Southeast Asia gears up for palm oil boom
Published in AFP on 16 September 2007
JAKARTA, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) - Southeast Asian nations are gearing up for a palm oil boom as interest in biofuels soars, but activists warn the crop may not satisfy a global thirst for energy that is both clean and green....more

Suharto win puts Indonesia court under scrutiny: analysts
Published in AFP on 11 September 2007
JAKARTA, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - A decision by Indonesia's top court to award ex-dictator Suharto millions of dollars in a defamation suit calls the judiciary's integrity into question and imperils press freedom, activists and analysts warned Tuesday....more

Three years on, killer of Indonesian activist still at large
Published in AFP on 6 September 2007
JAKARTA, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) - Three years after the high-profile Indonesian activist Munir Said Thalib died on an Amsterdam-bound flight after imbibing a lethal dose of arsenic, the mystery of who ordered his death looms large here....more

Dossier links Indonesian intelligence to activist murder
Published in AFP on 15 August 2007
JAKARTA, Aug 15, 2007 (AFP) - Indonesian state prosecutors have compiled an array of fresh evidence that implicates the powerful state intelligence agency in the murder of a rights activist, according to a document obtained by AFP....more

Indonesians told 'inconvenient truth' of climate change
Published in AFP on 19 July 2007
JAKARTA, July 19, 2007 (AFP) - In a darkened auditorium on a weekday afternoon, Indonesians are warned that floods in their capital will become more catastrophic and the haze-inducing fires blazing through their forests are partly to blame. A message from Al Gore has arrived....more

Dr Love brings good sex to Indonesia
Published in AFP on 17 July 2007
JAKARTA, July 17, 2007 (AFP) - When Singapore's Dr Love invites you up to his hotel room, you don't say no. And once you're inside, he doesn't disappoint....more

Indonesia's new investment stance: a confusing step forward?
Published in AFP on 15 July 2007
JAKARTA, July 15, 2007 (AFP) - Indonesia's new list of foreign investment limits by sector has caused head-scratching among investors. But analysts and the government say that despite confusion, it is a step towards untangling the infamous bureaucracy of Southeast Asia's largest economy....more

Indonesia winning plaudits in post-9/11 terrorism battle
Published in AFP on 7 September 2006
JAKARTA, Sept 7, 2006 (AFP) - The Bali bombings brought the horror of September 11 to Asia, but Indonesia took a different approach to the United States in tackling the Al-Qaeda threat which has met with considerable success....more

JI weakened by arrests, but could rebound: analysts
Published in AFP on 16 June 2006
JAKARTA, June 16, 2007 (AFP) - Indonesia's capture of the leader and military boss of Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah has dealt the network a major blow but it still has the ability to bounce back, analysts say....more

History of neglect gives East Timor's coffee an edge
Published in AFP on 8 May 2006
ERMERA - Machete in hand, farmer Nando Santosbaros rests as rain patters on the majestic shade trees sheltering his organic coffee cherries in East Timor. Though he hasn't heard of them, and their jazz-infused stores are a world away, global coffee chain Starbucks is one of his biggest fans as hip caffeine addicts seek out smooth, chemical-free brews. For better sales, he is grateful....more

In world's youngest nation, soccer unites
Published in AFP on 5 May 2006
DILI - Eleven-year-old Nuno de Oliveira intently watches a late afternoon football match on a muddy, barely marked field in East Timor's capital. One day, he hopes to don the red and yellow shirt of his fledgling nation....more

East Timor's first couple: from rebels to royals
Published in AFP on 3 May 2006
DILI - He was a political prisoner. She was an activist. Together they sought to end the Indonesian occupation of East Timor. Now Xanana Gusmao is free and president of the worlds newest nation while Kirsty Sword is his wife and the countrys First Lady. They talk to Jakarta News Editor Samantha Brown about how they made the transition from rebels to East Timor's equivalent of royals....more

