Red shirts in Loei: Bangkok is not Thailand
In a restaurant in Loei, 520 km from Bangkok, red shirts gather every morning to discuss the political situation. Bangkok Post speaks with two older red shirts. Bangkok is not Thailand. The voice of the people of Bangkok is not the voice of the country.'
Statement: 'Thai society is changing much faster and more fundamentally than we think'
'Thai society is changing rapidly and fundamentally' is this week's statement. Especially in the countryside and in the villages, the inhabitants are becoming more assertive. Is this development mainly positive or perhaps also negative? Respond to the statement.
Due to a lack of resources and facilities in rural areas, more and more Thais are at risk of sinking into deep poverty, warned Mr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Secretary General of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB).
Rural doctors are rioting against performance pay
The rural doctors are rioting against the Ministry of Health's plan to halve their inconvenience allowance and replace it with a performance-based payment.
'Something is wrong with one in three children'
Juvenile delinquency and the number of teenage pregnancies have increased by half in 5 years. School dropout rates are high in rural areas. A social time bomb is ticking in Thailand.
Meanwhile, in the countryside
As a self-proclaimed urbanite, I rarely leave the city. The days when I venture outside the city limits are rare and never without compelling reason.
News from Thailand – March 13, 2012
Taxi fares are not going up for the time being, says the director general of the Land Transport Department. That is not necessary as long as PTT Plc gives the drivers a discount on gas
Thaksin's propaganda machine
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra lives more or less in exile to avoid his imposed prison sentence. Belonging to one of the richest people in Thailand, he will definitely live a luxurious life there and he will want for nothing.
Gentleman farmer in Thailand?
Know a farmer in Thailand who owns about 100 rai of land. In many countries you would be well off with such a property, but not in Thailand. The large landowner in question has hardly anything to gain financially and does not earn the salt in the porridge with the proceeds. You would think that the harvest from such an area would have to fetch a few pennies. Apparently not, and…