Blogs

I think learning a new language is a bit like building a wall. Building a wall around yourself. You start with a few bricks (words) which you place around you and slowly but surely you accumulate more bricks which you … Continue reading ? Read full story > > > Written by: Martyn....
Read more »

BP has already  blogged  about the 20-year sentence given to Amphon Tangnoppakul/Uncle SMS for sending four SMS messages deemed to be lese majeste, but today comes the tragic news he has died in jail. AP :  A lawyer for a man sentenced to 20 years for sending text messages deemed insulting to the...
Read more »

Takraw is played throughout Thailand ,but I have not seen it practiced in this manner before. These guys aren’t kids,on the way out of the park I was chatting with one of the guys and he is 79 years old. I hope I can be doing half as well at that … Read...
Read more »

Suluck Lamubol 61-year-old Ampon Tangnopponkul or "Uncle SMS" who was sentenced to 20 years on lese majest? offence last November passed away this morning. He was suffering from stomach pain and sent to prison hospital last Friday, according to his lawyer, Ms. Poonsuk Poonsukcharoen. Bail request has been applied eight times and all...
Read more »

AP reports today: A Thai man in his 60s who became known as “Uncle SMS” after he was convicted of defaming Thailand’s royal family in mobile phone text messages has died while serving his 20-year prison term, his lawyer said Tuesday. The case of Amphon Tangnoppakul, a grandfather who had suffered from mouth...
Read more »

Andrew Spooner I woke up this morning to terrible news. The 62 year old Thai political prisoner? Ampon "Ah Kong" Tangnoppakul is dead. Three days ago, on the 5th of May, it was his 44th wedding anniversary and he leaves behind his wife, Pa Ou, and a large loving family. We had had...
Read more »

Earlier today it was announced that Ampon Tangnoppakul, also known as “Ar Kong”, has passed away. The 62-year-old grandfather was serving a 20 year sentence after being convicted of lese majeste for sending SMS messages. He will forever be known as “Uncle SMS”. It was always a tragic and wasteful situation. Now, with their lack of leniency...
Read more »

By Lisa Gardner A 61-year old Thai retiree and grandfather, whose twenty-year conviction under Thailand’s lese-majeste law last year drew heavy criticism from civil rights groups, has been confirmed dead today. Amphon Tangnoppakul, also known as ‘Akong’ or ‘Uncle SMS’ was… Read full story > > > Written by: Siam Voices. Discovered by:...
Read more »

Readers of New Mandala will doubtless be familiar with Nic Dunlop’s iconic photograph of the 10-metre high statues of Burma’s three warrior kings (Anawratha, Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya) which tower over the main parade ground at Naypyidaw. On a recent visit to the capital, however, the Bangkok-based author, photographer and film-maker took a picture...
Read more »

Thitinan Pongsudhirak has an op-ed at the Wall Street Journal that will get some attention, not least because the author assures readers that the royalist elite has lost the battle to defeat Thaksin Shinawatra. He begins: The Thai military, the minority Democrat Party, and monarchists clad in yellow and other colors all cannot...
Read more »

(If you can’t see the video, click here to watch it on Youtube ) Thai food is a wonderful combination of ingredients and flavors. Meals should encompass a range of tastes so every taste bud becomes alive! One of foundational dishes of Thai cuisine is … Read full story > > > Written...
Read more »

At The Nation , there is a story based on an interview with red shirt chairwoman Thida Tawornsate Tojirakarn. It is long, so PPT just mentions a couple of things that struck us as interesting. Thida doesn’t consider Thailand remotely democratic. She said that with Yingluck Shinawatra as prime minister, “Thailand is 20-per-cent democratic,...
Read more »

Between April 23-26, Bangkok University surveyed 1,180 people in Bangkok, Pathum Thai, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan the minimum wage increase. The survey deliberately asked those in professions who get the minimum wage. BP : Obviously, one cannot take the views of those in Bangkok, Pathum Thai, Nonthaburi, and Samut Prakan as reflecting the views of...
Read more »

Daily weather updates for tropical island destination Koh Samui in Thailand by long term resident Camille Lemmens Read full story > > > Written by: camillelemmens. Discovered by: ThaiBlogSearch.com
Read more »

