Thailand Stories

This is a picture of some Thai puppets on sale at a temple in Chiang Mai. I bought two of them which now hang on the wall at my house. They always seem to look better in the shop. But, I guess that is because there are so many

A member of staff demonstrates to tourists how to catch a Yellow-striped Rat snake at the snake farm in Thailand’s Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute in Bangkok. The farm serves as an educational organisation to provide better understanding about snakes, according to…

Abhisit Vejjajiva, Prime Minister of Thailand, pauses before speaking during a session ‘Toward an East Asian Community’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Saturday Jan. 30, 2010. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.ThaiPhotoBlogs.com .

The first time I watched horse polo was in Gilgit in Pakistan. I always thought that it was only played in the Indian sub-continent and by the old colonial powers. I didn’t realize that Thailand also has an active polo team. Apparently polo was …

I came across this group of Hilltribe children at the Golden Triangle in Northern Thailand. I sat and watched for a while as coachloads of tourists arrived to have their pictures taken at this attraction which borders three countries. Naturally, all of the tourists wanted their pictures taken with these cute…

Kayasit Pissawongprakan, Director General of the Office of the Thai Attorney General, center, is surrounded by reporters after a news conference at his office in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Jan. 29, 2010. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban refused on comment on the pending decision by public prosecutors to drop all charges related the arms smuggling case from North Korea while …

The central province of Suphan Buri, about 107 kilometers from Bangkok by car, is holding its major cultural event, “Don Chedi Memorial and Red Cross Fair,” from now until February 1. The two-week fair takes place in the Don Chedi Memorial compound in Don Chedi district. This annual event…

Late last year I was invited to witness an emergency exercise at Suvarnabhumi International Airport near Bangkok. They were simulating a lightning strike against ground staff who were refuelling an aircraft. Everything was done in real time. As you can see from the storm clouds, their visual effects were quite

Middle ranked soldiers led by Col. Apirat Kongsompong, third left, talks during a gathering with other soldiers at a military barrack in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. The soldiers gather to show their support to Army Commander in Chief Gen. Anupong Paochinda and express opposition to key supporter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Maj. Gen…

One of the amazing sights in Pattaya is this gigantic wooden palace which dominates the landscape alongside the sea. The highest point reaches 105 meters high. Practically every inch, both inside and outside is covered with exquisite wooden carvings. It has taken them years to build and it is…

A Thai military personnel secures the gates of the office of Thailand’s army chief in central Bangkok. (Reuters) A Thai soldier checks the weapon of a fellow soldier as he stands guard outside the Bangkok army base, housing the office of army commander-in-chief, General Anupong Paochinda, January 27, 2010. (Reuters) More Thailand pictures…

Title: Dtaai Hohng Director: Poj Anon, Thanwarin Sukhaphisit, Chartchai Ketnust, Manuss Worasing Starring: Mai Charoenpura, Akara Amarttayakul, Supaksorn Chaimongkol, Sattawat Sethakorn Release Date in Thailand: 28 January 2010 Adapted from thrilling headlines on newspapers, this omnibus film consists of 4 short shocking stories of death and horror. To see the pictures, movie trailer and reviews, please click…

In front of the Ministry of Defence in Bangkok there is an open air museum of ancient cannons. What is most interesting here are not the guns themselves, but the fact that in 2004 someone decided it wasn’t a good idea to have the guns pointing directly at the…

Students wearing tiger masks march to a market during a campaign to create local awareness on tiger conservation in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin January 26, 2010. Tiger numbers have fallen by more than 70 percent in slightly more than a decade in the Greater Mekong, with…

I think one of the first phrases I learned when I arrived in Thailand was “gin khao reu yung?” This is a phrase that asks if you have eaten yet but is really more of a greeting than an inquiry. They are not really interested in when you had your last meal. If you dissect …

I had to drive down a number of side roads until I found this important monument seemingly in the middle of no-where. It is dedicated to the memory of the brave soles of Bangrajan who heroically fought off the Burmese invaders…

Hollywood film director Oliver Stone arrives at the New International School of Thailand in Bangkok January 25, 2010. Stone is in Thailand to promote peace through film-making. (Reuters) Hollywood film director Oliver Stone stands with students at the New International School of Thailand in Bangkok January 25, 2010. (Reuters) More Thailand pictures can be found at www.

This large Reclining Buddha can be found at Wat Khun Inthapramun in Angthong Province in Central Thailand. It is 50 meters long. Some guidebooks mistakenly say that it is the longest in Thailand. However, I know one at Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang in Samut Prakan that is 53 meters. This Reclining Buddha is believed to …

The Chinese people of Samrong in Samut Prakan Province believe that their God Jao Por Tap will help them get rich. Behind Imperial World, on the old Paknam Railway Road, they have built a large Chinese shrine dedicated to this God. Every year, on the last Sunday of January, they hold a parade through town which is attended …

In this March 13, 2009, file photo a Cambodian soldier looks at the Thai border through binoculars from an entrance of Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple near the Cambodian-Thai border, about 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Cambodia’s military says its troops have clashed briefly with Thai soldiers along a disputed border area…