Indonesia faces more disasters unless government reforests: activists
Published in on 4 January 2006
JAKARTA - Landslides and flash floods which may have killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Java this week will be repeated unless the government reforests denuded areas, activists warned Wednesday....more

Acehnese community's ties help it start over one year after tsunami
Published in AFP on 24 December 2005
KEUDE PANGA, Indonesia - Baby banana palms and papaya trees nudge through the sandy earth at this coastal village in Aceh flattened by last year's tsunami. Nature springs back to life quickly in the Indonesian tropics, but people here are only gradually clawing back their decimated lives....more

Indonesian women key to new Aceh: reconstruction boss
Published in AFP on 5 December 2005
JAKARTA, Dec 5 - Women will be the key to a new Aceh that is open and progressive, the head of the agency tasked with overseeing the rebuilding in the tsunami-hit Indonesian province said Monday as he defended the speed of reconstruction there....more

Indonesia on cusp of AIDS epidemic: UNAIDS chief
Published in AFP on 28 November 2005
JAKARTA, Nov 28, 2005 - Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, is on the brink of an AIDS epidemic and must act quickly to fight its spread, UNAIDS chief Peter Piot said Monday as he began a four-day visit here....more

Cracks in Cambodia's courts prised further open ahead of KR trial
Published in AFP on 10 August 2005
PHNOM PENH - Two recent high-profile Cambodian court rulings condemned by activists heighten fears the judiciary is ill-equipped to deliver a trial of ex-Khmer Rouge leaders free of political influence....more

Bounceback for Cambodia's textiles but sparkling labour image not enough
Published in AFP on 24 July 2005
PHNOM PENH - Cambodia's crucial garment sector has bounced back after the end of a global quota system saw orders dip due to competition from China, but experts warn the industry's socially responsible image will not ensure its long-term survival....more

Cambodia's great asset swap angers many, leaves government on the fringe
Published in AFP on 9 July 2005
PHNOM PENH - As bulldozers slam down huge trees outside, Tann Sinthou brandishes a meticulously highlighted copy of Cambodia's land law, hoping it will save her home, the latest public asset to go under the hammer in a slew of government land swaps....more

Cambodia's first soya milk factory eyes nourishing nation's children
Published in AFP on 7 July 2005
PHNOM PENH - Taking a break from her job of sifting through sacks of soya beans, Cambodian Chea Bunna sighs as she remembers foraging for frogs and crabs in rice paddies to fill her family's stomach. Now she supports them by working in the kingdom's first long-life soya milk factory....more

Kids of the dump: Cambodia's scavengers scrap out a livelihood
Published in AFP on 30 June 2005
PHNOM PENH - Hauv Sokhon wears his blue baseball cap low over his eyes as he pokes through the stinking refuse of Cambodia's most notorious rubbish dump. If he finds enough plastic and aluminium amid the oozing debris, he'll earn a dollar today....more

Cambodia school siege underlines kingdom's struggle to recover from war
Published in AFP on 19 June 2005
PHNOM PENH - A school siege which led hostage-takers to kill a Canadian toddler has underlined the struggle Cambodia still faces in recovering from decades of war....more

Cambodian villagers cry foul over loss of land to Vietnam
Published in AFP on 20 May 2005
PHUM PREY TUOL, Cambodia - The goosebumps prickle on the arms of Cambodian rice farmer Em Chouen when he recalls how he lost his land, allegedly to Vietnamese soldiers who beat him with iron rods....more

Unwavering loyalty for Khmer Rouge in final strongholds
Published in AFP on 13 April 2005
Sitting on the steps of the empty villa of a former Khmer Rouge commander, Cambodian San Roeun passionately defends the mass killers he fought for as a soldier....more

Reclusive but free, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge leaders wait for trial
Published in AFP on 12 April 2005
Ly Kim Seng stabs her hoe into the weeds threatening her watermelons on land abutting Cambodia's border with Thailand. She pauses to explain that her husband Nuon Chea, Pol Pot's deputy during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, is too ill to accept visitors....more

