Category: Bangkok

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Bangkok Thai politics Thailand

Red shirt protest update: Army soldiers positioned in Silom

Just briefly: The story of the day, from AP: “Armed Thai troops patrol Bangkok business district.” The soldiers took up positions there early this morning after Red Shirt protesters said they’d take their demonstrations to Silom. But that didn’t happen.

Also, an interview with Thai PM Abhisit was broadcast on TV this evening. The Bangkok Post has a brief item, and The Nation‘s Tulsathit provided a real-time translation on Twitter.

I spent some time in Silom and at Rajaprasong, the main rally site, today. I hope to post pics and observations tomorrow.

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Bangkok Books Travel

Newley.com in the new Lonely Planet: Thailand

Lonely Planet Thailand

Newley.com has earned a mention in the new Lonely Planet Thailand guide book. This humble blog is listed under the heading “The Inside Scoop,” on page 107. It’s part of a round-up of “informative or entertaining” Thailand blogs.

And in the Sights section of the Bangkok chapter, on page 139, you’ll also find a brief interview with yours truly and my Thai teacher, Khun Ju, about foreigners learning Thai. (The Bangkok chapter and other parts of the LP were written by Bangkok-based foodie photog Austin Bush, who — I can tell you from personal experience — knows Thailand very, very well. And I’m not just saying that.)

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Bangkok HOWTO Thailand

More on H1N1 in Thailand — the atmosphere in Bangkok, and how to follow H1N1 developments

A quick note about H1N1 here in Thailand. Infections continue to spread — the Nation newspaper tells today us that there are now 518 confirmed cases, up from just 16 last week. And the Bangkok Post has a breakdown by location within Thailand.

Nevertheless, here in Bangkok — as you might imagine — life continues as usual.

On Tuesday I spent some time talk to people on the street about H1N1. No one was concerned. One woman selling grilled meat told me she wasn’t afraid of H1N1 at all. A motorcycle taxi driver said that he wasn’t worried, even though he has a small child in school. A woman selling lottery tickets told me that she had no fear of H1N1, and besides, she doesn’t eat pork anyway, having switched to fish recently because it’s healthier. (There were — and apparently continue to be — misconceptions that H1N1 can be contracted by eating pork.)

For further H1N1 news, I suggest consulting the following:

You can also follow me on Twitter, as I’ve been relaying some H1N1 news there periodically.