When it comes to design, Thailand is probably best known as the world capital for pirated goods. But a new breed of homeware designers has ditched copies and kitsch to take international markets by storm with their stylish, useful products. "Thailand is a real design hub at the moment, and if you go out around…
Read moreMyanmar’s ethnic minorities under the spotlight as UN envoy visits
As UN envoy Razali Ismail prepares to make another visit to Myanmar Friday, his first since Aung San Suu Kyi’s release from house arrest in May, ethnic minority groups are hoping the diplomat will this time secure a breakthrough for their cause. Myanmar’s minorities are not involved in the ongoing national reconciliation talks between democracy…
Read moreCambodians poised to head to polls
PHNOM PENH – Cambodians head to general elections Sunday with Prime Minister Hun Sen favoured to retain leadership for another five-year term despite rival politicians running vigorous campaigns in a bid to oust the strongman. Colourful and noisy rallies attended by thousands have been peacefully staged in the poll run-up, with election monitors assessing an…
Read moreCambodian parties scramble ahead of polls but ruling party rests easy
PHNOM PENH – At Cambodia’s ramshackle opposition headquarters, party workers scramble to wrap up their month-long election campaign, in marked contrast to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), whose offices remain quiet. Most of the fifteen full-time workers in the cabinet office of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), along with a half-dozen party faithful…
Read moreThailand’s vibrant art scene struggles for recognition
With hordes of skilled young artists emerging from its colleges, Thailand should be home to a thriving contemporary art scene. But experts in the industry say government neglect has ensured the kingdom is the Asian art world’s best-kept secret. "Thailand produces about 2,000 artists every year from art institutions. Where are those artists’ works? The…
Read moreLaos’ airline revamps in bid to cast aside chequered past
VIENTIANE – The national carrier of tiny landlocked Laos is undergoing a dramatic revamp, leasing its first jet, changing its name and unveiling a new logo as it seeks to leave its chequered past behind. Formed when the communist government took power in 1975, Lao Aviation officially adopted its new name Lao Airlines on Wednesday…
Read moreThai government struggles with Myanmar policy after Suu Kyi detention
BANGKOK – Thailand’s government is struggling to adopt a coherent stance on Myanmar following its military-ruled neighbour’s detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi more than a month ago, analysts say. In a departure from his typical conciliatory tone, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra joined US President George W. Bush in issuing a strong…
Read moreWordsmiths of the world find their own paradise in Thailand
In a downtown Bangkok shopping mall complete with blaring muzak and baffled onlookers, 72 of the world’s best Scrabble players take their positions for the first match in a gruelling four-day tournament. They might be in one of the world’s premier tropical holiday spots, but these global wordsmiths are happy to eschew palm trees and…
Read moreThailand works to export anti-AIDS drug know-how to Africa
At less than a dollar a day, Thailand produces the world’s cheapest anti-AIDS drugs, but one woman is determined to give impoverished African countries the know-how to produce them even cheaper. Along with India and Brazil, Thailand has become a global pioneer in the production of generic anti-AIDS medicines, thanks largely to Dr. Krisana Kraisintu,…
Read moreFive years on, Thailand crawls out of crisis as it struggles to reform
Five years after Thailand floated the baht and triggered a disastrous regional economic crisis, analysts say plenty has been achieved, but to make the most of the current recovery reforms must go on. As a recovery fuelled by consumer spending and an ambitious government stimulus package kicks in, economic growth predictions for 2002 have been…
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