Renegade deminer alerts world to legacy of Cambodia's mines
Published in AFP on 7 September 2005
SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Cambodia's ubiquitous rice paddies and lush green jungles provided a stage for three decades of war, genocide and civil conflict until peace finally took hold in 1998 and tourism began to sprout. But the legacy of those years of bloodshed stubbornly lurks under the surface of the picturesque scenery in the deadly form of landmines and unexploded ordnance. Aki Ra, a Cambodian in his early 30s, was conscripted into the brutal Khmer Rouge regime as a child soldier and helped lay innumerable mines himself. Today he works to clear those same timebombs and to remind the world that Cambodians still suffer. He recently showed Phnom Penh correspondent Samantha Brown around his homespun museum that showcases the weapons and highlights the carnage they cause, much to the chagrin of national authorities. ...more

Woman with wow
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 March 2002
You can't not recognise Kathaleeya McIntosh's face. She co-hosts a popular talkshow, stars in a soap opera, emcees at all the right parties and squeezes in some modelling in between. Even if you're the type who sticks to reading newspapers, you've probably seen her there too, in her role as an envoy for Unicef....more

Yuki Srikarnchana: Marking time
Published in Expression on 1 December 2001
Some people know what they want in life, and they chase their ambition relentlessly. Others, it’s reassuring to know, take their time when it comes to finding their passion. ...more

Helen's newest role
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 August 2001
She?s a supermodel, VJ, businesswoman, spokesperson, celebrity, but there?s one role that one of Thailand?s favourite faces isn?t quite used to yet: that of mother. ...more

Speaking his mind
Published in Expression on 1 August 2001
Chanin Donavanik might be impressed with the Thaksin administration's vision for improving Thailand's tourism industry, but he's not happy with the way things have gone so far. "They have a good vision but they have not implemented the vision well. Instead of trying to solve problems, they've made them worse."...more

Relaxing with Rika
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 July 2001
Rika Dila doesn't look like the busy businesswoman and mother of two young sons she is. "I tell people I'm 28," jokes the half Filipino, half-Japanese representative of Sotheby's in Thailand. "And after a while I start believing it!" ...more

A mad time for Mamee
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 May 2001
It's a hectic time for Naphakpapha "Mamee" Nakprasit. Still reeling from the recognition that her role in Mae Bia has brought, the 20 year-old actress has just finished her second film, Butterfly Man, and is about to head to the US to shoot her second TV drama. In fact, Mamee needs to call several times on the day of the interview to change the time we're going to meet. She's been trying to sort out her visa to the US. "I'm very nervous about going," she confides through an interpreter. "I'm worried that my English is not going to be good enough to get by!"...more

Candid with Kara
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 April 2001
Don't bother asking Kara Polasit about what elegance means to her; she's the human embodiment of it. The height, posture and understated dress of the popular model, MC, TV host and actress, reflect a person who's got style but who doesn't need to flaunt it. If you do ask her what makes an elegant woman, however, she'll try to answer: "She's someone who dresses well, but that doesn't mean she has to wear the most expensive stuff - she just looks nice from head to toe. She walks well, sits well. It's just something that comes from inside, something that other people can see, without her having to do too much."...more

An equal partnership
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 January 2001
He's the youngest son of Chokchai Bulakul - Thailand's best-known cowboy - so it's not surprising that he looks perfectly comfortable in a cowboy hat, white T-shirt, blue jeans, and well-worn leather boots. Neither is it surprising that his fiance - and by the time you're reading this, his wife - looks utterly chic wearing something very similar. ...more

Moving at the speed of Tata
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 October 2000
Two years ago, her name was everywhere. She’d just been named by Elle as one of Thailand’s “Ten Most Influential People”, and Asiaweek had included her in their 1998 list of the “25 Most Exceptional People in Asia”. She appeared in her second film, O-Negative, for which she also put out an album – her sixth - and she was selected to sing at the 13th Asian Games opening ceremony....more

Beauty and brains: Areeya 'Pop' Chumsai
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 October 2000
Areeya ‘Pop’ Chumsai might be best known as a former Miss- Thailand-turned-military-officer, but she’s a journalist by trade and it certainly shows. “I guess you’ll want background information first,” she says thoughtfully when the interview starts. “I’m thinking, how many column inches do we have here? What should be the focal point of the story? I guess we should do this in chronological order, so it’s easier for you…”...more

A prize-winning job
Published in planetexpat.com on 20 September 2000
The Olympics are all about bringing sportslovers from different nations together: and not just as adversaries on the field. ...more

Making a difference from your desk
Published in planetexpat.com on 9 August 2000
Picture contributing to your community in some way and you may assume you’d have to spend half a day at a shelter a week or maybe drive a van on the streets. In Bangkok, Australian Margo Towie found a way to assist pregnant and post-natal women without needing to leave her office....more

They who wield the hammer
Published in The Nation on 5 August 2000
“She’s very good at art.”
“I think clients like her! She’s very patient when it comes to talking to clients.”
“But I don’t have good eyes like her!”
“Oh, but she has a good eye for jewellery.” ...more

Caring for Bangkok's needy
Published in planetexpat.com on 26 July 2000
“I’m not doing this because I want to save the world – but hopefully I can help at the humanitarian level,” says Yvonne Ziegler, who spends two mornings a week visiting the Pak Kred Babies Home in Bangkok with another five to 15 expatriate women. ...more

Bangkok's media man
Published in planetexpat.com on 16 July 2000
Journalist Andrew Biggs was supposed to stopover in Bangkok for two days on his way from Australia to London for a working holiday. That was ten years ago....more

Strummin' around
Published in The Nation on 14 July 2000
“I thought Thailand would be this quiet, relaxing, unassuming place away from the tourist trail. Clearly I didn’t do my research very well!” says Australian John Garzoli of his first trip to Thailand in 1995. ...more

A star is born: ML Piyapas Bhirom Bhakdi
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 June 2000
ML Piyapas Bhirom Bhakdi never dreamed about becoming an actress. She did not harbour any ambitions, ever, to be a star of the big screen. And it certainly never crossed her mind, not even for a fleeting instant, that she might one day take the leading role in the most expensive film in the history of Thai film-making....more

Love can wait: Emma Suwannalat
Published in Living in Thailand on 1 February 2000
How do you write about a star who just won’t behave like one? A star who won’t stamp her delicate foot, pout and complain, or brag about her achievements?...more

All material copyright Samantha Brown 1997-2005