Thailand Stories

Thai policemen inspect identity cards at a checkpoint in outskirts of Bangkok. The Thai government has invoked a tough security law, the Internal Security Act, giving the armed forces broad powers to control an upcoming rally by supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra if necessary. (Reuters) A Thai policeman stands …

Bangkok used to be known as the Venice of the East due to its large network of canals. However, most of these have now been built over to make way for roads. One of the main canals still remaining in Bangkok is Khlong Saen Saeb which dates back to the 1830’s. It was built …

The Thai government over the past few years have been so focussed on first the yellow shirts and then the red shirts that hardly anyone has noticed the rampant increase of drug use in Thailand. It is almost getting to epidemic proportions …

I am at the airport saying goodbye to our foreign English teachers. They have been teaching at our school for the last year. In May we will be welcoming a new group of university graduates. The red shirts will be rallying in Bangkok this …

His Majesty the King receives a briefing yesterday on the situation in the country from the prime minister. Abhisit Vejjajiva was granted a private meeting with His Majesty on the 14th floor of the Chalermphrakiat building, Siriraj Hospital. (ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

The Three Pagoda Pass in the north of Kanchanaburi Province is historically important for several reasons. It was this route that Buddhism is believed to have taken when it first came to Thailand. The pass was also used by the Burmese when they invaded Thailand. I had heard about these three pagodas for a long time and…

Escorted and guarded by Thai commandoes, Maj. Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol (center), alias Seh Daeng, a supporter of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is brought to criminal court Monday, March 8, 2010, in Bangkok. Khattiya and seven associates were arrested on Saturday on charges of illegal possession of firearms. The Criminal Court on …

It has come to that time of year again to renew my work permit and visa. This allows me to stay in Thailand for another year. In the past my work permit was done by my school, but two years ago I changed …

It is probably not a good idea to venture outside at the moment if you are living in some areas of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Lumpoon, Maehongson, Nan, Phayao and Chiang Mai due to the bad air quality. You…

Thai Muslim villagers look at birds in cages during in a bird-singing contest in Yala province, about 1,100 km (683 miles) south of Bangkok March 7, 2010. About 6,000 birds took part in the competition. (Reuters) Thai Muslim villagers look at birds in cages…

I saw Dan Rivers on CNN this morning doing a piece on Thai wine. He made a comment at the end that one day it might be a real possibility that Thailand could become just as famous for it’s wine as for it’s food. I don’t buy wine that…

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 06: Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand waits with his caddie on the 18th hole during the the third round of the Maybank Malaysian Open at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club on March 6, 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Getty Images) KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - MARCH 04: Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand plays his second shot on the 15th hole during the…

They moved the prisoners and pulled down the buildings of the old prison some years ago. All that remains today are some of the watch towers and short stretches of wall. There is a plan to build a 137 meter high tower here for tourists…

A boy named Tok is the prospective inheritor of his family that has been working as comedians for generations. But something goes wrong as Tok seems not to inherit any hilarity from his family: he can make no one laugh. When Tok meets Namkaeng, the only woman who does laugh at his jokes, their…

A traffic policeman walks past a group of Bangladeshi Jumma Buddhist student monks and novices during a rally outside the United Nations building in Bangkok March 5, 2010. The monks urged the Bangladesh military and Bengali Muslim settlers to stop attacks on the Jumma indigenous people in Chittagong Hill Tracts …

Bangkok has many museums, many of them state run, but many of the better ones are privately owned like this one called House of Museums on the Western outskirts of Bangkok. The museum details the life in Thailand over 50 years ago through the private collection of Anake Nawigamune. There are toy…

A year and a half ago, I bought a pineapple from Foodland Supermarket, ripped off the stalk at the top, and then stuck it into a pot of earth. I didn’t seriously think that it would grow. But it has as you can see by this photo! - Posted from my iPhone

Just outside of Nakhon Pathom, to the West of Bangkok, there is a popular wax museum called Thai Human Imagery Museum. Though, to be precise, they are fibre glass models as I guess wax ones would melt in this heat. There are various rooms with different themes. This one shows the Kings of the Chakri Dynasty. Many of the…

A few days ago, a user called “musicxpresso” put up for sale on ebay a wanted poster for Thaksin and his wife for a mere 99 cents. The photo showed the massive banner used as the backdrop for one of the yellow shirts stages while they occupied the Government House area. However, if you read the badly worded description (obviously …

Photo provided by the Melbourne Zoo, Mali, a baby Thai elephant, walks from beneath her mother Dokkoon after a naming ceremony performed by Buddhist monks in Melbourne, Australia. Mali is Thai for jasmine and was chosen out of five possibilities derived…