Free private hospitals saving the lives of Cambodia's sick children
Published in AFP on 1 April 2005
Pen Naun sits breastfeeding her two-month-old baby in an airy but crowded hospital ward with scores of other fraught Cambodians, many lying on mats covering the terracotta-tiled floor....more

Asian governments pledge to reduce disparities to help children
Published in AFP on 25 March 2005
Twenty-six Asian governments pledged Friday to work towards reducing disparities within their countries in a bid to improve the lives of the region's 600 million children....more

UNICEF head calls for more investment in Asia-Pacific youth
Published in AFP on 23 March 2005
Asian governments are spending much less on public health than the global average, the head of the UN children's agency said Wednesday in an appeal for more investment in the region's youth....more

Thais head to polls with Thaksin tipped for landslide re-election
Published in AFP on 6 February 2005
Polling began in Thailand's elections Sunday with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra poised for a sweeping victory which would deliver the premier an unprecedented second term in power....more

Heritage of Sri Lankan fort town emerges mostly unscathed by tsunami
Published in AFP on 12 January 2005
Security guard G.A. Nimal stands on the broken fort wall, the sea pounding below, and stretches an arm skyward to show the height of the tsunami that pounded the historic Sri Lankan city of Galle....more

Brick by brick, US marines undertake "gut-wrenching" clean up in Sri Lanka
Published in AFP on 11 January 2005
Despite their training and combat experience, the US marines working in tsunami-hit Sri Lanka admit that picking through the shattered remains of peoples' lives has been a heart-rending exercise....more

Teachers compile lists of the living as Sri Lankan schools resume
Published in AFP on 10 January 2005
Tears swell in student Fathima Farha's eyes as she waits, on edge, for her friends to arrive for their first day back at school. She already knows some are dead, but she's not sure about the rest....more

As Sri Lankan schools resume, teachers brace for emotional roll call
Published in AFP on 10 January 2005
As students traumatised by the Asian tsunami return to school in Sri Lanka Monday, teachers braced for an emotional rollercoaster and the beginning of a long process of psychological recovery....more

Despite its own disaster, India's navy quietly helps Sri Lanka clean up
Published in AFP on 8 January 2005
When Indian naval Captain T. K. Ashokan was at sea during exercises on December 26, he felt an unusual sudden swell....more

Sri Lankans thrilled, oblivious to Powell's lightning visit
Published in AFP on 7 January 2005
Sri Lankans in the tsunami-hit southern city of Galle were either thrilled or oblivious to US Secretary of State Colin Powell's lightning visit Friday, but hoped regardless that his presence would lead to more aid....more

Bored and confused, Sri Lankan tsunami survivors play the waiting game
Published in AFP on 7 January 2005
W.D. Ariyapala sits among a cluster of men, some skimming newspapers, others slurping on coconuts. Hanging out in the rubble where they used to live or work is their latest pastime....more

Broken-hearted Sri Lankan cricket star mourns destruction of famed stadium
Published in AFP on 6 January 2005
The clock at Galle International Cricket Stadium stands frozen at 9:26 am. That was the moment Sri Lanka's biggest disaster hit this southern city and shattered Jayananda Warnaweera's dream....more

Sri Lanka's devastated fishermen make plea to president: "Eat our fish"
Published in AFP on 5 January 2005
Sri Lanka's devastated fishermen on Wednesday sent a shipment of fish to the president as they pleaded with people to resume eating seafood in the wake of the Asian tsunami disaster....more

For Sri Lanka's orphans, the heart-wrenching road to recovery begins
Published in AFP on 5 January 2005
Thushari, 15, has good reason to be crying. She saw both her parents swept to their deaths by the ferocious Indian Ocean tsunami, which also pulverised her family home and tore her from her siblings....more

Student pins Sri Lanka's hopes on generous aid
Published in AFP on 4 January 2005
Wearing a donated red T-shirt, pale green pleated skirt and rubber thongs, Waruni Delpagodage, 18, ponders her future in the refugee camp her destitute family has fled to in the tsunami aftermath....more

