Anon Nampha and the campaign to reform the monarchy
The Isaan Record's Hathairat Phaholtap conducts an exclusive interview with activist and lawyer, Anon Nampha.
Interviews
No work without physical contact: Women workers affected by COVID-19
The economic impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic has been disproportionally affecting female service workers. In addressing the crisis, policymakers need to take gender questions into account argues sociologist Patcharin Lapanun from Khon Kaen University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Science.
The Good Daughters of Isaan (7) – A wife to rent: Recollections from the gates of a US airbase in Udon Thani
Banjong Boonkit recalls the time when she worked as a “rented wife” for American soldiers at the US airbase in Udon Thani.
Talking protest with Attapon Buapat: Inside the “Khon Kaen’s Had Enough” group
Attapon Buapat, one of the prominent faces of the rallies and an organizer with the “Khon Kaen’s Had Enough” group talks about the birth of the movement, funding of the protests, the growing harassment by the authorities, and his hopes for change.
Activists are concerned about unchecked government power during the COVID-19 pandemic
Suwit Kulapwong, head of the Human Rights and Environment Association, warns the state of emergency limits the public's ability to check the powers of the government.
Remembrances of Red Trauma (28) – No democracy without justice
Niran Pitakwatchara, a former human rights commissioner, talks about the implications of the violence in 2010 for the country’s democracy and calls for “the perpetrators to be brought to justice, so as to deter repeat offenders.”
Remembrances of Red Trauma (26) – Crushing democracy: From Red Shirts to Future Forward Party
Political scientist Chaiyan Rajchagool reflects on how the ruling class have constructed a politico-military complex, and co-opted state institutions in a bid to keep democracy at bay.
Remembrances of Red Trauma (24) – Rebuilding shattered dreams of democracy
The bloody crackdown on protesters in 2010 is seared into the mind of Thanat Thammakaew. For the writer, known by his pen name Phu Kradat, the traumatic events became a political awakening and a source of inspiration for his writing.
Remembrances of Red Trauma (20) – A fire burning down below
“There has never been a time, no other era, where the ordinary villager has cursed the ruling class so much as now. There’s a fire burning down below and the military coup has only poured fuel onto that fire.” Teerapol Anmai speaks about the aftermath of the 2010 protests and the state’s violent response.
Remembrances of Red Trauma (18) – Writing about atrocity, a challenge for Thai literature
Duanwad Pimwana, one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Thai literature, talks about the challenges Thai literature faces in dealing with the trauma of the April-May 2010 violence.
Remembrances of Red Trauma (11) – A war of words: ‘red buffaloes’
Linguist Saowanee T. Alexander talks about the evolution of the term “red buffaloes” that had been used pejoratively to describe Red Shirts and supporters of the Pheu Thai Party. But in recent years, pro-democracy activists have reclaimed the slur, partly shifting its derogatory usage.
The Soul of Molam (15) – Masters of the khaen and the future of disappearing molam styles
The molam we know today stems from a century-old Lao tradition that is being transformed by its mingling with central Thai forms and international styles. What do we know about that original tradition? Are there khaen-playing practitioners still performing today in Isaan? John Garzoli, an ethnomusicologist looking precisely at these issues, shares his views.