My Thai wife and I spend more and more time outside of Thailand and though she’s acclimated pretty well to the changes, the one thing that she always misses (besides really, really, really spicy Thai food and her family) is television shows from Thailand. Her English is good enough to watch farang television but what …
If you don’t live in the Kingdom, you might get the impression that since the red-shirt protests reached their violent conclusion four months ago things have settled down to stability and normalcy. Well, “normal” and “stable” are often relative concepts in Thailand, but this week has seen a number of events pop up that show …
So we bid farewell to the first month of 2010. Here in Thailand that means that the tourists numbers will begin to trickle off and the temperatures (and humidity) will begin rising daily over the next few months. But for those of us living here, we may not even need to wait until Songkran to …
Every time the ante gets upped in this ongoing struggle between the reds and yellows someone inevitably says that Thaksin has crossed the point of no return. But this is Thailand so just when you think you’ve seen it all, boom!, something even more surprising happens. Thanksin has been taking pot shots at the government, …
Thanksin Crosses the Point of No Return . . . . Again. Really This Time Read More »
An interesting OpEd piece in The Nation from Tulsathit Taptim. Even though Thaksin Shinawatra may be laughing, there is no winner after the Pattaya infamy Pattaya will lose billions of baht. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has lost his face, and his job is under greater threat. To other Thais, Songkran has been pretty much spoiled. …
I certainly don’t wish anyone hard times or any sort of financial despair but let’s face it, what I write isn’t really going to make a difference whether or not it actually happens. All I can do is speculate on what happens if government predictions hold true and tourist numbers are cut in half in …
As much as I would love to focus on just the fun Pattaya has to offer, it’s getting pretty difficult to ignore what’s happening to this country. Thailand increasingly feels like it’s being ripped apart. Hundreds to thousands of people daily are protesting in Bangkok’s streets against the government and, now, the national police. Prime …
Thailand’s Coming ‘Inflation Tsunami’ Threatens to Wash Away Decade of Growth Read More »
Let me echo the words of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, “If you don’t help to make democracy move forward, it will be the country’s downfall.” These words first uttered in April of 2006 and repeated by the king several times since were aimed at the judiciary branch of the government. King Bhumibol seems to be a …
Could This Be A Turning Point In Thailand’s Future? Read More »
On pretty much any morning in Jomtien Beach, you can take an early stroll on the beach and find it carpeted with garbage. On Pattaya Beach, schools of dead fish and jellyfish have been washing up on shore for the past several weeks. Even seas off of Pattaya’s Near Islands are lime green and frothing …
Overdevelopment Killed Pattaya, Phuket; Is Koh Chang Next? Read More »
I’m not sure if Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan has been mainlining rice extract but I have to ask after reading this: Mingkwan said the continuing trend would help turn Southeast Asia into a prosperous region, comparable even with the Middle East. First let’s overlook the fact that Mingkwan has not sung …