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When did Immigration become a madhouse? - April 7, 2009
We had not been to the Soi Suan Phlu for many years. In the past (perhaps before 2000?), immigration was slow and sleepy, but one rarely had to wait more than an hour to get anything done and it was rarely crowded. Today it is jammed packed, humid, and smelly--not to mention a fire hazard for human egress.
A thread on this subject is here
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)'In Thailand, the Law of the Jungle Prevails' - Spiegel Online, April 20, 2009
[Thanks to Nils for pointing this out.]
In a SPIEGEL interview, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the governor of Bangkok and a cousin of the king, condemns former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and criticizes the Thai Army. He says he is deeply concerned about the state of Thailand and the future of the monarchy...
(Source: Undated postcard)Phan Fa Bridge - April 18, 2009
Other views of Phan Far Bridge are here.
(Source: Vintage photo)Above: "Siamese lady and child," circa the 1890s
People - April 4, 2009
(Source: Vintage photo)Above: "Siamese women," circa the 1890s
(Source: Unknown)Above: "2 Siamese youth," date unknown
(Source: Undated postcard)Above: "Laos Lady of Rank," date unknown
Thai, Cambodian troops clash near disputed temple - Reuters, April 3, 2009
Thai and Cambodian soldiers exchanged rocket and small arms fire on a disputed stretch of their border on Friday, the latest flare-up in a long-running feud over a 900-year-old Hindu temple...Want to play monk? Fork over $700 - Global Post, April 30, 2009
Drawing Buddhism-curious foreigners to a Thai temple through Facebook...
[Thanks to Nils for pointing this out.]In Thailand, Russian buyers have ‘disappeared’ - New York Times, April 2, 2009
Thai 'gangster' insult a matter of definition, say Bangkok officials - Phnom Penh Post, April 2, 2009
Thai foreign minister says he intended to praise Hun Sen as ‘sportsmanlike" and "big-hearted"...
(Source: Undated postcard)Above: Farmers returning home
Old photos - April 18, 2009
(Source: Vintage photo)Above: Thai man, 1860
A thread about this man is here
(Source: Vintage photo)Above: King's bodyguard, 1926
Disturbing details in Thai blaze inquiry - BBC News, April 4, 2009
...Under a new law passed at the end of 2007, all public buildings have to be inspected for safety, and of the nearly 6,000 in Bangkok, around half have already been checked.
But according to the BMA, none of those was a pub or nightclub - and even then, only 200 buildings passed their inspection.
"If you go to a nightclub in Bangkok, and you want to be safe, always check where the exit is, and stay close to it," says Prasong Tharachai, from the Engineering Institute of Thailand.
Improving fire safety would not be expensive, he argues. He hopes that after the Santika tragedy that will now happen.
But Chuwit Kamolvisit doubts it ever will. "We prefer things to be informal," he said. "That is the Thai style..."Thailand analysis: 'land of smiles' becomes land of lies - Daily Telegraph, April 5, 2009
Zeppelin/Blimp in Nonthaburi? - Koen, April 7, 2009
Update: Mud notes: AirShip Asia - It seems that has been seen was the AKRA Skyway - Mobile Airship with two seats - AK-34P...
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)Bangkok torture bus stop - April 9, 2009
These new metal bus stop seats have a convex seating surface that is unbelievably uncomfortable to sit on.
Don notes: Those bus-stop benches aren't new. They've been around for years...
(Photo: Sadortu)The Maesod-Tak Road is closed - April 4, 2009
The sign reads: The Maesod-Tak Road is closed - Use this lane to go to TakSadortu explains: This is the continued story of the corn growing farmers’ protest blockading the Maesod-Tak Road. The protest caused the trade activities at the border to halt for half the day. The protest is aimed at calling the government to help monitor the price of farming corn product price. This time the pictures received are not the mob activities but shows the results of the road blockade that cause passengers on the Maesod-Tak Road turn to use the Maesod –Mae Ramad and Ban Tak lane to Paholyothin Road to Tak province. [The road has since reopened.]
