New Mandala

In early 2003 there was a flurry of interest in history in Baan Tiam, a small village in northern Thailand. Partly this was a result of the newly elected headman’s interest in initiating new projects that would raise the profile and prestige of the village. There were also central government initiatives aimed at promoting local culture. I attended a long meeting at the [...]

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Many New Mandala readers are, I’m sure, already aware of the story of Sirin Phathanothai whose politician father sent her to China be raised by Zhou Enlai.  Last night on Australian TV there was a long and detailed discussion of Sirin and her life.  It is available here, with a transcript and the video.  Anyone [...]

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The first time was the worst, although the second was pretty bad too. The only two times in my life I’ve been on an intravenous drip.
I’ve had malaria about 20 times — although I can’t be sure exactly, because towards the end I was self-diagnosing, and medicating with Artesunate and Mefloquine. During this period in [...]

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New Mandala is currently experimenting with ways of linking blogging with more conventional forms of academic writing. Earlier this week we launched Four Letter Words to encourage guest contributors to write short essays that reflect on their scholarship and experience in mainland Southeast Asia.
Today I am announcing another, much more self-centred, initiative. I want to attempt to [...]

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Those concerned about the decline of biodiversity in northern Thailand will be delighted to read that a particularly rare political specimen has been found - a PAD supporter in the north!
Chiang Mai - A woman turned up at the Doi Suthep Temple and made noise with a “hand clapper” to protest against visiting Prime Minister [...]

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In Thailand the legal system seeks to ensure that public comment about the monarchy can only be favourable. Under the lèse majesté provision of the criminal code, any action that insults or disrespects the royal family can bring a sentence of up to 15-years behind bars.
The most recent victim of this law is Melbourne man [...]

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In 1983 Charles Keyes wrote “the evidence from monastery libraries in Laos and Thailand reveals that what constitutes the Theravādin dhamma for people in these areas includes only a small portion of the total Tipiṭaka…Moreover, the collection of texts available to the people in the associated community are not exactly the same as those found [...]

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The International Crisis Group has issued a strongly-worded policy brief on the situation in Thailand. Here is their six point plan which, they suggest, would enable Thailand to “step back from the brink of further political chaos.”
􀂉 All parties should commit to resolving their differences through peaceful and democratic means.
􀂉 Senior establishment and army figures should [...]

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Recently our article “Northern Thailand’s Specter of Eviction” was published by Critical Asian Studies (40:3, 373-398).  In that piece we discussed the evidence of village evictions in northern Thailand.   This is, as we point out, an enduring theme in academic and activist writings across the region.  However we found that the strong emphasis on evictions is not supported [...]

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“These are weird times in Asian politics.”
- Marcus Gee writing in The Globe and Mail.

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