Thailand Voice

Tomorrow, 2 March 2010, the Nobel Women’s Initiative is holding an International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women of Burma.  According to their website: The Nobel Women’s Initiative and the Women’s League of Burma are jointly convening this important event in New York City. Participants, and those watching the webcast, will hear the compelling testimony–for the first… Read full story >>>

This is no ordinary government. If you know how to get rid of them, tell me. But we have been fighting for a long time now and the country has been bruised as a result. We need to end it … Read full story >>>

Bloomberg reports a better 2009 for Thai Airways: Thai Airways International Pcl, the nation’s state-controlled carrier, returned to profit in 2009 after cutting costs and recording a foreign exchange gain.Net income was 7.34 billion baht ($222 million), or 4.32 baht a share, from Read full story >>>

I first heard of the Tiger Temple over 10 years ago on a TV documentary but it’s taken me this long to get around to going there. The documentary showed the temple in a good light, a few conservationists argued against it, but their argument was that tigers should be… Read full story >>>

Slice , Mundane History , A Letter to Uncle Boonmee and Lumphini 2552 will be featured in the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival , which opened for businss yesterday . Slice ( Cheun ), is a top nominee for both the Thailand National Film Association Awards and the Bangkok Critics Assembly , and… Read full story >>>

Grant Peck in AP: “Even if the assets are seized, the conflict will continue,” says Suriyasai Katasila of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, the group that has been the public face of the anti-Thaksin movement. “Thaksin will carry out his revenge against his opponents. The clashes of opinions will persist … Read full story >>>

Wa Wa Kyaw, who is the fiance of imprisoned pro-democracy activist Nyi Nyi Aung, has written an impassioned plea to the US government to help secure his release from Insein prison.  Her call for action has been published by The Wall Street Journal . Read full story >>>

As I wrote here , in the GT200 scandal, Abhisit fights against himself, inside a basket full of contradiction. -Abhisit knows that the whole story is a national shame, a scam, supported by the military -but Abhisit can’t give an order to the Army, because the real … Read full story >>>

Thais are renowned for living life at a relaxed pace. The popular phrase ‘jai yen’ (cool heart) symbolises this calm demeanour and, as Buddhists, Thais are generally known for being well mannered. Football is a different beast however as the video below from a recent game between Thai Port and Muang Thong… Read full story >>>

Chip off the old block. Read full story >>>

Aged under 35?  Know something about Asia’s economic and political challenges?  Able to offer suggestions on how to deal with them? Keen to do it in less than 800 words? East Asia Forum , part of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific blogging stable, is running a … Read full story >>>

At some stage into the future, Burma will have a civilian Government, which will face great challenges. At some stage into the future, the regional and international community will be asked to help in the rebuilding of Burma’s economic and social structures. Australia’s view… Read full story >>>

While last fortnight’s column didn’t appear online at The Nation,* this fortnight’s column is online and is about double standards. Key excerpt: In Thailand, there is a close connection between power and illegality, between social status and defiance of the law. Often, laws seem to exist precisely to allow certain people t… Read full story >>>

The time has come to reframe the great questions before Thailand and upset the forces pressing for polarisation and confrontation. Farang perspectives on individualism and hierarchy, resting as they do on emotional, psychological, intellectual and philosophical nihilism of post-modernism, offer little in the way of constructive … Read full story >>>

The Bangkok Post had the initial report: The anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship is planning to stage a rally on the main road leading to Suvarnabhumi airport next week.One of the group’s core leaders, Natthawut Saikua, yesterday said Read full story >>>

“Hello, I am Stephen Young!” “Whisper, whisper…” Note: Readers looking for some background may want to try The Nation , or its sister publication. Read full story >>>

Exiled former Chulalongkorn University academic Giles Ji Ungpakorn (for some context, a New Mandala interview with him is available here and here ) has written a provocative article about Thailand’s prospective king. Titled “Why Wachiralongkorn is not a suitable future Head of State”, the article is available here in English… Read full story >>>

Week two of my 30 day Thai language trial… The more I note the lack of sleep in the weekly reviews of my trial, the more I am getting pissed off. Insomnia has been a part of my life since my toddler days and … Read full story >>>

New Mandala readers in London and surrounding regions will be keen to hear about an upcoming event at the School of Oriental and African Studies.  As ever, if any readers are in a position to write a report on this event we would be very happy to publish it here…. Read full story >>>

I have just spent a few days at Dolphin Bay Resort where our daughter Darunee is staying with Adam and their three little girls. The bay is home to dolphins which can sometimes be seen from boat trips around the nearby Monkey Island, which in its turn is… Read full story >>>

Since the last post resulted in a number of comments, including from Nick himself, thought should alert readers to another interview Nick did recently, namely with Bangkok Dan. Key excerpt on how Nick shifted his focus to politics: [Nick] I learned about much… Read full story >>>

Wise Kwai (who else?) has the details.  Key excerpt:   After the ratings system was enacted, at least two Thai films were reportedly deemed politically sensitive and were ordered cut or re-edited. Sahamongkol's horror anthology Maha'lai Sayong Kwan (Haunted Universities) made references to students bei… Read full story >>>

Andrew Selth continues his regular stream of important Burma-related posts over at the Lowy Institute’s Interpreter . This time he takes on the thorny issue of Burma-North Korea defence ties. His focus is the potential proliferation of “Scud-type short range ballistic missiles” (SRBMs). His conclusion is worth quoting … Read full story >>>

The last week, some of the stories in the newspapers here in Thailand have been really saddening. Deaths of young children in motorbike crashes and rapes involving children. Two really sad stories involved a 2 year old boy and a 9 year old girl, … Read full story >>>

Contemporary takes on Thai proverbs… One of my (unnamed) New Year’s resolutions is to get out more. But… where? As far as I can tell, there is not one single resource listing everything going on in Bangkok. The bits are spread out everywhere. … Read full story >>>

In the cliche, ala Rambo , it is American Vietnam vets who end up fighting in Burma against the tatmadaw .  Readers of these New Mandala posts will know what I mean.  So my curiosity was piqued by a recent report that has… Read full story >>>

This year’s climate change negotiations have been something of a travelling roadshow. There have been UNFCCC talks in Bonn in June and August, the first leaders meeting of the Major Economies Forum (MEF) in L’Aquila, Italy in July, a New York summit convened by UN Secretary-General Ban… Read full story >>>

The “Times Online” has unofficially refused to comply with a request by the Thai government to hand over the controversial taped interview with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Thailand, which contained parts that are deemed lese majeste, according to the Minister to the PM’s Office Satit Wonghnongtaey… Read full story >>>

The Nation in an editorial: Unlike other party leaders, Sonthi has made the insurgency in Thailand’s Deep South one of his party’s top priorities, mainly because most of the politicians under his wing hail from there.Now that’s not to say that other political parties have been ignoring the South, it’s just… Read full story >>>

The mounting tension between Thailand and Cambodia is providing a distinctly unfriendly and unneighbourly backdrop for next month’s Southeast Asian Games in Laos, the motto for which is ‘Generosity, Amity, Healthy Lifestyle’ (see the official website here ). Of course, this is why… Read full story >>>