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Bangkok Thailand

Map of Bangkok featuring district names

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Andy, the author of the excellent blog Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon — a lovingly curated site that provides exhaustive information on Thailand’s administrative subdivisions — has created the cool map of Bangkok you see above. Here’s a bigger version.

The author was inspired, I’m happy to say, by a tweet I posted last year containing a link to Ork Posters, a company that produces typography-heavy U.S. city maps containing neighborhood names.

As Andy explains:

Luckily fellow Wikipedian hdamm already made a vector map for the districts of Bangkok, so all I had to do was to place the names on top of that. The main difficulty were the very small districts in the center of Bangkok, especially the tiny Samphanthawong with a long name. But nevertheless I think my map doesn’t look that bad, especially considering I just spend a few hours creating it and have no earlier record of being an artist or designer. There is probably still some room for fine-tuning the image, also a separate version with the names in the Thai alphabet might be worth considering, especially now I know the standard fonts for the Thai road signs. And of course one could do the same with any other of the 75 provinces, or for the whole country – but there the small provinces near Bangkok make it almost impossible to read.

Map above: Creative Commons licensed by Changwat, Amphoe, Tambon.

Categories
Bangkok Thailand

Krispy Kreme arrives in Bangkok

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The Financial Times: Krispy Kreme opens on a high in Bangkok:

As western corporations scratch their heads to work out how to make the most of Asia’s growth, it is sometimes worth remembering the tried and tested, like the combination of an established brand, lashings of sugar and a pinch of hype.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts opened its first Bangkok franchise shop last week, and every day the crowds are still queuing around the block to get their hands on the saccharine treat. On Tuesday the longest wait was five and a half hours, which is better than the 27-hour marathon put in by hard-core doughnut fans on opening day.

Related: Dwight Turner’s blog post: “The Best of Bangkok’s Krispy Kreme Grand Opening Twitter Buzz.

See also, for background info: my post from Oct. 2009: “Krispy Kreme: Coming to Thailand.

Humorous tweet from @BKKApologist that reflects my feelings, having discovered Krispy Kreme at a shop in Charleston, South Carolina, as a 14-year-old:

I grew up an hour away from Krispy Kreme HQ in North Carolina. I can tell you where “donut mania” leads: a wardrobe full of sweatpants.

(Emphasis mine.)

(FT item via @jonrussell)

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Bangkok Thailand

Explosion in Nonthaburi kills 3, injures 10, Bangkok Post says

A developing story: Bangkok PostExplosion kills 3, injures 10 in Nonthaburi:

At least three people were killed and 10 injured in a huge explosion which occurred in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district on Tuesday evening.

Nonthaburi is a Bangkok suburb. It’s unclear, at this point, what caused the blast.

As I just tweeted, @tulsathit & @pranot are posting updates and images.

Categories
Bangkok Thai politics Thailand

State of emergency in Bangkok renewed for 3 months

This just in from the Bangkok Post: Emergency decree renewed for 3 months:

The cabinet meeting has decided to renew the emergency decree in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani for another three months, deputy government spokesman Suphachai Chaisamut said on Tuesday.

The emergency law declared three months ago is still in force in the capital and the three adjoining central provinces, but will expire on Wednesday. It has already been lifted throughout the North and Northeast.

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Bangkok Thai politics Thailand

Red shirts to protest this weekend

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Sunday, Sept. 19 is anniversary of the 2006 military coup that overthrew ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. And Thailand’s red shirts — many of whom still support the fugitive billionaire — will be rallying to mark the occasion.

WSJ: Thailand Braces for Anniversary Protests:

Thai security forces are gearing up for a weekend of antigovernment protests to mark the fourth anniversary of a military coup that ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra from power and ushered in an era of instability unparalleled in Thailand’s modern history.

Police estimate that several hundred so-called Red Shirt protesters massed at a Bangkok prison Friday morning to lay red roses at the gate of the facility and demand the release of several leaders detained on terrorism charges amid the bloody aftermath of an antigovernment rally in Bangkok in May. Organizers and authorities expect thousands more protesters to join other events around the country in the coming days as antigovernment Red Shirt protesters attempt to raise their profile after months of relative calm.

And:

The center of the weekend’s protests is likely to be a large convoy scheduled to leave Bangkok and drive north to the city of Chiang Mai, Mr. Thaksin’s hometown, where the state of emergency already has been lifted. Organizers expect thousands of supporters to participate.

Bloomberg: Thai Opposition to Test Stability With Gatherings to Mark Coup:

Thai anti-government protesters plan to hold nationwide events this weekend to mark a 2006 military coup, testing the nation’s ability to cope with demonstrations after clashes left 89 dead four months ago.

Supporters of ousted ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives overseas after fleeing a jail sentence in 2008, will lay flowers, light candles and release balloons in Bangkok, according to organizers. Protesters will also gather in Chiang Mai, Thaksin’s home province.

