American television has managed to extend its normal offensive material from domestic viewers to Thailand’s very own Ministry of Culture. In a recent Saturday Night Live sketch poking fun at the learn-the-language product Rosetta Stone, sordid gentlemen were depicted as trying to learn Thai in order to solicit prostitutes. Thai…
Full Article THAILAND: Saturday Night Live Faces A Tough CrowdCategory: Thailand
CHINA: Better Brace Yourself!
Fake it til’ you make it. Teens in Asia are taking that concept literally as they apply fake braces on their teeth as a fashion trend. This curious fad first started in Southeast Asia, and it is now taking Asia by storm, making its way into many Chinese teenagers’ mouth.…
Full Article CHINA: Better Brace Yourself!THAILAND: Less Majesty for Foreign Journalists
Andrew MacGregor Marshall- author of the Zenjournalist blog, former Reuter’s staffer and an internationally respected journalist – has never been one to jeopardize his integrity to appease the status quo. And so we have the case with his quarrel with the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT). This club has…
Full Article THAILAND: Less Majesty for Foreign JournalistsMYANMAR: A New Era
Myanmar, previously known as Burma, has seen its media arena evolve in the past six months. After decades of political unrest, the country is seeing some promising reforms. Contrary to the present law, the government has announced that on April 1, privately owned newspapers will formally be allowed to issue…
Full Article MYANMAR: A New EraMYANMAR: Retractable Reform
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. This is abundantly evident in the case of Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the media rights group, who has called for reform in Myanmar’s media. The Bangkok Post recently reported that this group has urged Myanmar to fulfill their…
Full Article MYANMAR: Retractable ReformPHILIPPINES: Hey Obama- Call Us Collect, If You Want!
Almost immediately after the reelection of President Barack Obama, the White House announced that he would visit Myanmar (Burma) as his first foreign policy initiative at the start of a three-stop tour of Southeast Asia that will also cover Thailand and Cambodia. The tour excludes the Philippines, a longtime strategic…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Hey Obama- Call Us Collect, If You Want!MYANMAR: Obama Set to Visit Key Asian Nations
President Barack Obama knows he is making history with his 80-hour stop overs in Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Cambodia. He will be the first President to visit half of the ASEAN membership while still in his first term. Speculation about Obama’s motives behind the visit have created an influx of…
Full Article MYANMAR: Obama Set to Visit Key Asian NationsTHAILAND: Critique Me Not
(This is written by new staff writer Gabriella Castro — welcome aboard, Ms. Castro!) — It seems no person, or company, is free from the lèse-majesté laws of Thailand. Google recently released its transparency report for 2012, giving the public a look into what governments around the world are trying…
Full Article THAILAND: Critique Me NotTHAILAND: Position as Governor of Bangkok Up For Grabs
In a country that takes a backseat to none In the area of having to live with pervasive official corruption, Thai voters — report the country’s news media – are looking for a refreshing change. We hope that one of these days, they will get it. Early next year they…
Full Article THAILAND: Position as Governor of Bangkok Up For GrabsTHAILAND’S CONTROVERSIAL THAKSIN VISITS LOS ANGELES — AND LMU
Thaksin Shinawatra (pictured left with his sister, Yingluck, the current Thai prime minister) is undoubtedly the most controversial politician ever to become prime minister of Thailand, an oft-ignored country in Southeast Asia with a population and landmass greater than Britain or Italy. (But who besides a Thai knows this?) Elected…
Full Article THAILAND’S CONTROVERSIAL THAKSIN VISITS LOS ANGELES — AND LMUTHAILAND: UN Gets Applause – and Help from Media and Rights Workers
Those with a guilty conscience often attempt to go unnoticed on judgment day. Unfortunately for Thailand however, the United Nations is not waiting that long and is pointing a reprimanding finger right now. Every year, the UN Secretary-General – currently Ban Ki-Moon — publishes a report with individual countries’ records…
Full Article THAILAND: UN Gets Applause – and Help from Media and Rights WorkersTHAILAND: OBEC Innovates Education with Tablet Computers
Secretary General of the Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) made a recent statement that tablet computers for school children are ready and will be delivered to students in different provinces in alphabetical order starting June 7th. Thailand is the most recent nation to follow the trend of innovation…
Full Article THAILAND: OBEC Innovates Education with Tablet Computers
THAILAND: Tragic TEXT-book Case of Repression — and Death
Previously ASIA MEDIA highlighted an article about Thailand’s lese majeste law and its oppressive reach over media systems such as social networking sites like Facebook or text messaging. Recently, Amphon “Akong” Tangnoppakul died while serving a 20-year sentence for allegedly sending text messages “deemed defamatory to the Queen.” He was…
Full Article THAILAND: Tragic TEXT-book Case of Repression — and Death
THAILAND: THE UPS AND DOWNS OF MEDIA SPENDING
Thai based companies and products are definitely investing more in advertisements in Thai media. Reports from a Nielsen survey shows that advertising expenditure in the first quarter this year has recorded a 3.95% year-on-year growth from Bt26.4 billion to Bt25.4 billion. Perhaps the reasons for this increase spending in ads…
Full Article THAILAND: THE UPS AND DOWNS OF MEDIA SPENDING
THAILAND: Canadian Columnist Explains Complexities of Political Asylum
By Asia Media staff writer Brian Canave (pictured above) — Amid all the articles and columns published in the world, with topics ranging from technology to the latest fashion, we have for you a golden beacon of hope: a column exemplifying journalism’s sense of social responsibility at its best. Well-known…
Full Article THAILAND: Canadian Columnist Explains Complexities of Political AsylumTHAILAND: You Can’t Teach English if the Teachers Fear it!
A conference recently held in Thailand for more than 600 Thai educators and teachers promoted the encouragement and motivation to overcome educators’ fear of using English in the classroom. A model known as the English for Integrated Studies (EIS) demonstrates that teaching in English makes the language more accessible to…
Full Article THAILAND: You Can’t Teach English if the Teachers Fear it!