This story is about the relationship between city and countryside at the end of the sixties of the last century and perhaps even relevant to today. A group of idealistic student 'volunteers' leaves for a village in Isan to bring 'development' there. A young girl from the village tells what happened and how it ended. How beautiful ideals do not always bring improvement.
'Michigan Test' – A short story by Wanit Jarungkit-anan
This story is about the desire of many Thai students to continue their studies, mainly in the United States, in the period after 1960, known as the 'American Era'. This affected up to around 6.000 Thai students annually. When they returned to Thailand, they had often changed in many ways, gained a different view of Thai society, but also increased their chances of getting a good job. But how do you prepare yourself for such a big step? How do you arrange all the necessary documents? And should you actually go?
This short story is set in 1975 when right-wing groups chanted “Kill the communists!” opened the attack on protesting farmers, workers and students. The writer experienced this personally.
Dissidents in Thailand: to what extent are they helping to change Thailand for the better?
A dissident is an individual or group that opposes prevailing political, religious or social views or policies and seeks to change them. Thailand had many dissidents in its history. What were they able to accomplish?
Gender equality in Thailand is still lacking
In the run-up to International Women's Day on March 8, the Bangkok Post wrote in a recent editorial about the continuing serious lack of gender equality in Thailand.
On Tuesday, February 13, two journalists were arrested and briefly detained for reporting on graffiti on the outside wall of Wat Phra Kaew last March. A few demonstrators had written the anarchist symbol (an A within an O) with a crossed-out number 112, the lese majeste article, behind it. "We were just doing our job," photographer Nattaphon Phanphongsanon told reporters.
Education Minister: Thailand can learn a lot from North Korea about discipline and loyalty
Education Minister Permpoon Chidchob continues to receive a barrage of negative comments, more than three weeks after he expressed admiration for some aspects of North Korea's education system.
My favorite Thai writer is Khamsing Srinawk. Here I give a brief introduction to his life and work
In recent years, 14 short stories by Khamsing Srinawk have appeared on this beautiful Thailand blog, partly translated by Erik Kuijpers and partly by the undersigned. Most of these stories were published between 1958 and 1973, a time of great change in Thai society, with two stories written in 1981 and 1996.
Will the progressive Move Forward Party be disbanded?
That chance is high. The Constitutional Court recently ruled that the Move Forward Party's (MFP) push to reform Article 112 of the Criminal Code is an attempt to overthrow the constitutional monarchy. This could well lead to a ban on this party, which won a majority of 2023 seats in parliament in the 151 elections, but failed to form a government due to negative votes from the 150-member Senate appointed by the previous Prayut government. The Pheu Thai Party, with 141 seats in parliament, formed the government, previously an opponent but now part of the elite.
Six years ago I wrote a story about Srisuwan Janya on this blog (see the link: https://www.thailandblog.nl/Background/thailands-meest-kende-lastpak/). He has been fighting corruption by filing charges for a long time. It concerned political issues, official problems and business abuses. Now he has been accused of extortion himself.
The Thai police unmasked
A murder a few days ago in Sa Kaeo province has caused quite a stir due to the scandalous approach of the police. This is not an isolated event. The best way I can tell the story is by translating an editorial from the Bangkok Post, see source below. Unfortunately, as the editorial also states, this is not an isolated event.
The fears of Thai people
Research by Suan Dusit revealed the ten biggest fears of the Thai people, ranging from environmental issues to economic uncertainties. This in-depth overview, based on a survey of 1.273 people in 2018, offers a rare glimpse into the concerns within Thai society. Each problem raised is accompanied by a proposed solution, which you can judge for yourself.
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a great Buddhist philosopher
Buddhadasa was an influential Buddhist philosopher who made Buddhism understandable for everyday life. Temples, monks and rituals are not necessary to lead a good life and achieve nibbana (salvation), he argued.
Dara Rasami, an influential woman between two kingdoms
Dara Rasami (1873-1933) was a princess of the Chet Ton dynasty of Lan Na (Chiang Mai) kingdom. In 1886, King Chulalongkorn of the Kingdom of Siam (Bangkok area) asked for her hand in marriage. She became quite a consort among the other 152 wives of King Chulalongkorn and played an important role in the later merging of Siam and Lan Na into present-day Thailand. She was actively involved in cultural, economic and agricultural reform after her return to Chiang Mai in 1914.
Violence in Thai schools
There is frequent violence in Thai schools, both physical, psychological and sexual. Little is done about this. My son attended Thai primary education for 8 years. Several times a year the teacher would tell him แบมือ bae muu (low, mid tone) “Hold up your hand!” and then he received a good slap on the palm. Often he didn't know why. This happened much more often with other students. I taught English for free at a monk school for a few years. One day I saw a large group of monks in the middle of the schoolyard. Two kneeling, bare-chested novices were beaten by three monks while half the school watched.
Literacy and Libraries in Ancient Siam
How was the literacy of the Siamese in ancient times? What do we know about that? Not very much I'm afraid, but let me try to say something about it. And something about libraries and a bibliophile monk.
Marriage migration to Denmark, the story of Aphinya
Tino Kuis translated a penetrating and personal story by Aphinya Jatuparisakul about marriage migration. The writer lives in Copenhagen and wrote a piece in response to the film 'Heartbound' by Sine Plambech and Janus Metz, about Thai-Danish marriages and the migration of Thai women.