gorgeous Thai orchid species is native to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. Paphiopedilum Callosum is known in Thailand as “Rongthao Nari Khang Gop” and is found mainly in the … Read full story >>>

• “Thailand’s Policy Orientation under Global Turbulence: Making the Most of the ASEAN Economic Integration” (25/5/2009) • Remarks “High-Level Ministerial Conference on Strengthening Transboundary Freshwater Governance –the Environmental Sustainability Challenge” (22/5/2009) • Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand at The Foreign Correspondents’… 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 >>>

While Phang Nga province is blessed with amazing sceneries and some of the finest beaches in Thailand, you may be surprised that there is no strip of sand anywhere near Phang Nga town itself where you could pop down for a little dip. The town is…

My girls daughter Fa loves to play with anything of mine laying around. On a previous trip to the family farm I lost a pair of sunglasses to her because she just couldn’t live without them. This trip she seemed overly enamored with my shoes. Fortunately for me they were just a bit … Read full story >>>