Blog
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Prime Minister Srettha Should Listen to the Experts on Cash Handout
In the lead-up to the 2023 general election, the Pheu Thai Party had campaigned on the slogan kid yai, tum pen, pheu Thai took khon. The official translation of this slogan was think big, act smart, for all Thais. We have an abundance of evidence now that Pheu Thai and its predecessors were capable of…
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Interview With The Matter on Translating Thai Poetry
“เราอาจขนานนามสุนทรภู่ว่าเป็น วิลเลียม เชกสเปียร์ เมืองไทย แต่การอธิบายว่าเขาคือใคร เขาทำอะไรให้คนต่างชาติฟังค่อนข้างจะยาก ยกเว้นเราจะแปลกลอนออกมาในแบบที่คงฉันทลักษณ์ไว้ เพื่อทำให้คนต่างชาติตระหนักว่าบทกลอนไทยไพเราะอย่างไร”
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This Time Must Be Different
There are facts that, by this time, are no longer new to Thai society. Thailand, despite supposedly strict gun control laws, still has high firearm ownership rates due to the illegal trade. Mass shootings are rare, but gun violence itself not particularly so. These facts are repeated in news articles every time there is a…
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Pheu Thai Foots the Political Bill for Thaksin’s Return
On 22 August 2023, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand after 15 years in self-exile. He was taken straight into custody from the airport to serve out a sentence for previous corruption convictions. A little over a week later, Thaksin submitted a request for a royal pardon, which was granted in the form…
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Poetry Translation: Phruedsophakason
Shortly after translating several of Sunthorn Phu’s works, I was asked on Twitter if I would be able to translate ‘Pruedsopakasorn’, another famous poem. It’s been a few months, but I’ve finally gotten around to having a go at this translation. This poem follows a Thai poetic structure called the kapyani 11. Some will argue…
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For Move Forward, the Stars Are Aligning
On September 10, the Move Forward Party won a stomping victory in the byelection for Rayong’s third constituency. The MFP candidate, Phongsathorn Sornpetchnarin, won almost 60 percent of the votes cast, while the Democrat candidate, Banyat Chetanachan, won around 40 percent. The Move Forward victory came despite what seemed like the party’s best efforts to…
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As the Old Prime Minister Returns, a New Prime Minister is Elected
There are few events in Thailand that could possibly overshadow the election of a new prime minister. The return of a former prime minister from his self-imposed time in exile is one of them. Thaksin Shinawatra was gone for fifteen years, but in many ways it never really felt like he had left. Even as…
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Where Prayut Succeeded — and Fell Short — at Making Thailand More Competitive
In May, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha marked nine years in power. In Thai politics, this is a remarkably long tenure, exceeding even Prem Tinsulanonda’s eight-year rule in 1980s; not since Thanom Kittikachorn’s tenure from 1963 to 1973 has any leader been in office for over nine years. Given such an extended period of rule — with…
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The End of a Political Institution?
On July 10, the Democrat MP for Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Chaichana Dechdecho, wrote a story on his Facebook page. In this story, a family was divided between the choice of a new car. The nephew wanted an electric vehicle, while the uncle wanted to continue using a regular gasoline car. They were forced to bring…
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One Constituency, Two Parties: Ballot Splitting and Divided Loyalties in Thailand’s Election
Thailand’s two-ballot electoral system has uncovered divided loyalties among the country’s voters. An oft-used voter turnout slogan in Thailand encourages citizens to “vote for the candidate you love and the party you like.” Yet, the May 2023 general election unveiled a fascinating reality: the candidate Thai voters loved and the party they liked were not…
Ken | Mathis Lohatepanont 