Thailand insists on calling Preah Vihear temple as Pra Viharn - Xinhua, April 8, 2009
Thailand has insisted on naming the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple as "Pra Viharn" in accordance with its Thai...Thai teenager is one of the tallest in the world - April 15, 2009
Thanks to Nils for pointing this out.The tallest teenagers in the world - Telegraph, April 9, 2009
...Another of the teenagers to appear in the documentary is 17-year-old Thai Malee Duangdee. At 6ft 10in she is the tallest girl in the world. Her stature is due to a tumour on her pituitary gland which makes her body produce too much growth hormone. Malee had two unsuccessful operations to remove the tumour and her only hope is a tumour-shrinking drug which her father, a poorly paid labourer, cannot afford.
In Thailand, 360 km east of Bangkok, Thailand's state of Tor - YouTube
A Japanese TV report from 2006, when she was 14 years old and 207 cm (6ft 9.5in). If you listen closely, you can hear the commentator saying that she is from Trat province ("Toratu") at 0:05 into the video...
Superhuman - ITV, April 8, 2009
...Craig Glenday, editor of the Guinness World Records book, travels from London to Bangkok to verify a possible new world record. 17-year-old Malee Duangdee has found it hard to be accepted because of her height. Her father tells the programme: “When she walked down the street many people called her a giant and laughed at her.”
Malee says: “So many times I ask myself why? I sit in front of the mirror and cry. Why am I not the same as other people.” Malee’s height is caused by a tumour on her pituitary gland, a condition which could be fatal. She desperately needs expensive drugs and the fame of holding a Guinness World Record may bring the money her family needs for her treatment.
Teeny whoppers - The Sun, April 8, 2009
...MALEE DUANGDEE, 17, 6ft 10in, now tallest girl in the world. BEST THING: “Getting the money I need to have medical treatment.” WORST THING: “Being teased and being worried about my health.” With the average height of a woman in Thailand less than 5ft 2in, Malee really does stand out. Her amazing stature is due to a tumour on her pituitary gland which makes her body produce too much growth hormone...
(Photo: Graham)"Gay-Cut" - April 18, 2009
The Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project - April, 2009
Photos of old theaters in this corner of the world...Zack and Miri make a porno banned by National Film Board - The Nation, April 21, 2009
..."The screening of this film may encourage copycats here," Culture Ministry permanent secretary Vira Rojpojchanarat said Tuesday.
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)Pipe delivery - April 30, 2009
The swine flu crisis lays bare the meat industry's monstrous power - Guardian, April 27, 2009
...Just as Bangkok-based chicken giant Charoen Pokphand was able to suppress enquiries into its role in the spread of bird flu in southeast Asia, so it is likely that the forensic epidemiology of the swine flu outbreak will pound its head against the corporate stonewall of the pork industry...Let's go to Thailand so we can drink! - San Jose Mercury News, April, 2009
I'm always amused when an organization within a city or nation is moved to create some representative cocktail of place. I wonder where this nearly universal impulse to have a signature drink to call one's own arises from. Is it out of jealousy? Desperation? Nationalistic thirstiness?...'Etiquette guide' for Thai monks - BBC News, April 27, 2009
A Buddhist preacher in Thailand has announced plans for new guidelines aimed at curbing the flamboyant behavior of gay and transgender monks...Thai family's family ties - Roanoke Times, April, 2009
The US Embassy in Bangkok seems to have a hard time believing that Thai native Piya Thongprasertseree is indeed the brother of a 50-year-old Vinton...Thai golf star cracks world top 50 - TODAYonline, April 27, 2009
This handout picture shows Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand in action during the Barclays Singapore Open Pro Am event at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, 2008. Thongchai's victory at the Ballantine's Championship saw him crack the world's top 50 and qualify for next week's lucrative Players Championship in the United States...Manchester City's fortunes wane and wax in tale of two billionaires - Guardian, April, 2009
...Few at City doubt that Thaksin used the club to boost his own standing in Thailand. Thai dignitaries were entertained at matches and the City team taken on a tour of the country – for which, the accounts show, £47,912 was paid for PR services to a company owned by Thaksin's son, Panthongtae Shinawatra. Thaksin's own total contribution has been itemised: £17.5m to pay off Wardle and Makin's £20m loans, and he also lent the club £21m, at annual interest rates of up to 11.83%...Bangkok beats London in carbon pollution - Reuters, April 22, 2009