Sri Lanka's southern Catholics celebrate return of statue
Published in AFP on 3 January 2005
Sri Lankan Catholics in the southern town of Matara have celebrated the return of a statue that disappeared during the Asian tsunami disaster only to be found days later unscathed....more

Sri Lanka's hard-hit fisherfolk ponder their future
Published in AFP on 3 January 2005
Fishing runs in the veins of N.G. Punchihewa, 71: his father was a fisherman and his grandfather before him....more

Aid trickles in southern Sri Lanka, but more urgently needed
Published in AFP on 2 January 2005
In the grounds of a college at this southern Sri Lankan town lashed by tsunami a week ago, giant pots of rice and lentils are being cooked over wood fires for the masses crowding into classrooms....more

Tsunami scared Sri Lankans plead with tourists to return soon
Published in AFP on 1 January 2005
Fearful of a bleak economic future, tsunami scared Sri Lankans in this southern holiday resort village that was flattened by the killer sea surges are urging foreign tourists to return....more

Foreigners caught in killer tsunami dig in to help Sri Lanka
Published in AFP on 1 January 2005
Wearing shorts, rubber thongs and a pair of washing up gloves, New Zealander Scott Gardiner is standing in a sewerage drain ankle deep in sludge, joining the huge effort needed to clean up Sri Lanka....more

Priests, volunteers keep hope alive for tsunami victims
Published in AFP on 31 December 2004
Catholic priest Nihal Nanayakkara has not slept since Christmas. Not only is he the priest of a church in this tragedy-struck town, but also caretaker of thousands of tsunami victims taking refuge in the building....more

"Very little water but lots of champagne": panic in Sri Lankan paradise
Published in AFP on 31 December 2004
Sri Lanka's famous Taprobane Island, a speck of palm-fringed paradise just off the southern coast, was lashed by the deadly tsunami, leaving its visitors stranded but its world-renowned villa spared....more

Bodies still entombed in train swallowed by tsunami
Published in AFP on 30 December 2004
The buzz of an electric chain saw pierces the air as it cuts through a coconut palm pinning a bloated corpse. It is the only sound of rescue here where the sea swallowed an entire train packed with 1,500 passengers....more

Stench of death chases patients away from Sri Lankan hospital
Published in AFP on 29 December 2004
The stubborn stench hanging in the air at the small Sri Lankan district hospital where more than 150 corpses have been brought is so bad that a policeman is retching in the front garden....more

Shattered seaside community grieves, starts picking up the pieces
Published in AFP on 28 December 2004
Pala Withanage gestures towards the flattened remains of his wooden seaside home, then he points a few hundred metres inland. That's where they found his wife's body....more

Survivors count blessings as Sri Lanka begins mass funerals
Published in AFP on 28 December 2004
In the horror of Sri Lanka's tidal wave tragedy, undertaker Mahilal Punchihewa manages to raise a smile. He has just seen his Galle shopfront and home washed away but doesn't care. His three daughters and four grandchildren are safe....more

Sri Lanka's Muslims begin to bury their dead amid pleas for help
Published in AFP on 27 December 2004
Sri Lanka's Muslim minority began to bury their dead here Monday, a day after tsunamis killed more than 5,800 people along the island's coastline, amid pleas for help....more

Laughter turns to terror for couple in Sri Lanka tidal wave disaster
Published in AFP on 27 December 2004
American tourist Matthew O'Connell started laughing when he saw his hotel room filling with water. But when a raging wall of tidal wave water ripped him and Israeli friend Sue Mor apart, the laughter turned to sheer terror....more

Cambodia's land concession system needs overhaul, corruption persists: UN
Published in AFP on 14 November 2004
Cambodia's land concession system has undermined the rights of the poor and led to the plundering of natural resources and must be urgently overhauled, a United Nations human rights envoy said Sunday....more

