New Mandala

I had thought that after a couple of weeks of relative quiet it would be in everybody’s best interest to simply ignore the provocative and childish videos that may, on occasion, cause offence in Thailand.  I was wrong. 
Apparently, Thailand’s junta-installed government now plans to charge YouTube with lèse majesté.  The International Herald Tribune has some details. 
It reports that:
Sitthichai [...]

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The following photographs are designed to give a general overview of the dances at a Jingpo Manau.  These images are provided to help contextualise future posts that will examine specific elements of the festivities. 
Manau festivals are commonly held over multiple days and involve large-scale formation dancing.  It is, therefore, helpful to have at least some idea of the [...]

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Thais have dubbed pre-election nights “the night the dogs howl” because vote-canvassers make late-night visits to those they have paid to ensure they vote appropriately. Their nocturnal meanderings stir sleeping dogs and whole villages wake up to the howling: an apt sound for an aching democracy…
…Looking at the bleak prospect of Thai politics in the [...]

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Here is the story of a little kingdom and its good king, who triumphs over a series of dark forces [kingdom.pdf]. It was sent to me by one New Mandala reader, who said it is his favourite bedtime story. Bedtime stories are popular in my house so I read it to my children. This was their favourite section. It [...]

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Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said on Thursday that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) next Wednesday would sign the Bangkok Declaration on Mitigation of Climate Change with 23 public and private organisations at the UN building.
The aim is to reduce the contribution of the metropolis to climate change problems…
…After the declaration was signed, a campaign to alert [...]

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