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Thai Education Failures – Part 4: Dismal English-language training

By Siam Voices Wed, Mar 21, 2012 8:42PM UTC View Comments

By Kaewmala One of the things PM Yingluck Shinawatra has often been criticized for since she took office in August 2011 is her English. So much fuss was made about how she spoke English at her first meeting with Hillary Clinton in November 2011 that the substance of that meeting got lost in the fight...

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Thai Culture Ministry to crack down on religious tattoos on foreign skin

By Siam Voices Tue, May 31, 2011 11:26PM UTC View Comments

By Saksith Saiyasombut Tattoos have a very special place in Thailand. They’re more than just permanent fashion statements, not unlike amulets they are regarded as spiritual guardians. Tattoos with religious or spiritual motives, called Yantra tattoos, are yet another sign that Thais take their beliefs skin-deep. Philip Cornwel-Smith dedicated a whole chapter in his excellent book “Very Thai”...

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Examining expat perceptions of Thai politics and the red shirts

By Siam Voices Fri, May 20, 2011 1:12AM UTC View Comments

By James Goyder This article is written partly as a response to one published byDan Waites on Asia Provocateur entitled Why Thailand’s sexpat community hates Thaksin Shinawatra. In his article Dan cites a statistic suggesting that 73.3% of Thai Visa (an internet forum popular with the expat community) members believe Thaksin should not be forgiven...

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If you are farang, don’t meddle with Thai politics – or their food!

By Siam Voices Tue, Sep 28, 2010 10:00AM UTC View Comments

By Saksith Saiyasombut Normally here on this blog, we don’t write about topics most tourists would associate with Thailand, one of which is food*. While this is one of the few things Thailand is renowned for worldwide and can still be proud of, the New York Times features an Aussie chef, who humbly declares that he is “on a...

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