Lamphun, Thailand News

They were once stages of ultimate desire, where a beauty would be crowned the fairest of them all by respected judges, not simply by a mirror on the wall.

Thailand is about to pass the year 2009 without major natural disasters, but the country may not enjoy an easy ride in the coming year as turbulent weather is expected.

Chiang Mai is amazing, always full of new experiences no matter how many times you travel there.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has sent a confidential memorandum to the prime minister recommending for the elimination of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan said on Friday.

The red shirts staged an anti-government rally in Chiang Mai yesterday, even though Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva cancelled his trip there to avoid violence as suggested by the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Whether it is real or just intimidation, the death threat made against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and broadcast over a community radio station in Chiang Mai only a week ahead of his planned visit to the northern capital this coming Sunday should be condemned in the harshest terms.

A woman with a mask covering half of her face was the first person I saw when the flight attendant opened the door after we had landed at Suvarnabhumi airport.

During a brief discussion before he rejoined his group, Kiettisak Jaiban, 13, said that he had never been more enthused to protect and preserve his "community forest". He and his campmates were preparing to present their findings after hours of trekking in a forest in Chiang Mai province.

Senators have proposed moving residents near Map Ta Phut to a specially created new town in order to resolve pollution and health concerns while turning Map Ta Phut into a solely industrial zone.

It seems both Surichai Wun'gaeo and the folks who came to shower him with a blessing last Friday were caught by the same surprise: Has the man already crossed that golden threshold into the post-retirement years? Judging from the ever-youthful, ever-dynamic personality of Surichai, however, the Chulalongkorn sociologist will probably remain as ...

Twelve provinces, mostly in the North and Northeast, have been inundated by flash floods triggered by Typhoon Ketsana.

Many areas of the northern, northeastern and southern regions continued to suffer flooding after heavy rains and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday instructed state agencies to closely follow the situation and to promptly provide assistance to flood victims.

The main pagoda at Wat Phrabart Huai Tom is ringed by 48 small stupas. And rest remains the chief pastime in this district of Lamphun, perhaps the quietest place in Thailand The story goes that, in 12th century, Princess Chamari fled south from Luang Prabang in Laos as it was being conquered, and when her elephant reached a spot between Chiang Mai ...

While upper Thailand was warned yesterday of heavy rainfall and flooding, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration expressed confidence that existing facilities would prevent floods in Thon Buri and that northern run-off would be absorbed by the Bhumibol and Sirikit dams.

The State Railway of Thailand is insisting the launch of the airport-link service will not be delayed by the opposition Pheu Thai Party's complaints about the premier and the interior minister allowing conflicts of interest in the project.

Thailand's 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej remained hospitalized Tuesday with a low fever, as the country's citizens organized events to wish him better health.

More than three million people in Thailand may have caught the A/H1N1 flu and have recovered by themselves, the Public Health Ministry reported on Thursday.

Vast tracts of land in the North are now in the hands of foreigners, mostly through marriages to Thai women, a local farmers' group said yesterday.

Right now, nothing worries the majority of us here in Thailand more than the new 2009 swine flu epidemic.

Phaothong Thongchua, the well known fine arts consultant and textile collector, recently opened his home in Lamphun to talk about his passion - a very private collection of more than 6,000 pieces of rare silks and other fabrics, some dating back to the reign of King Rama III.