The late General Prem Tinsulanonda (pronounced without the “da”) was a prominent figure in Thailand. The former Prime Minister of Thailand (3 March 1980 – 4 August 1988) was the president of the Privy Council until this death. For an interim period of almost 2 months after the passing of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, he […]
The Law Ministry has been trying to allay our fears over POFMA, alleging that it narrows rather than widen the government’s powers. Even though there are existing laws which allow the Government to block access to sites and to take down certain content, the Bill gives power to ministers to take such actions “only” against […]
I’m acquainted with Mr H, a very dedicated school teacher. Regrettably, he had recently left the profession for something more lucrative. Even more recently, I saw him share an article on Facebook. The article claimed that the callous staff at a community centre drove tissue sellers away from their premises. He questioned whether it was […]
Former Straits Times journalist and Associate Editor Bertha Henson has not been very pro-establishment since she stopped working for our newsPAPer. In recent years, she has been commenting on a variety of issues from our embarrassing presidency to MOH data leaks. Like many activists out there, she is very concerned about the Protection from Online […]
In ancient China, Buddhist monks were supposed to be celibate, vegetarian and teetotalers. What if a monk who preached abstinence from sex, meat and alcohol were caught feasting on meat, wine and women? The devotees probably demanded to have all their donations returned. They probably also stoned him to pulp for good measure. Something of […]
Model: Da, a Thai student studying in Singapore I used to know almost every nook and cranny in the city of Chiangmai. I was practically living there 25-28 years ago. It was a quaint, charming city with an exotic culture and food with so much character that you can easily become addicted. Equally charming and […]
Mothership posted this rather eye-catching piece on Facebook on Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering who is Prime Minister of the Himalayan kingdom on weekdays and a freelance doctor on weekends. The citizens of Bhutan and any travelers in the Kingdom enjoys absolute free medical care. The response from local netizens is quite predictable. The post […]
My son will be taking his national exams this year. Not being academic enough to further his education in the realm of doctrines, I’ve been ruminating over less demanding, more down-to-earth IHLs and career options with him and his teachers. While we all try to focus on the immediate future of his learning journey, the […]
March has been quite a month so far. On the very first day, I turned 55 and wasted no time to request for my $5,000 from CPF Board. Some people asked me, why so little and I’m not surprised that they didn’t know that I don’t have the minimum sum of $176,000. I’m just surprised […]
For any author, an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show or the mere mention of a book by Oprah Winfrey is an almost guaranteed path to stardom. It’s also an infinitely treasured platform for “commercial activists” to push their cause (and products). The year was 2007. Entering the stage was Jenny McCarthy, actress and mother […]