Cambodia's former king to stay influential despite turning 82: analysts
Published in AFP on 30 October 2004
Cambodia's retired king Norodom Sihanouk marks his 82nd birthday Sunday and despite promises of a hushed retirement is unlikely to bow out of public life as he goes on wielding influence, analysts say....more

Cambodia's Prince Sihamoni -- the dancer destined to be king
Published in AFP on 14 October 2004
Prince Norodom Sihamoni, the man expected to be Cambodia's next king, is a clasically-trained ballet dancer who has spent much of his adult life abroad pursuing a career in the arts....more

Cambodia's new king faces baptism of fire into politics
Published in AFP on 14 October 2004
The totally inexperienced Prince Norodom Sihamoni, an ex-ballet dancer named Cambodia's new king Thursday, faces a baptism of fire when he is plunged into the kingdom's infamously treacherous political world....more

Top Cambodian leader to "beg" abdicated king to stay on throne
Published in AFP on 9 October 2004
Cambodia's national assembly president left for China Saturday to beg King Norodom Sihanouk to change his mind about abdicating, but left open the option of a new monarch being appointed....more

Cambodia's political drama serves up encore in court as lawsuits fly
Published in AFP on 8 September 2004
The curtain has come down on Cambodia's year-long political crisis but the stage is set for an encore in the courts with leaders serving lawsuits on each other and their critics....more

Cambodia's PM tightens grip on political power
Published in AFP on 15 August 2004
As his new government finally gets to work, Cambodia's prime minister is tightening his grip on power, shrewdly snubbing or quashing his top rivals, analysts and activists say....more

Momentum to stamp out foreign paedophiles builds in Cambodia
Published in AFP on 4 August 2004
From billboards warning of harsh penalties to eagle-eyed hotel workers being called on to report suspicious people, Cambodia is stepping up its fight against foreign paedophiles preying on its children....more

Piece by piece, Cambodia's unique archaeological heritage up for grabs
Published in AFP on 27 July 2004
At a bustling market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's heritage is being sold off, piece by piece: ancient beads are snapped up at two for a dollar, while 15 dollars secures a 3,500-year-old stone tool....more

Clamour rises for Khmer Rouge trial as political crisis ends
Published in AFP on 18 July 2004
After a year-long political deadlock, the formation of a new government in Cambodia has finally cleared the way for ex-Khmer Rouge leaders to stand trial over the killing of up to two million of their compatriots....more

Battle of the bulge ahead in bloated new Cambodian government
Published in AFP on 29 June 2004
A deal cut by Cambodia's feuding parties to form a government after a year-long power struggle will create a bloated political elite that threatens a new wave of infighting, analysts say....more

Despite year of drama, Cambodia's political scene flips back to square one
Published in AFP on 27 June 2004
After a year of drama and intrigue, a coalition deal snared at the weekend allows Cambodia's politicians to get back to work but the power balance has barely changed, diplomats and analysts say....more

Cambodia's dangerous roads exact a heavy toll as fatalities soar
Published in AFP on 22 June 2004
Cambodia's traffic fatality rate is double the Southeast Asian average and as more vehicles squeeze onto the kingdom's roads, deaths are expected to soar still further, experts say....more

Cambodian capital fraught with danger for migrating women jobseekers
Published in AFP on 6 June 2004
Lured by the hope of a better future, young women are flooding into the Cambodian capital, where experts note they are vulnerable to being trafficked into the sex trade or winding up on the streets....more

Ill-prepared Cambodia grapples with mounting drug crisis
Published in AFP on 4 May 2004
Slumped across a bag of rubbish near a busy Phnom Penh market as he awaits his first heroin hit of the day, Yim is one of a soaring number of drug addicts in Cambodia....more

Cambodia builds a better future by piecing together its bloody past
Published in AFP on 28 March 2004
Dozens of Cambodian researchers tap away at keyboards in a nondescript house-turned-office in downtown Phnom Penh, their humming efficiency giving no hint of the grim task at hand....more

