ETHAN PATRICK WRITES – As part of a new co-sanctioned golf series, the Asian male and female Tour and Ladies European Tour have announced the creation of two mixed-gender tournaments that will be set to take place in April of 2022. The tournaments will be held on the Waterside Course…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: WILL MIXED-GENDER GOLF TOURNAMENTS IMPROVE EQUALITY IN SPORTS?
SERENA GONZALEZ WRITES – After a 4-year closure to allow its marine ecosystem to replenish itself, Thailand’s Maya Bay, one of the country’s most famous beaches is back, but with some stringent rules in place. Surrounded by towering limestone cliffs on an uninhabited island in Thailand’s Phi Phi archipelago, the…
Full Article THAILAND: RECOVERY OF MAYA BAY SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE
ALYSSA MONTALVO WRITES — It’s scarcely big news that the political culture of Thailand is heavily influenced by the monarchy. And because of this – and the alliance between the extensive Thai military and Crown, one of the world’s longest running monarchies – issues of basic human rights and equity…
Full Article THAILAND: THOSE ‘ANNOYING’ COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL PROTESTERS
ALYSSA MONTALVO WRITES — More than a year has passed since the COVID-19 outbreak shook the world. Thailand, which was successfully keeping infection and death rates low early in the pandemic, is now sinking in an ocean of uncertainty. In Bangkok, citizens are outraged because of the government’s poor handling…
Full Article THAILAND: PROTESTS AGAINST GOVERNMENT VACCINE POLICY CONTINUE TO SURGE
MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH — First it was Hong Kong and Taiwan. Then it was Thailand. And now Myanmar. What’s going on in Asia? Perhaps the Milk Tea Alliance can help you understand the situation in the region. The Milk Tea Alliance began with a tweet by Thai…
Full Article ASEAN: THE MILK TEA MOVEMENT BREWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
MARY SANDRINE BERNOS WRITES — The Thailand protests are caused by three things: resignation of the prime minister, rewriting of the military-drafter constitution, and reform of the monarchy’s absolute power. Citizens of Thailand are angered at the fact that their current prime minister was still appointed despite causing a military…
Full Article THAILAND: PROTESTS IN A CONTINUING BATTLE TOWARDS DEMOCRACY
LAMA AL TAHER WRITES– Thailand has been hailed as a “must” tourist destination in Asia for its unparalleled location, food, and cost effectiveness. Unfortunately, Bangkok, the country’s capital and one of the most visited destinations, is faced with a major threat– dust pollution, an environmental hazard that began early in…
Full Article THAILAND: Disruptive Haze Over Bangkok Hurts the Tourism Industry
TALAL BUKHAMSEEN WRITES– The gaming industry is quickly becoming a lucrative part of the Southeast Asian economy. As the region continues to benefit from a growing digital user-base, traditional tech companies that previously made video games have branched into online gaming, incorporating players from all over the world and improving…
Full Article ECONOMICS: MOVEOVER ENTERTAINMENT, GAMING IS THE NEW IT-THING
ROBERT BORN WRITES– Sunday, March 24, marked the first time in five years that the Thai government allowed an election years after promising one. In 2014, a military coup removed the government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s party–then headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Since then, the military junta…
Full Article THAILAND: Free and Fair Elections? Not So Fast – OR TOO SLOW?
ALBUS WANG WRITES– East West Players, the oldest theatre group representing racial minorities, has a new play: “Man of God.” Inspired by the “Me Too” movement in 2017 and the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the show emboldens sexual assault survivors and supports the vow of the…
Full Article PLAY REVIEW: “Man of God”
TOM PLATE WRITES — Watch Thailand carefully. It may be that the only major element in the country that truly understands one-person, one-vote democracy is the Pheu Thai Party and its former elected Prime Ministers Thaksin (2001-2006) and younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra (2011-2014). Their political formula is simplicity itself: get…
Full Article THAILAND: THAKSIN-ISM RISES YET AGAIN AMONG THE THAI PEOPLE
DYLAN RAMOS WRITES— On Monday, October 2nd, the leader of Thailand’s military junta, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, came to Washingto to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump. While the president was honoring yet another authoritarian leader with an invitation to the White House, the junta’s Attorney General was charging former Prime…
Full Article THAILAND: PRAYUT DIGS AT SHINAWATRAS, EMBRACES TRUMP
YANISA LELAPINYOKUL WRITES – Shawatida “First” Kuptawatin – internet star, noodle restaurant owner, and a transgender woman – is taking a stand against Thailand’s strict social class system. In a September 6 Facebook live video (2 million views and counting), First talks about dealing with rude customers at the restaurant…
Full Article THAILAND: FIRST TO DISCUSS THE TABOO?
One of the most popular writers in English living in Southeast Asia is Christopher G. Moore. His ‘Vincent Calvino’ novels in particular crashed one bestselling list in Asia after another. A video on his work, on the ‘dark but rich’ side of Bangkok, and the life of the expat in…
Full Article BANGKOK: THE ROMANTIC EXISTENCE OF THE EXPAT IN MYSTERIOUS THAILAND