A sustainable retreat

In the southwest of Phnom Penh lies the region's largest surviving rainforest. After landing, I met other travel companions to spend three nights together at a riverside camp. We were split into two vans and headed for Sihanoukville. Downtown shophouses and heavy traffic gave way to lush scenery. No sooner had the hustle faded into the distance than rice paddies, palm trees and mountains came into sight. Here, Cambodia's nature remains undisturbed. In more or less two hours, we arrived at the ca

Tranquil beauty

A powerful earthquake that struck the northwest of Kathmandu in 2015 sent a ripple of destruction through the country. Not far from its epicentre, Bhaktapur bore the brunt of the natural disaster that damaged houses and religious structures. After years of reconstruction, despite lingering signs of ruin, this ancient town continues to preserve harmony between the old and the new.

After departing the capital city, we stopped at the heritage site for a few hours. While waiting to pay for entry, I

Snowy peaks and vibrant culture

Debris remains the lingering evidence of a massive earthquake in Nepal in 2015. With the epicentre in the northwest of Kathmandu, followed by hundreds of aftershocks, the natural disaster killed around 9,000 people, injured over 100,000 and impacted around 8 million. As Nepal began to recover, the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a complete standstill and tourism cracked and collapsed like people's homes.

Krishna Adhikari, a teacher-turned-guide in his 50s, is one of them.

"The earthq

Artists rally to save the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine

Hemmed in on all sides by construction, colourful paintings are nailed to the metal sheet fences of an age-old community. Inside, there is thoughtful mixed-media artwork, performances and memorabilia left behind in the wake of displacement. Artists are campaigning all-out for the protection of the Chao Mae Thap Thim Shrine ahead of a first court ruling that could result in demolition at the end of the month.

Wasitpon Tunsatapornpan, an organiser and artist, said people in this neighbourhood, on

Move Forward won't vote for Pheu Thai PM candidate

The Move Forward Party (MFP) said it would vote against the prime ministerial candidate of the Pheu Thai Party because Pheu Thai was forming a government with military-linked parties.

MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon told reporters at the parliament on Monday that the election-winning party did not base its decision on the prime ministerial candidate of Pheu Thai but on MFP's standpoint that it would not support the parties of the "uncles".

He was apparently referring to the Palang Pr

MFP to press House on charter rewrite

The Move Forward Party (MFP) will submit an urgent motion asking the House of Representatives to pass a resolution seeking a public referendum on rewriting the constitution.

MFP list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu said on Wednesday the proposed referendum would ask people if they agree with setting up a charter-rewriting assembly, with members publicly elected to draft a new constitution.

He said two key elements must be addressed -- whether the charter should be entirely rewritten and if the writing

MFP submits 9 bills for promised law reforms

The Move Forward Party (MFP) has submitted nine more bills to parliament as the reformist party pushes for changes it promised supporters while campaigning for the May 14 general election.

The bills are in three sets, the first concerning local administration, the second corruption prevention and the rest are about diversity, according to list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu, who is behind the move.

The party on July 18 submitted two sets of bills, seven in total, to parliament relating to reforms to t

MFP submits 9 bills for promised law reforms

The Move Forward Party (MFP) has submitted nine more bills to parliament as the reformist party pushes for changes it promised supporters while campaigning for the May 14 general election.

The bills are in three sets, the first concerning local administration, the second corruption prevention and the rest are about diversity, according to list-MP Parit Wacharasindhu, who is behind the move.

The party on July 18 submitted two sets of bills, seven in total, to parliament relating to reforms to t

A forgotten heritage

To the layman, Paniat is unheard of. It is an ancient town that lies in the eastern province of Chanthaburi. It sits at the foot of Khao Sa Bap, a square settlement that was once guarded by walls but levelled out, buried and forgotten to make way for an orchard village. However, the site retains remnants of Khmer culture that highlight the dynamic interaction between Siam and its neighbours.

"In BE 12, Dvaravati towns in the Central Region were circular or oval in shape, but those in Khmer cult

The power of boycotts

Soon after Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat failed to gather enough support for the premiership, some voters launched retaliatory campaigns with the hashtag #senatorbusiness to boycott business networks of handpicked junta senators who rejected him or abstained. Senators then took legal action against those who they believe harass them and their families. Voters are not only cutting off social relations but also punishing senators for committing crimes against democracy.

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