Cambodia lurches towards political resolution but uncertainties remain
Published in AFP on 24 March 2004
After months of inertia following inconclusive elections last year, Cambodia's political parties jumped into action last week and finally seem poised to form a working government, analysts said....more

Thai premier's credibility dented by bird flu "screw up"
Published in AFP on 1 February 2004
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's credibility has taken a severe beating over the bird flu crisis, with allegations that his government covered up the outbreak of the lethal disease in Thailand for weeks....more

Thailand's poultry industry faces devastation as bird flu reported
Published in AFP on 22 January 2004
Thailand's first reported case of the bird flu sweeping through parts of Asia stands to devastate the region's largest poultry export industry....more

Violence in Thailand's south more serious than in past: analysts
Published in AFP on 6 January 2004
A series of bloody attacks in Thailand's Muslim-majority south represents a marked departure from previous violence and could spell a political crisis for the government, analysts said Tuesday. ...more

Thailand prepares for avalanche of speed pills after drugs war
Published in AFP on 17 August 2003
CHIANG RAI, Thailand - Thailand's army is bracing for an influx of millions of speed pills which were buried by traffickers along the border with Myanmar at the height of a drugs crackdown this year....more

Moderate Thai Muslims shocked at arrest of Hambali in their midst
Published in AFP on 15 August 2003
AYUTTHAYA, Thailand - Thai Muslims in this ancient former capital expressed shock Friday at the arrest of terror chief Hambali in their midst, and said they were not interested in his radical form of Islam....more

Myanmar's ethnic minorities under the spotlight as UN envoy visits
Published in AFP on 31 July 2003
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....more

Cambodians poised to head to polls
Published in AFP on 26 July 2003
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....more

Cambodian parties scramble ahead of polls but ruling party rests easy
Published in AFP on 25 July 2003
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....more

Laos' airline revamps in bid to cast aside chequered past
Published in AFP on 16 July 2003
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....more

Thai government struggles with Myanmar policy after Suu Kyi detention
Published in AFP on 8 July 2003
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....more

Thailand works to export anti-AIDS drug know-how to Africa
Published in AFP on 4 July 2003
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....more

New Asian regional forum to launch amid scepticism of usefulness
Published in AFP on 18 June 2002
Thirteen Asian foreign ministers are to gather Tuesday evening to launch the inaugural Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), a brainchild of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra that sceptics fear will prove to be just another regional talking shop....more

Thailand reflects on a decade of change after its Black May uprising
Published in AFP on 16 May 2002
Ten years after Thailand's military shocked the world by firing on thousands of unarmed protestors rallying against its usurpation of power, the country is reflecting on the days that tragically marked a coming-of-age for national democracy....more

The business of relaxing
Published in Expression on 1 October 2001
A designated, beautiful space for you to let your troubles evaporate, your stress dissolve. Treatments to relax and re-energise your tired, hard-worked body and mind, over the course of just a few hours. Welcome to the day spa concept: already wildly popular in places like the US and Singapore, Thailand has only recently caught the bug....more

Thailand's paper industry: Predictions difficult, potential there
Published in PaperAsia on 1 September 2001
If you want to take the pulse of Thailand’s pulp and paper industry, the Thai economy is the wrist to grab for a beat. “There is some lag, but Thailand’s GDP is really like an index for how the paper industry is doing,” says Price and Pierce (Thailand) project manager Nillachai Damrongkijudom....more

Rehabilitating hope
Published in Expression on 1 August 2001
The sun dips into the horizon over the ocean off Chonburi province, the water taking on muted hues of pinks and blues. It?s a tranquil and fitting backdrop to the reception at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club, being held to celebrate Omega?s donation of funds to the Royal Thai Navy?s coral rehabilitation project. The Navy band whoops it up on one side of the pool; diver and model Sirinya Burbridge is on hand as MC; we press members sip our beer and enjoy the fresh barbecued seafood under the darkening night sky....more

