Thailand Voice

Sompien Eksomya (Thai: พ.ต.อ.สมเพียร เอกสมญา), superintendent of Yala’s Bannang Sata district police, and three subordinates were seriously wounded in a roadside bomb attack in the district yesterday. Sompien had recently asked the premier for a transfer to a safer area before his retirement next year. Pol… Read full story >>>

Bizarre news from Thailand: this week a lady in Ayutthaya province held a funeral for her Doraemon doll. The story has been widely reported in the Thai language press, and even picked up by the National News Bureau : ความคืบหน้ากรณีนางพลับพลึง นามเจริญ จัดงานศพให้กับตุ๊กตา โดเรมอน ที่มีชื่อว่า จิเหว่ย นาคทอง ที่วัดมหาโลก จังหวัดพระนครศรีอยุธยานั้น … นางนิภา รุ่งเรืองบูรณะกุล ครูประจำชั้นอนุบาล 1 เปิดเผยว่า นางพลับพลึง… Read full story >>>

Kayasit Pissawongprakan, Director General of the Office of the Thai Attorney General, center, is surrounded by reporters after a news conference at his office in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban refused on comment on the pending decision by public prosecutors to drop 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…

When I first came to Thailand fifteen years ago there wasn’t really that much in the way of English media. All we had at the time were two national newspapers in English and a few programmes on television if we tuned in to …

Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand (L-R), Ayumi Morita of Japan, Vera Zvonareva of Russia and Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia pose during a news conference introducing players for the upcoming Tennis Classic in Hong Kong January 4, 2010. The tournament will be played between January…

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…

Dr Vichai Chokewiwat, chairman of Thailand’s Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) demonstrates how to use a new swine flu vaccine during a news conference in Bangkok December 18, 2009. A trial of Thailand’s first locally produced swine flu vaccine will begin with 24 people. (Reuters) Dr Vichai, …

Tomorrow is the 82nd Birthday for H.M. The King. In past years, most Thai people would wear yellow in honour of His Majesty. In Bangkok there would be a sea of yellow. However, after the PAD hijacked the colour yellow and forever took it away from representing His Majesty…

Note: I’ve waited a while before posting as other bloggers’ posts has drawn a line of acceptability for reporting this news. That said, the goverment has blocked certain links to the article in question, as well as threatening legal action on anyone reporting it, so you will find no outgoing links here. If… Read full story >>>

For the past three days, Samut Prakan City has been submerged under seawater for three to fours hours during the high tide period. Both Samut Prakan and Bangkok are gradually sinking into the sea. Floods are becoming more common every year. Traffic in Samut Prakan City…

Thai and Japanese students pull a Japanese aircraft at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok on November 7, 2009. About 222 Thai and Japanese students join to pull the aircraft during the campaign to boost the relationship between the two countries. (Getty Images) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (R) shakes hands with Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama upon his arrival at the state guest house in Tokyo November 6, 2009. (Reuters) Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama (3rd L) poses with (L-R) Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Myanmar Prime Minister …

Thai politics is a subject I’ve written about partly because, as a politics graduate living in Thailand, it is of natural interest and, secondly, it’s quite a unique and interesting system. For once though, I find UK politics to be… Read full story >>>

Have previously blogged on the Chavalit-Prem relationship (Chavalit speaking out here and here ; Prem’s response ), but also thought that Thai Rath had some interesting points in their analysis a few days on the Chavalit-Prem relationship entitled “Just Friends, Not the Son of Uncle Prem” (แค่เพื่อนไม่ใช่ ‘ลูกป๋า’). The analysis notes … Read full story >>>

Yesterday New Mandala ’s Andrew Walker was interviewed on the ABC Radio National breakfast program about politics and the palace in Thailand.  The audio of Andrew’s conversation with Fran Kelly is available here . Read full story >>>

Bun Auk Phan Saa, the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat, is usually accompanied by floating of krathong , formerly banana leaf, now usually styrofoam, individual offerings in a pond or stream.  On Monday night, 5 October, one day after Phan Saa, in Baan Dong Phong, near… Read full story >>>

The Nation : Nation Broadcasting Corp yesterday set its initial public offering price at Bt2.90 per share, saying it was appropriate and not too high considering the firm’s expansion plans for new media and cable TV in the future. … A brokerage source said NBC’s… Read full story >>>

I’m now on Google Wave which I’m pretty chuffed about as it is brand-spankingly new, will doubtless become very important and, for now at least, it’s something new for me to geek out on and get to grips with. As we’re still … Read full story >>>

New Thailand’s football coach Bryan Robson of England, right, is presented with a team jacket by chief adviser of the Thai Football Association Suwat Liptapallop after a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand Friday, Oct. 16, 2009. Robson, a former England captain agreed in a four-year contract to coach the Thai …

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, …

Yesterday was a big day in the history of the web. Findings from a PWC report for the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) found that online advertising spend in the UK had overtaken TV advertising spend for the first time. Online has long been heralded as the future for, well, pretty … Read full story >>>

In terms of engagement, we intend to begin a direct dialogue with Burmese authorities to lay out a path towards better relations. The dialogue will include specific discussion of democracy and human rights inside Burma, cooperation on international security issues such as nonproliferation and compliance with 1874 and 1718 , and areas that could… Read full story >>>

One of the first Thai bloggers in Thailand was Panrit “Gor” Daoruang who started back in 1997 when he was only 12 years old. He was blogging about his daily life at a time when people didn’t really know what blogs were all about. For him it started as a …

If you are interested in Thai literature, especially translations of it, then it’s a necessity to know the name of Marcel Barang. He is the world’s foremost translator of Thai fiction into English and French. Not only is he prolific, but so few do what he does, making… Read full story >>>

The BBC reports that former England captain Bryan Robson has “agreed in principle” to become the next manager of Thailand’s national football team. Robson would, of course, replace Peter Reid, a former England team-mate of his, who left the position to return to English football … Read full story >>>

Martin Petty in Reuters outlines four scenarios for the UDD rally on Saturday: [1] PROTEST TAKES PLACE, PASSES WITHOUT INCIDENT With rifts in Abhisit’s wobbly coalition deepening by the day, the “red shirts” or United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) as… Read full story >>>

The Nation : The prime minister was speaking after yellow shirted protesters clash with local villagers in Si Sa Ket on Saturday before managing to go nearer to the entrance of Preah Vihear Temple. Thai TV reported that the clash which … Read full story >>>

At the village wat we remember family who have passed on. Making offerings of food and alcohol to propitiate their spirits. The animist shrine in the temple grounds. Tribute is paid to a small laterite rock. “Tomorrow we go Ban Lamong… take food… Read full story >>>

While today is the third anniversary of the military coup, let’s celebrate with (at last !) a real Green Shoots. The Commerce Ministry has published the first figures for exports in august : -18,3 % compared to august 2008, for a total value of 13,28 billions USD. That’s an improvement compared to july (12,9 billions USD) … Read full story >>>