ajarn yossaphon chanthongjeen, bangkok, billboard dog shelters, stray dogs, thailand

A Peculiar Medical Mystery

This is a true story that happened in Thailand. Wen Lai is a 43-year-old peasant and construction worker who lives in Thailand. He has had several surgeries over the last three years. Each time, his condition becomes more severe than before, with no improvement at all, offering a baffling medical mystery to the surgeons. It all ...

Max Lu

Thai fruit seller sailing wooden boat in thailand tradition floating market

The Lack of an Engine May Sink the Chinese Submarine Deal With Thailand

Thailand’s purchase of a Chinese-made Yuan-class S26T submarine worth 13.5 billion baht (US$408 million) has stalled over the manufacturer’s failure to obtain German-made diesel engines as stipulated in the contract. China had a plan to sell three of its Yuan-class submarines to Thailand; however, only one was purchased. Sub seeks engine The submarine was built ...

Max Lu

A Chinese Yuan-class submarine.

If You Knew Your Seafood Was Caught Using Slave Labor, Would You Eat It?

Many Americans have a notion that slavery ended years ago, but this scourge still exists in some parts of the world, such as in the Thai fishing industry. Slave labor is not a new phenomenon — it’s been going on for years. It’s a big issue considering Thailand is the third largest supplier of seafood. Well, it should ...

James Burke

A variety of different seafood on ice at a market.

Tree Ordinations Performed by Environmentally Active Thai Monks

With more and more development taking place in Thailand, the country is seeing a rise in deforestation. Land is being cleared to make way for factories or contract farming and this has resulted in massive floods during the rainy season. A group that has come to be known as “ecology monks” has set out to ...

Emma Lu

Tree ordination – a tree is wrapped with an orange Buddhist monk's robe.

Democratic ‘Milk Tea Alliance’ Gains Popularity in Southeast Asia

The “Milk Tea Alliance” is a democratic movement supported by citizens from three regions — Taiwan, Thailand, and Hong Kong. Initially, the movement started as an Internet meme to counter the Chinese trolls and nationalists that plague social media. However, the meme soon became a solidarity movement against authoritarian regimes. The Milk Tea Alliance Milk ...

Max Lu

Milk Tea Alliance meme with hands holding bubble tea, Thai iced tea, and milk tea, labeled as Taiwan, Thai, and Hong Kong.

’13 Lost’: Untold Story of the Thai Cave Rescue

On June 23, 2018, the Wild Boars soccer team entered the Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand, to perform their monthly initiation ritual for new members. But an unforeseen flood trapped the 12 members of the team along with their coach inside the cave. For 17 days, the team members stayed in the cave, ...

Armin Auctor

Rescue workers pumping water from the cave.

Mystery Virus Outbreak in Wuhan, China

People in the city of Wuhan are under the grip of a mystery virus outbreak. One person has been confirmed dead and over 40 people have been affected. Initial investigations suggest that the virus spreading pneumonia among Wuhan residents is a new type of coronavirus, coming from the same family of viruses that caused the ...

Max Lu

Coronaviruses.

An English Pianist Who Plays for Injured Elephants

Paul Barton is a classical pianist from Britain who spends his time playing the piano to a unique crowd — a group of blind and injured elephants at Elephants World in Thailand. Playing for the elephants Well into his late fifties, the idea of playing piano for elephants was something that came into Barton’s mind ...

Armin Auctor

A man playing the piano for an elephant.

Chinese YouTuber Detained in Thailand Fears Being Sent Back to China

A Chinese asylum seeker and YouTuber currently held in a Thai immigration detention center is afraid he’ll be deported back to China where he could once again be tortured for his faith. Leng Tao, 64, was arrested by Thai police on November 4 allegedly over his immigration status and then ordered by a local court ...

Max Lu

A video of Leng Tao playing on a smartphone.