Bangkok

Officers gather kratom plants in Phang Nha province, Thailand. Thailand on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021, decriminalized the possession and sale of kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia.

Thailand legalizes kratom, a mild narcotic leaf

For much of the pandemic era, bars in Thailand have shuttered, eviscerating the country's food-and-beverage sector. But the legalization of kratom caught many by surprise, and now, some bar owners are hoping the drug can keep their businesses alive.

Thailand legalizes kratom, a mild narcotic leaf
A Thai Buddhist monk carries a statue of Buddha as he waits with others to welcome Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharmsala, India, Sept. 7, 2018.

A Thai organization’s crusade against blaspheming Buddha

A Thai organization’s crusade against blaspheming Buddha
A man drinks beer at a restaurant in Hanoi, July 20, 2009. In smaller markets in Southeast Asia such as Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, drinking beer is becoming a popular pastime due to rising disposable income and relatively young populations who are e

In Thailand, posting a selfie with a beer is a potential crime

In Thailand, posting a selfie with a beer is a potential crime
Chemicals seized during Asia’s largest-ever drug bust in Myanmar. 

A massive Asian drug bust has stirred a fentanyl mystery

A massive Asian drug bust has stirred a fentanyl mystery
Passengers wear protective masks due to the coronavirus outbreak on a train in Bangkok, March 16, 2020.

Coronavirus fears in Asia create a black market for masks

Coronavirus fears in Asia create a black market for masks
Women wear masks as a preventive measure against the coronavirus outbreak, in Bangkok, Feb. 7, 2020.

Coronavirus fears spread in Thailand, a Chinese tourism magnet

Thailand — reliant on Chinese trade and tourism, reluctant to injure Beijing’s feelings — has yet to suspend flights from China, where the virus continues to spread. Only flights from Wuhan and other high-risk cities are on pause. This policy mirrors that of China’s own government, which has quarantined Wuhan.

Coronavirus fears spread in Thailand, a Chinese tourism magnet
A woman checks her phone while riding on the back of a motorbike.

This app is disrupting motorbike taxis in Bangkok. Some are disrupting right back.

On every major corner in Bangkok, there’s a motorbike taxi crew that will zip you to your destination by any means necessary. But their dominance is now threatened by an app called Grab.

This app is disrupting motorbike taxis in Bangkok. Some are disrupting right back.
A man in white lab coat holds a glass container while others watch

Thailand is betting big on cannabis. Visit its first legal lab.

Thailand once issued severe penalties for marijuana users. But the perception of cannabis is rapidly changing, with talk of churning out “world-class cannabis” from Thailand's lush farmlands. A few months ago, scientists started the first-ever cannabis laboratory — one of the few legal facilities of its kind in Asia.

Thailand is betting big on cannabis. Visit its first legal lab.
band photo

How a Japanese girl-group empire is conquering Asian pop

When the group debuted in the mid-2000s, AKB48 was more easily dismissed as a novelty act. But in recent years, the group has expanded into a bona fide musical empire — one that has spread across Asia.

How a Japanese girl-group empire is conquering Asian pop
Thai Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya is shown in a close-up protrait posing during a news conference in a 2008 file photo.

In stunning move, Thai king's sister running for prime minister

The sister of Thailand's king entered the race to become prime minister on Friday as the candidate of a populist party, an unprecedented foray into politics by a royal that instantly upended the first election since a 2014 military coup.

In stunning move, Thai king's sister running for prime minister
Saudi teen

Stuck in Bangkok, Saudi teenage apostate deftly turns to Twitter

An 18-year-old Saudi woman is using social media to alert the world to her situation: As she was attempting to flee what she said was an abusive family, Thai officials stopped her while she was en route to Australia. She's now holed up in the Bangkok airport, but the world is watching, thanks to her Twitter account.

Stuck in Bangkok, Saudi teenage apostate deftly turns to Twitter
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun is shown in a still grainy still image taken from a video speaking into earbuds.

Thailand, UNHCR confer on Saudi teen barricaded in Thai hotel

An 18-year-old Saudi woman, who said her family wants to kill her, barricaded herself inside an airport hotel in Bangkok to prevent being expelled by Thai immigration authorities.

Thailand, UNHCR confer on Saudi teen barricaded in Thai hotel
A migrant worker from Myanmar looks at his cellphone at a wholesale market for shrimp and other seafood in Mahachai, in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, July 4, 2017.

A tech startup called OMG wants to revolutionize cash for hundreds of millions of 'unbanked' people in Asia

Bangkok-based OmiseGO envisions a world where cash is digital and free-flowing, stored on blockchains, accessible by smartphones and effortlessly zapped across borders. It's a human right, they say. And they're starting with Asia's farmers, merchants, migrants and factory hands, who are now quite likely to own smartphones but may not have bank accounts.

A tech startup called OMG wants to revolutionize cash for hundreds of millions of 'unbanked' people in Asia
Sirintip in a brightly-covered room

Here's an album for 'third culture kids'

A singer raised in Thailand and Sweden is trying to create a virtual space in music for kids raised in multiple cultures who often feel like they don't belong anywhere.

Here's an album for 'third culture kids'
bangkok

Police: Refugee family stuck in Bangkok airport for two months

Comparisons were quickly made with the 2004 film "The Terminal," in which a man played by Tom Hanks finds himself stuck in a New York airport after his government collapses, rendering his papers useless.

Police: Refugee family stuck in Bangkok airport for two months