There’s also this, from the Bangkok Post, which includes some photos from this morning’s gathering: Authorities brace for coup anniversary rallies.

(Emphasis mine.)

Categories
Bangkok Thai politics Thailand

Reuters: Grenade explodes near Thai state TV channel

Grenade explodes near Thai state TV channel

BANGKOK, Aug 31 (Reuters) – A grenade exploded in the compound of a Thai state-run broadcaster on Tuesday but no one was injured, police said, the fourth mysterious blast in five weeks during a state of emergency in Bangkok.

The grenade damaged three vehicles inside the compound close to one of the city’s largest military bases on Viphavadi-Rangsit Road leading to the capital, said Police Colonel Paisan Wongwatcharamongkol, citing witnesses.

Authorities suspect the grenade was shot from an M79 launcher positioned on an overhead highway, Paisan said.”Three vehicles were slightly damaged by sharpnel from the explosion.”

Broadcaster NBT, whose compound was hit by the grenade, has faced criticism from “red shirt” anti-government demonstrators, who accuse the channel of biased reporting.

There are also stories from AP and AFP.

Categories
Bangkok Thailand

Bangkok Post: “Democrats give motorcyclists a hearing”

Today’s Bangkok Post: Democrats give motorcyclists a hearing:

The Democrat Party will hold a forum to gather the opinions of motorcycle taxi drivers, many of whom are Puea Thai Party supporters, as polls indicate the opposition party is enjoying a slight edge in popular support.

Related: The politics of motorcycle taxis.

Categories
Bangkok Thailand

One year ago today: The story of adopting our Bangkok street dog

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One year ago today, we adopted Ashley, a rescued street dog. Just a puppy, she was found in poor condition indeed. But she was rehabilitated by the fine folks at SCAD Bangkok. SCAD stands for Soi Cats and Dogs — soi being the Thai name for alley or small street.

There are many thousands of “soi dogs,” as they’re known, in the Thai capital and throughout Thailand.

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We were told that Ashley had been abused when she was young, and that she was found living with her litter mates in a box outside of a wood dyeing factory. Their mother was nowhere to be found. Someone had kicked Ashley, apparently, and so SCAD arranged to have life-saving surgery performed.

When SCAD took her in, she appeared to be suffering pretty badly:

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The organization did a great job of fixing her up, and here’s how she looked when we got her last August, when she was roughly a year old.

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Here we are in the taxi coming home:

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She was a bit dubious at first…

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But once we got home, she settled in quickly.

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These days, she has very few puppy-like traits left. She was well socialized with other dogs when we got her, having spent her time time at the center with dozens of other canines. And she was fine with people — not aggressive, and not overly skittish. Generally, her mood is calm. She’s not overly active or insistent on human company. She is, however, extremely playful, both with people and other mutts.

Her likes include:

Hanging out on the balcony…

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And hanging out some more…

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Taking naps…

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Smiling for the camera…

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Acting daintily — even crossing her legs:

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She also enjoys the the beach, though she likes chasing birds (especially chickens) more than taking dips in the water…

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And she also loves her rubber chicken chew toy (though since this photo was taken, only a foot remains):

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…and, finally, here she is with a favorite treat — a mangosteen:

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Dislikes include swimming (and water of all kinds), loud noises, the guitar, cats, vegetables, and strangers knocking at the door.

Here’s to another great year. And hey, if you’ve been thinking of adopting a pooch, there are several available here on the SCAD Web site.

Categories
Bangkok Journalism

Bangkok Post — in 3D

Given my previous dispatches pointing out interesting tidbits from the Bangkok Post, I would be remiss if I failed to note that yesterday’s edition featured 3D images. E&P explains here. ((Related (kind of): On the Media‘s excellent episode, from July 16, about the future of newspapers.))

Yesterday was the Post‘s 64th anniversary, and the paper was delivered with accompanying 3D glasses affixed to a special outer advertising supplement. 3D photos were used in the supplement as well as throughout the paper itself.

Here’s a cell phone pic:

Bangkok Post in 3D

So how did the 3D effect work? It seemed, well, fine to me — though I must say that I have never seen a newspaper in 3D, so I have nothing to which I can compare the experience.

Categories
Bangkok Thai politics Thailand

Bangkok bomb kills 1; Dems win parliamentary by-election

A bomb exploded yesterday at a bus stop near central Bangkok’s Rajaprasong intersection, killing 1 and wounded 10. BBC has more info here.

Here’s an image I snapped about an hour and a half after the explosion. The bus stop is located directly opposite the CentralWorld shopping mall, which was torched on May 19 following the military’s dispersal of red shirt protesters.

The red shirts’ stage was located just a few hundred meters up Rajadamri Rd. Here’s what the intersection looked like last night.

Meanwhile, the Bangkok Post has this story about yesterday’s parliamentary by-election, which the Democrats won. Previous BP post about the significance of the by-election is here.

I’ll likely be posting more about both of these stories on Twitter.