Stories from Quick Reads and Thailand
Preserving Historic Thai Films
The Thai Film Archive has been uploading historic films and vintage news reports on YouTube. One of the films is Chok Song Chun (Double Luck), which is Thailand's first feature silent film produced in 1927. Only 55 seconds of the film have remained featuring a fight scene and car chase....
Infographic Shows Thailand Junta Arrested Hundreds in the Past Year for Criticizing the Government
The free speech advocate iLaw uploaded an infographic which showed that 166 people have been arrested in the past year in Thailand for expressing an opinion against the military-backed government. The army grabbed power in May 2014 but it vowed to restore civilian rule and conduct free elections next year....
More than 200 Academics Sign Statement Supporting Anti-Junta Professor in Thailand
More than 200 academics from all over the world have signed a statement expressing support to historian and college professor Dr Somsak Jeamteerasakul who was recently fired by Thammasat University. The Thai scholar, who has been teaching for two decades, is critical of the junta government which grabbed power last...
Video Animation Explains How Principle of “Free Prior and Informed Consent” Can Empower Indigenous Peoples
The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact has uploaded a video animation explaining the principle of “Free prior and informed consent” or how communities should have the right to decide for the development of their lands.
Sexual Abuse of Children in Tourism in Southeast Asia
The Project Childhood Prevention Pillar, an initiative of the Australian government, has released a study about the prevalence of sexual abuse of children in the Southeast Asian region. It cited social factors such as “poverty and marginalisation, as well as lack of family support, education, opportunity, and protective factors” for...
What the Thai Junta Should Learn from the Burmese Junta
Aung Zaw of The Irrawaddy compares and contrasts the Thai junta and the military-backed govenrment of Myanmar: The Thai army has carried out more than a dozen coups in past decades, but always relinquished power to a civilian government after a number of years. The Burma Army staged two coups,...
Roots of Conflict in Southern Thailand
Patrick Jory traces the history of the conflict in southern Thailand and probes the causes and impact of naming it as an Islamic insurgency: The answer can be found in the suppression of official references to the distinct ethnic Malay identity of the population of the border provinces, in favour...
Barbie Dolls in Thai Traditional Clothes
Barbie dolls dressed in traditional Thai clothes pic.twitter.com/8izclnezSS — Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) March 8, 2014 Richard Barrow posted a Twitter photo of Barbie dolls dressed in Thailand's traditional clothes
UNICEF Calls for “Child-Free” Protests in Thailand
After a grenade explosion killed three children in an anti-government protest site in Bangkok, the United Nations Children’s Fund urged government and protest leaders to protect children by keeping them away from protests. Bijaya Rajbhandari, the UNICEF Representative in Thailand, made this appeal: (The UNICEF) condemns the violence that resulted...
‘Bizarre’ Thailand Elections
Thai writer Aim Sinpeng describes the recent election in Thailand as one of the most bizarre in the country's history: The February 2 election in Thailand was not only one of the most bizarre, but also “pointless” elections in recent memory. “Missing” polling stations, locked up ballot boxes, an M16...
No Winners in Thailand Elections?
Chris Baker analyzed election statistics in Thailand and concluded that there are no clear winners in the elections: My overall impression is that nobody won. If full data are every released, Pheu Thai (ruling party) will probably have won a majority of the seats. But the party cannot have won...
Day 3 of ‘Bangkok Shutdown’ Campaign
Stickman Bangkok posted photos and crowd updates of day 3 of the ‘Bangkok Shutdown’ campaign. Forget what I said about dwindling numbers. Wednesday night saw at least as many supporters out as Monday. These are the sorts of scenes you can expect in downtown Bangkok if you are out and...
One Year in Asia
Antoine Lavenant, with his girlfriend spent a year in Asia – China, Laos, Cambodia, Thaïland, Malaysia, Philippines and Sri Lanka. The video is a brief record of their exciting journey.
Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia
The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development has published a policy briefer that tackled the extent of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. Many Southeast Asian countries are at the bottom of a lot of the world's supply chains, including for food, garments, and technology. Yet few countries in...
Bangkok has the Most-Instagrammed Location of 2013
The Siam Paragon, a popular shopping complex in Bangkok, Thailand is the ‘most-Instagrammed’ location of 2013. Suvarnabhumi International Airport, also in Bangkok, was ranked ninth in the list. Not surprisingly, Bangkok is second ‘most-Instagrammed city’ in the world this year.
Causes of Bangkok Road Accidents
Interestingly, the Bangkok police in Thailand claims that 30 percent of road accidents is caused by ‘unroadworthy cars’ while speeding only accounts for 5 percent of accidents. Writer Thitipol Panyalimpanun notes that in most countries, traffic accidents are blamed on driver error and not on vehicles.
Insulting a Dead King is a Crime in Thailand
David Streckfuss cites a Thailand Supreme Court ruling about a Lese Majeste (anti-royal insult law) case which upheld the verdict against a citizen who reportedly defamed a dead king: Although the [defamatory] action was against a past king who had already passed on, it is still a violation….The defamation of...
Thailand Shark Conservation Project
The Thailand eShark Project was launched in light of the reported 95 percent drop in shark sightings in Thailand. The Thailand eShark Project results will be used to bring awareness to declining shark populations in Thailand. Additionally to help improve protected marine park enforcement and reinforce the importance of no...
Phuket-themed Stamps in Thailand
Mark Jochim features Thailand stamps that showcase the beauty and culture of Phuket, a popular island tourism destination. Interestingly, he notes that Phuket-themed stamps do not include the famous beaches of Phuket.
Online Reporting of Bribery in Thailand
Bribespot Thailand encourages Thais to report cases of bribery and corruption in the country. Through an interactive map, the website also identifies bribery hotspots in Thailand.
An Undeniably Racist Song, ‘Asian Girlz’ Sparks Controversy
Packed with Asian stereotypes and fetishes, song ‘Asian Girlz’ by ‘Day Above Ground’ has invited controversy and angry comments. Blogger Angry Asian Man typed down the entire lyrics to comment [if they have not] ‘run out of stereotypical Oriental stuff to list off, the song would have gone on for another ten minutes”. The...