Loeg Khreung, the "half child"
My son is a “loeg khreung”. His name is Anoerak Karel Kuis, he was born in Chiang Kham, Phayao and is now 13 years old. I sometimes worry about his future.
Free health care for children in Thailand (video)
The Thai government has plans to provide free health care for children under the age of six. This would also apply to vaccines costing more than $30.
The poverty of wealthy Thai children
During my winter stay in Hua Hin, we regularly visited the Market Village on Phetkasem Road. It is a luxury shopping mall with shops and restaurants that focus on the wealthy Thai, tourists and expats.
Invisible children in Thailand (video)
This video is about the search of David, a young Thai man who tries to find out his origin. He was once abandoned as a foundling at the Hua Lampong train station in Bangkok. This makes him a stateless citizen in Thailand.
"Have you got a fire for me?"
The Thai department of the advertising agency Ogilvy has come up with a new anti-smoking commercial. In it, children ask smoking adults for a light, who are visibly surprised to discourage the children from ever starting the habit. Some with cigarettes still between their fingers.
Children on airplanes are often a source of annoyance
Research among airline passengers: Children in airplanes often a source of annoyance. Passengers want soundproofing measures.
Dengue fever solution in sight
The pharmaceutical company Sanofi hopes to report positive results in September 2012 of an important study among children in Thailand in the fight against (dengue) dengue fever, a painful disease that is spreading rapidly worldwide and claims victims especially among children.
Every now and then I am not over amazed at what I see in Thailand. So here's another post to get the reader's opinion.
It was a party with the Burmese children in Pakayor
The hearts of the more than sixty children of Karen (Burmese) refugees in Pakayor beat with anticipation.
Hans Goudriaan and the above signed were able to visit the Karenkinderdorp Pa Ka Yor near Pa La U again last week after months. The level in the rivers near Pa Ka Yor has been too high in recent months to be able to pass by car, but since last week this has been possible again.
The Burmese children in Pakayor are doing well
For a moment, Hans Goudriaan and I were afraid that the Thai government had intervened in the Karen refugee village of Pakayor. After all, not far from Hua Hin on the border with Burma, houses of refugees had been burned down to force them to return to their own country. In the worst case, that means death by bullet, but often before that they have to do forced labor and girls and women are raped. Reports circulated in Hua Hin that…
Family planning in Thailand
Thailand currently has a population growth of 0.57% per year and that is a good number. Although it is higher than in most European countries – for example, the Netherlands has a population growth of 0.37% – but the surrounding countries are higher than Thailand. Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam are just above 1% and an outlier is the Philippines with a population growth of close to 2%. To put it another way is…
Thai waistlines expand
Forty percent of Thai children under the age of six are overweight. In 2003 that percentage was 13,4. The culprits are known: junk food, snacks and soft drinks that contain a mountain of sugar. Young people spend about 10.000 baht on this every year. They are not or hardly aware of the risks: tooth decay and, later in life, cardiovascular disease, gout, high blood pressure and diabetes. Thais have a sweet tooth. For the past 14 years it has been…
Child prostitution in Thailand
The Thai media has paid quite a bit of attention to the various arrests that have recently taken place in connection with child prostitution in Thailand. This article deals with this highly sensitive issue and we look at some of the reasons and causes for the continued increase in child prostitution in this country. First of all, it should be noted that in the eyes of many locals and expats, the extensive media coverage of the case of Russian pianist Mikhail…
A sex slavery network has been broken up with the arrest of a Buddhist monk in Thailand. Nine young boys were rescued from the hands of the traders. The police showed images of several counterfeit pistols in the possession of the monk. According to a spokesman, the monk and another Thai man bought the boys, held them captive and forced them to have sex with Westerners. The leader of the network was sentenced to …
Help to children Karen-dorp successfully started
The start of the relief campaign for the children in the Karen village of Pakayor has been successful. No fewer than seven carpenters put a new roof on the children's home in this village of Burmese refugees in one day. The old roof was made of straw and was as leaky as a basket. The inhabitants of this village, a stone's throw from the Burmese border and 70 kilometers west of the resort of Hua Hin, have to make ends meet from …
Burmese in Thailand: they are there, but you don't see them
It's only a 60-kilometer drive west from the luxury resort of Hua Hin, but what a world of difference! No electricity here, some shabby huts and dozens of children. All from Burma, a few steps away. These Karen run the risk of being mercilessly shot by the Burmese army when they return to their own country. This is the village of the Thai Aom. At 28 years old, she has the responsibility for more…