Picking berries or other wild fruits in Europe is a very lucrative job for many. It has become popular among Thai workers, especially those from Isaan. Many invested their life savings to fly to the opposite side of the world, with high hopes of turning their lives around. However, for some, they return to Thailand […]
The province of Sakon Nakhon has long been stigmatized as the “land of dog eaters.” In fact, the culture behind consuming dog meat exists across Asia. Historically, Sakon Nakhon city was the nexus of the dog meat trade with exports to neighboring countries. Dogs in the countryside were commonly traded for a water container or wash tub before being transported to other countries. The Isaan Record explores the reasons why the image of Sakon Nakhon is still tied to dog eating until today.
In Thai society, there are few Thai scholars who remain hopeful. One of them is Prof. Dr. Thongchai Winichakul, a former lecturer at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA, points to a way out for Thai society, once again in a time of crisis. The media needs to reinvent itself, and truly become professional.
It was also where locals were educated politically, and was a critical and important point in the political development in Isaan. The Isaan Record visits the site to learn about the life of those who searched for enlightenment, living as communists in the vast forest; those who reflect on what they learned after living in Dong Phra Jao.
Amid an ongoing attempt to demolish what’s left of the Seri Thai Airport and its history in Kalasin province, The Isaan Record explores another Seri Thai Airport in Sakon Nakhon province. Here lie the last traces of an airport built by the Seri Thai Movement, exhibiting the history of the political struggle in Isaan aimed to resist Japanese occupation during WWII. (Locals still refer to the area as an “airport” although it appears to been more of a “drop site.”)
The Mekong River is unique in that it flows through and between so many countries. Every country takes what it can from it, leaving the millions who depend on it for their livelihoods and survival in an increasingly perilous situation. A team of guest contributors went to two communities in Isaan—one where the Mekong first touches the region in Loei and one 600 kms away in Ubon where it leaves Thai territory to learn how two communities are dealing with a drastically changing environment.
Prince Sapphasitthiprasong was the one who brought urban planning to Ubon Ratchathani. He might be called the father of modern Ubon. But he was also the one who launched the campaign against the Holy Man Rebellion in Trakan Phuet Phon District. The rebels were hopelessly outgunned and the crackdown led to the death of more than 300. A local historian and restaurant owner weighs in on how the people of Ubon Ratchathani remember this Bangkok-appointed governor.
The tale of resistance surrounding Isaan’s Holy Man Rebellion in Ubon Ratchathani province, called “The Battle of Non Pho,” was passed down from generation to generation. Much folklore and many poems recalled the event of 121 years ago. Non Pho was a killing field, shelled by the government’s cannons, where over 400 people died. Local residents hope to build a local history museum in order to memorialize the tragic history of that day, one that has otherwise been fading.
way for construction of a high-speed railway. Residents are caught in a limbo as they have nowhere else to go. The only thing they can do is wait for the order that will force them out from a place where they’ve lived their whole lives.
“Clothing is just a basic necessity of humans. It doesn’t decrease or increase my quality as a teacher.” This is is an ad for the "Next Uniform" campaign for Khon Kaen University students who want people to look at people equally ad not evaluating them by their clothes.