Sisters still doing it for themselves
Published in The Bangkok Post on 14 July 2001
While the participation rate of Thai women in the workforce is higher than average for the region, evidence shows that pay differentials between the sexes persist and various obstacles stand in the way of women getting ahead in their careers ? indeed relatively few Thai women hold significant decision-making positions in either politics, the civil service or the private sector. ...more

Taming Thailand's Press
Published in IPI Global Journalist on 1 July 2001
It was a test of strength for Thailand’s Constitution Court, formed under the country’s progressive 1997 constitution. One of the country’s most powerful politicians, Sanan Kachornprasart, was on trial, accused of falsely declaring his assets. Independent Television (iTV), the country’s first and only truly independent free-to-air channel, broadcast the live proceedings in full. On August 10, 2000, Sanan was found guilty and barred from holding public office for five years. ...more

A forward-looking enterprise
Published in Asian Water on 1 May 2001
When Dr Philippe Bergeron, director of the Regional Institute of Environmental Technology (RIET), discussed the process that the jury followed to choose a winner from industry for the Asia Water Management Excellence Awards, he emphasised one thing: that the award was not about recognising innovative technology. "The industry award is not here to award technology per se, but to award the application of technologies in a particular industrial context, which lead to substantial water saving and conservation."...more

Looking to the future: Aquatech Asia 2001
Published in Asian Water on 1 May 2001
The ability to supply water to people in the future is intricately linked to the health of the environment, so it wasn't surprising that both environmental issues and looking to the future were underlying themes of Aquatech Asia 2001. The event was held for the first time in Thailand, at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre from March 6 to 8....more

Saving a precious resource
Published in Asian Water on 1 May 2001
"It's an emergency. There's a real crisis with our watersheds," Mr Marlo D Mendoza warned the press after accepting an Asian Water Management Excellence Award on behalf of Bantay Kalikasan, the environmental arm of the Philippines' ABS-CBN Foundation. "In a few more years, those provinces now developing quickly will want to use the water supplies that are going to Manila. We don't want to wait until people start fighting over access to water. We need to be forward-looking, to try to inform the public, including decision-makers, about the necessary steps to be taken [to avoid this]."...more

Putting their best foot forward
Published in The Nation on 30 March 2001
Twenty boys living in Thailand aged 11 and under will don their team colours and proudly head out onto a field on Saturday to do what they love most: play soccer. Only this time they won't have the advantage of playing on their home country turf. They'll be hitting a pitch in Singapore, playing against children in teams from Singapore and Malaysia. ...more

Getting a foot in the door
Published in The Nation on 20 June 2000
While soccer fans in Thailand have their eyes glued to their televisions watching Euro2000, former professional soccer player Darren Jackson is focusing on soccer a little closer to home. If he has his way, 15 potential soccer stars from Thailand will be heading to the UK for youth matches to be played against local teams by the end of 2001....more

Saving the endangered
Published in The Nation on 29 April 2000
In the dead of night, the turtle makes its way up the sand slowly, leaving a trail like a tyre-track in its wake. Nobody has laid eyes on this reptile since she left this very beach between ten and thirty years ago - but probably nobody saw her even then. She's spent her entire life swimming to a feeding ground that only she and her fellow turtles know about, but now she's back to propagate her species. She'll lay and conceal around 100 eggs in a shallow nest before slipping back into the ocean as surreptiously as she came. And she'll do this three times a season every three years or so during her breeding life. She'll live to sixty if she doesn't get caught in a fishing net before then....more

Spinning a yarn
Published in Bangkok Metro Magazine on 1 March 2000
Mention the name Jim Thompson to anyone living in Thailand and they’ll probably show you their JT silk tie or scarf, wax lyrical about how beautiful his Thai house museum is and then top that off with their theory about how the American ex-Office of Strategic Services man disappeared in Malaysian jungle in 1967. He’s a well-known man....more

All material copyright Samantha Brown 1997-2005