Thailand Voice

In Tak, in northern Thailand, there is a shrine and statue for King Taksin the Great (1734-1782). He is not only the most famous native of this province, but he is heroically known for expelling the Burmese from Thailand after the defeat and subsequent destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767. …

One of the most beautiful and also important temples in Lamphun Province in Northern Thailand is Wat Phrathat Hariphunchai. According to legend, the Lord Buddha himself once came to this area to collect alms. A local Lua tribesman offered him some “samor”, a kind of…

I came across this group of Hilltribe children at the Golden Triangle in Northern Thailand. I sat and watched for a while as coachloads of tourists arrived to have their pictures taken at this attraction which borders three countries. Naturally, all …

It was a year ago now that I first visited the tranquil little village of Baan Nam Khong and enjoyed gliding from tree to tree with the amazing Jungle Flight adventure. I got a chance to fly again last weekend and try out the longest, fastest and…

Former U.S. President and Nobel Peace laureate Jimmy Carter, left, and chairman of the board of Habitat for Humanity Thailand, Chainarong Monthienvichienchai, raise up a banner during the opening ceremony of the 26th annual Habitat for Humanity Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work…

There are dozens of hot springs around Chiang Mai, some are well-known and extensively developed like Sankamphaeng, others are only just more than small pools of water in the forest. Pong Dueat is on route 1095, one of the attractions …

I had not been to Pai since my second Thailand holiday in 2002. It doesn’t really make a convenient weekend getaway if you rely on public transport or your two wheels. However, it was the perfect thing to do in my friend’s car. Riding up and down hills smoothly…

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…

A couple of weeks ago I went to Mae Sa waterfalls on the edge of Doi Suthep-Pui National Park . On the way back, I noticed a sign saying Tad Mok waterfall, 9 km . It was already too late to make the little side trip so I postponed the …

Elephant keepers help a staff member from Protheses Foundation, bottom right, to fit an artificial leg for Motola, a 48-year-old female elephant who lost part of her left leg after stepping on a land mine 10 years ago at the Elephant Hospital …

Eight years ago, on my first visit, I saw an aerial photo of a golden chedi on a hilltop near a river, surrounded by lush fields and more mountains. I immediately knew I wanted to go there but I had no …

Karen villagers residing in Thailand use elephants to plough a rice field during a demonstration to promote tourism in Om Koi district, Chiang Mai province northern Thailand Saturday, Aug. 8, 2009. The villagers originally raised the elephants to work in the logging industry but after the government announced a ban on logging they began using …

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 …

A motorcycle trip to the Mae Sa waterfalls was the first daytrip we shared with my Thai boyfriend exactly eight years ago. I have been reluctant to return ever since. Now that I eventually did, I am looking for familiar landmarks – a rock, a pool of water, a …

When my mother comes to visit Chiang Mai, she always asks me to take her to the Rose Garden first. She insists that she knows this enchanted place from a previous life and gets annoyed when I point out that Bhubing Palace (Phuphing Palace) wasn’t constructed until 1961. Bhubing Palace is the …

Lin Hui, a 7-year old panda, and its two-days-old cub are seen at the Chiang Mai Zoo in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, Friday, May 29, 2009. The cub whose birth surprised Thai zoo officials is a healthy female that appears to be bonding well with …

After the first successful artificial insemination of a panda by a Thai veterinarian team a cub has been born to Lin Hui, a 7 year old Panda, on a 10 year loan from China, in Chiang Mai Zoo, northern Thailand. The birth came… 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 >>>

In this photo released by Chiang Mai Zoo, Lin Hui, a 7-year old panda, is seen shortly after delivering its baby at the zoo in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand Wednesday, May 27, 2009. A healthy panda cub was born Wednesday in a Thai zoo, the first in…

Got this in the mailbox. Medecins Sans Frontieres Media Advisory MSF withdraws from Hmong camp in Phetchabun because of Thai Military Restrictions and Coercive Tactics. 2.00pm – Weds May 20, 2009 Medecins Sans Frontieres has been compelled to terminate its medical relief program for refugees in Huai Nam Khao camp in Petchabun province in … Read full story >>>

The past several days have been harrowing for Scott Rosenberg, director of the embattled Phuket Film Festival . After agonizing over whether to cancel the festival , he sent out a press release at around 4:20 this afternoon, announcing the festival would be called off due to the heavy presence… Read full story >>>

A security clampdown ahead of a regional government summit and conflicting dates with another film festival may cause this year’s Phuket Film Festival to be canceled, according to a citizens group calling itself “We Care About Phuket”. The Phuket Film Festival is scheduled … Read full story >>>

Khuraburi, 100 kms south of Ranong on the Andaman coastline, is best known as the drop-off point for the Surin Islands – it is unlikely to become a major tourist destination in it own right. It is a little town in the middle of nowhere, on a very scenic and scarcely populated coastline that …

The heavy topics of human rights and artistic freedom took center stage on Monday night at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, where Thai independent filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul came for a screening of Stories on Human Rights . A lively, free-ranging question-and-answer session followed. Apichatpong’s short, Mobile Men , was… Read full story >>>

Image 1: Supplementary incising of a poppy capsule with a three-pronged scalpel. Yao who have worked elsewhere compare the intensity and delicacy of the task with embroidery. Off-farm and Beyond Ockham in the Northern Thai Highlands: Further Philosophising on Opium, Overseas Aid and the Applied Anthropology of Tropical Agricultural Development… Read full story >>>