Thailand Stories

BANGKOK, THAILAND – APRIL 13: Red shirt anti-government protesters celebrate the first of three days of Songkran New Year festival amid the political turmoil of weeks of protests and more recently, clashes with the Thai military, at Ratchaprasong on April 13, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand’s foreign minister Kasit Piromya ruled out any immediate…

After all the bad news in Thailand over the past few weeks, it is finally good that we can relax and enjoy one of the Kingdom’s most popular festivals. Songkran is the traditional Thai new year which is held every year between 13-15 April. As it is in…

I was up early this morning to come here to take pictures of the merit making event for Songkran in Paknam. Every year, local people start the Thai new year by making merit. This is a picture of the main road through…

This week sees the celebration for the start of the traditional Thai new year. From the 13th-15th April, Thai people will be dressing up in new clothes and visiting the local temple to make merit and to their grandparents in order to receive blessings. Afterwards, the youngsters will be out on the street taking part in the …

These are some of the pictures of the Songkran activities that I will be joining in Samut Prakan this week. As you can see there is a lot going on during the traditional Thai new year and not all of them are to do with water throwing! Though, of course…

An elephant sprays water on tourists during the Songkran festival on Khao San road in Bangkok April 12, 2010. The Songkran festival marks the start of the new year in the traditional Thai calendar. (Reuters) Tourists spray water on each other during the Songkran festival on…

You can trust the Thais to carry on with their festivals despite the troubles in Bangkok. The evening of Saturday 10th April 2010 was a dark day in the history of Thailand with at least 21 people killed in running street battles between the Thai army and red shirt protesters. I was there earlier in the day (see my …

I think only in Amazing Thailand would they put on a Songkran Parade the morning after a massacre. But that is what they are doing now in Samut Prakan. At least 15 if not more died in bloody street battles last night between the Thai army …

I am not sure about you but it is getting a bit boring with all the news about the red shirt protests. So, how about some fun pictures of children playing Songkran? While the adults in Bangkok are waging war against each…

I am at the Songkran celebration at Sriwittayapaknam school. The summer school students are marking the start of the traditional Thai new year. About 25 monks from a local temple were invited to the school so that the students and parents could make merit by offering food. Tables were set …

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) invites foreign visitors to join the Thai people in celebrating the Thai New Year festivities between 13-15 April 2010, in Bangkok and major provinces nationwide. In true Thai style, the “Songkran Splendours 2010” will be marked with great fun in the Thai capital as well as in the popular tourist provinces of Chiang…

I recently visited Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan for their Guan Yin Festival. The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara represents the spirit of compassion and is highly revered among the Chinese and other nations such as India, Tibet, Korea and Japan. The events at Ancient Siam started with paying respect to the female image at…

I am at a press conference at Muang Boran. They are showing the media the events that they have planned for this Songkran. The people at Ancient Siam always put on a good show for the media. There is always delicious food too. During the month of Songkran they…

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 …

Even for those who have never stepped a foot in the Land of Noodle Soup & Nose Jobs, chances are they’ve heard some classic Thailand myth worthy of an editorial column in the most sensational European tabloid. So worthy actually, that some of these urban legends have surfaced in such papers. But if you don’t read one…

It is that time of year again when we do a quick review of the past year. Today I am going to look back at some of the more popular news photos from Thailand on our sister blog www.thaiphotoblogs.com . One of the most …

One of the most spectacular cultural shows in Bangkok is undoubtedly at Siam Niramit: Journey to the Enchanted Kingdom of Siam. So many people had been talking about it on the Paknam Web Forums that I thought that I should make an effort to go and see it for myself. It is a big show…

I moved to Chiang Mai the day before loy krathong four years ago – I always think of this holiday as my anniversary. Chiang Mai is famous for going way over the top with parades and holidays, loy krathong probably being second only to the week-…

One of my favourite festivals in Thailand is undoubtedly Luang Phor Pan Worshipping Festival in Bang Bo District of Samut Prakan. I went last year for the first time and had no idea what to expect. There were so many surprises that I had a really…

People are already planning their holidays in Thailand for 2010 and so we thought we would help out by letting you know the dates of the main events and holidays. I know so many people keep asking “When is Loy Krathong in 2010?”. The answer is below. 1…