Thailand Voice

It is probably not a good idea to venture outside at the moment if you are living in some areas of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lumpoon, Maehongson, Nan, Phayao and Chiang Mai due to the bad air quality. You should also consider wearing face masks in Chachoengsao, Nonthaburi, Samut…

(The crime scene of almost every Farang ‘murder’ in Pattaya – the infamous Pattaya hotel balcony) As a Farang in Thailand we have all heard some of the most laughable quack-wack Thailand myths: ladyboys who have coaxed clients back to their rooms only to drug ‘em and cut out …

One of the amazing sights in Pattaya is this gigantic wooden palace which dominates the landscape alongside the sea. The highest point reaches 105 meters high. Practically every inch, both inside and outside is covered with exquisite wooden carvings. It has taken them years to build…

It is that time of year again when we do a quick review of the past year. Today I am going to look back at some of the more popular news photos from Thailand on our sister blog www.thaiphotoblogs.com . One of the most popular pictures…

Rescue workers treat a man at the beach town of Pattaya December 2, 2009. Two speed boats collided in Pattaya killing two Chinese men and wounding 15 foreigners including Britons, police said. (Reuters) Friends and relatives react as rescue workers treat victims of a speed boat collision at the beach town of Pattaya December 2, 2009. …

Pang Yok, a six-year-old elephant at Nongnuch Garden Resort in Pattaya wields a skillful trunk to paint a portrait of His Majesty the King and the words “Rak Por”. This was just the rehearsal: She’ll repeat the performance for the public …

Thai visitors smile as they pose with a wax model of US President Barack Obama (C) displayed at the Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks in Pattaya. Tussaud’s Waxworks, a US based international wax museum has established its fifth worldwide branch with the opening of this branch in…

Ai Haruna, 37, from Japan, celebrates after winning the Miss International Queen 2009 transsexual beauty pageant in the Thai resort city of Pattaya, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Bangkok October 31, 2009. (Reuters) Miss International Queen 2009 Haruna Ai of Japan (C), flanked by first runner-up Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul of Thailand (R) and second runner-up Daniela…

In this photo taken Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009, a billboard showing Adolf Hitler saluting is erected in the middle on a highway in the resort town of Pattaya, Chonburi province southeastern Thailand. The Thai language on the billboard said, ‘Hitler is not dead,’ had been up for several weeks on the main road and…

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. ( Richard Barrow /paknam.com) More Thailand pictures can be found

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, …

Thailand is in big trouble again. Its tourism industry was already facing disaster last year with the prolonged airport closure. Things looked like it was starting to get better but the situation has just been going from bad to worse. This year Thailand has received a lot of negative press from the …

Look, but don’t touch – these Thailand ‘pretty girls’ could be on a scammer) Once known as the Land of Smiles, pitiable Thailand is now turning into the world’s most infamous Land of Scams – and this year in particular we have been inundated again and again and…

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 …

One of the jobs I have to do at the school is to look after the foreign teachers. This term we have four new teachers fresh off the boat. The teachers are staying in a townhouse belonging to the school. Their contract is only for this term though a …

An albino baby turtle swims with green sea babies turtle in a pond at Khram island, about 30 km (19 miles) from Pattaya, east of Bangkok. Special care is given to around 15,000 green and hawksbill baby turtles hatched and housed at the navy’s conservation center each year. Once the baby turtles’ shells are …

When I see images like this I usually think of Japanese kids who often wear masks when they are ill or when they are concerned about catching a contagious disease. However, I took this picture this afternoon here in Thailand. The number of cases of people infected with the …

Respect for the Law (Click here for part one) From the age of just two and half months, toddler Tui can enjoy the thrills and sprills of being sat on his father’s motorbike and admire the awesome way his father manages…

“He fought like a man so he could become a woman” – Still from the Thai movie Beautiful Boxer Thailand here has many-a glorious site to feast ones eyes on, besides just a million temples, two million taxis and three million noodle soup stalls we have the one…

If you’ve been to Thailand for any amount of time you’ve seen countless instances of Thai ingenuity, some barely noticeable and some quite blatant. Most are simple fixes that you wouldn’t have thought of and some clever enough that you wish you would have thought of. The one thing all cases of … Read full story >>>

The Bangkok Post : The fact finding committee into the political violence in April on Monday summoned Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to explain the incidents surrounding the crackdown on red-shirt supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD)by military and police forces. Mr … Read full story >>>

Today is day nine of my holiday and myself and Wonderful Wi are now staying at our Udon Thani village home. We’ve moved on from the bright lights of Pattaya to a village where every clock, watch and mobile tell a different time, daylight and darkness mean… Read full story >>>

Abhisit on CNN . NYT interview with Thaksin a few weeks ago – see Siam Report’s blog post here with commentary. Am still a little surprised on his explanation over the blue shirts: Well, there may be people in the armed forces or the police, but … Read full story >>>

Here’s a story I wrote for AFP about a unique beauty pageant that took place in Pattaya on Friday night: “ Tiaras at Thai transsexual beauty contest ” (AFP/Yahoo News). ShareThis Read full story >>>

Although it’s known as Bangkok’s floating market the Damnoen Saduak floating market is actually about 100 kilometers Southwest of Bangkok in Ratchaburi Province . If, like me, you’ve seen many pictures of people selling many colorful fruits and vegetables on the open waters of the canals then this … 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 >>>

Sorawee Nattee (Thai: สรวีย์ นัดทีิ์ แจส) is the winner of the 12th Miss Tiffany’s Universe 2009, Thailand’s most popular transsexual beauty pageant. She was named Thailand’s most beautiful katoey (ladyboy or woman-of-the-2nd-category) late Friday night in a glamorous event that was … Read full story >>>

Sorawee Nattee (C), winner of the Miss Tifffany 2009 contest, Writtorn Narapaipimol (L) who finish in 2nd and Napatsawan Cholakorn who finish in 3rd place are pictured at the end of the contest in Pattaya on May 15, 2009. The Miss Tiffany contest is held to promote positive transvestite …

Wonderful Wi and myself woke up to the sound of raindrops falling outside once more. The morning followed a similar pattern to the first day, midday the rain stopped and the sky started to look brighter. We were off to Jomtien beach and left the Marin Place with Wilai talking about… 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 >>>