Today’s weather; Today’s morning started out with a nice blue sky and some white fluffy clouds but it’s getting more and more cloudy around Koh Samui right now. Current temp at 7am is 26.5C The bot at Wat Plai Laem in it’s early… Read full story > > > Written by: Camille Lemmens....
Read more »

Thai Language School Review: UTL Unity Thai Language School… Review: UTL Unity Thai Language School Website: utl-school.com Address: 18th floor Times Square Building, 246 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlongtoey, Khlongtoey, Bangkok Thailand 10110 Telephone Number: 02-653-1538 Email: info@utl-school.com Location: UTL Unity is in the Times Square Building. The school is easy to get to by...
Read more »

Instagram photos usually go to waste, so I thought I'd pull a few out of my account to illustrate what I've been up to in Bangkok over the past few weeks. Safafri World in Bangkok First up, I went to Safari World . Yes, you can go on safari in Bangkok, providing you...
Read more »

I stopped out at the Sakon Nakhon Golf course on the way back into town to check the TRUE 3G signal, as it seemed not to be strong last time I was out here. This time the signal was strong and consistent. continued here: Golf Read full story > > > Written by:...
Read more »

If you have dreams of moving to Thailand before you retire or perhaps you are already living in the Land of Smiles and are sick of your day job or want to earn a bit of extra cash on the side then you might find this post useful. … Read full story >...
Read more »

There are often lengthy debates among foreigners about the downsides of being an outsider in Asia, but I think I've found something that will turn the tables on the whole double-pricing debacle. Check this out: Hong Kong Dating Yes that's right. On Saturday, for just HK$4,800 (US$620), the native ladies of Hong Kong...
Read more »

As I just found a nice word cloud creator , I have done the word cloud for this feed. Not sure how many of the nearly 1000 posts were included, but seems like province, district, municipality and subdistrict are quite prominent terms here – well, not really surprising. Read full story > >...
Read more »

“There is a mystery at the heart of reality and I want to snuggle up to it.” I wrote those gnomic words eight years ago in a stab at an autobiography. Now I am interrogating my old writings to rediscover my metaphysical self, the … Read full story > > > Written by:...
Read more »

If the meeting between Yingluck Shinawatra and three of her deputies has caused angst for red shirts, then it has also confused the political opposition. In The Nation , the ever-grinning People’s Alliance for Democracy co-leader Chamlong Srimuang, who was once a secretary to General Prem Tinsulanond when Prem was prime minister, has...
Read more »

Chaturon Chaisaeng, one of the 111 former Thak Rak Thai executives due to be “freed” towards the end of this month after a five-year ban, isn’t quite sure whether he will become a Cabinet member under Yingluck 3. But for him, one thing is clear: Pheu Thai Party can’t… Read full story >...
Read more »

Green cities are those urban areas in which serious attempts are being made to  reduce carbon emissions and, therefore, to fight climate change. It is much  easier to do this in modern cities with efficient governance systems and much  more difficult to do it in large, disorganized … Read full story > >...
Read more »

Apichatpong’s Mekong Hotel screens on May 18 . With the only Thai film in the Cannes Film Festival’s official selection, Mekong Hotel by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, screening on May 18, the Thai film industry and government officials want to celebrate with their annual Thai Night, set for that Friday night in the Grand Salon at the...
Read more »

In this edition of Middle Aged Muay Thai I disucss my experiences learning Muay Boran. Watch the YouTube Video here or the listen to the podcast below. Read full story > > > Written by: paulgarr. Discovered by: ThaiBlogSearch.com
Read more »

asdasfsaf Read full story > > > Written by: Chang Noi. Discovered by: ThaiBlogSearch.com
Read more »

  Sakon FC  2012  Home Games   Losses   Wins  Date Opponent Score February 18, 5pm Nong Khai   4-1 February 25, 5pm Udon Thani   3-1 March       4, 5pm Sisaket   2-1 March     10, 5pm Ubon Thani  1-1 March     18, 4:30 Mahasarakham   4-0 March     24, 5pm Roi Et   7-1...
Read more »

We all know about all the changes happening in Burma these days. But there’s one issue that I haven’t seen get much attention, and that I figure is worthy of some closer monitoring. It may tell us something useful about political change.  Over the years I have accumulated a pretty big collection of...
Read more »