top of page
Sirachai Shin
Arunrugstichai
p h o t o j o u r n a l i s t
Editorial Work
2023
Lang Pacha: The Rite of the Second Burial
In Thailand, the ancient rite of the second burial that originated in China lives on as Buddhist volunteers cremate exhumed remains in crowded cemeteries. The meticulous rituals, blending tradition, practicality, and religious devotion, make this event unique, marking Thailand as the last place where this centuries-old Chinese custom survives.
2022
Black Goo: Rayong Oil spill
Thailand's Pollution Control Department said 180,000 – 200,000 liters of crude oil from a pipeline spill south of the city of Rayong is expected to wash up on beaches in the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Koh Samet Marine National Park. Beaches in the tourist island of Koh Samed are also expected to be badly hit. The Island, which is a popular weekend beach getaway for Bangkok residents, has been battered by hardships arising from Covid-19 and now faces the oil leak disaster at a delicate time when many locations in Thailand are re-opening fully to tourism.
Cheaper than Pork: Crocodile Meat Gains Demand
Thailand is among the top crocodile producers in the world with an estimate of 700,000 crocodiles being raised in farm as reported by Bangkok Post. Traditionally the crocodiles were raised mainly for skins, while meat is consumed by a niche market. However, interest in crocodile meat as an alternative source of protein in Thailand is growing due to the soaring price of pork from stock shortages from the AFS (African Swine Fever) outbreaks.
2022 New Year Along Thai-Myanmar Border
Due to the fighting between the Myanmar military and the Karen National Union (KNU) in Lay Kay Kaw, Myanmar's Karen State, thousands of people fled their homes to seek safety at the Thai-Myanmar border, where over 4,000 people crossed the border to Thailand as refugees throughout the past week. The others that do not cross the river set up temporary campsites as Internally displaced people (IDP) on the river bank of the Moei River, while receiving donated supplies from the Thai side of the river.
2021
2021 Thai Protest: Clashes in Bangkok Downtown
After a year since the beginning of the student-led mass protests in Thailand that subsided due to the coronavirus outbreak, the anti-government protesters returned as the delta variant wrecks havoc through Bangkok. However, the gatherings often resulted in violent clashes that occurred almost daily between August and September, where protesters use slingshots, fireworks, paint, and homemade bombs against rubber bullets and teargas from riot police. Although both protesters and police sustained injuries during the clashes, various rights groups expressed concerns that police responses were often excessive and indiscriminate toward protesters who are mostly young people.
Excess Mortalities: Delta Strikes Thailand
Amidst the rapid spread of the delta variants that is wreaking havoc in Southeast Asia, the daily cases of newly infected people and daily mortalities in Thailand have been continuously climbing. Healthcare systems are running at full capacity, while forensic doctors struggle to handle the large influx of bodies, suggesting the possibility of much larger infection among the population than the reported official numbers.
Khlong Toei Cluster: Outbreak in Bangkok Slum
Thailand is currently facing the third wave of the pandemic, and the virus has rapidly spread to the Khlong Toei district, the largest slum of Bangkok, which is the hardest-hit region. As Khlong Toei is among the most densely populated areas in Bangkok, the authority is concerned about how the slum turns to be an epicenter of the outbreak, which could be challenging to contain the situation.
2020
King's Portraits: Support of Thai Royals in the South
Southern Thailand has long been seen as a stronghold of Royalist support. Reverence for the present and past kings is high, and publicly visible all across the southern provinces. Portraits of the royal family saturate public and private spaces in the region, a reminder that despite ongoing protests in the capital, support for existing institutions remains high in some parts of the country, and especially in the south.
2020 Thai Protest: Thai Youth Uprising
After many years under the rule of General Prayuth Chan-o-cha since the 2014 Coup d'état, the young generation of Thai takes things to the streets calling for changes in their country. Fueled by numerous incidences of forced disappearance of political activists, violence from the police, the protesters state their three demands, the resignation of the Prime Minister, the drafting of a new constitution, and the reform of the monarchy, the most revered institution of Thailand.
2017
Thepa: Before the Fishing Town Disappear
A small coastal district in the Gulf of Thailand with biologically-rich water has nurtured the livelihoods of the local communities in the deep south with its pristine marine and coastal ecosystems. But this sleepy town and its natural richness might be completely transformed in the near future with a plan to construct a coal powerplant to pave a way to develop large-scale expansive industrial complexes along the shore.
Lembeh Strait: The Muck Capital
Lembeh is the name of the long and narrow Strait that separates the islands of Sulawesi and Lembeh, being a shipping route near the harbour town of Manado. But under its water, Lembeh Strait boasts a large diversity of marine life, especially the weird and colourful critters, giving its world-renown name as the Muck Diving capital of thee World that attracts divers from around the world to find these photogenic subjects.
South Maldives: Sea of Atolls
Since the formation of Maldives from the submersion of ancient volcanoes into the charismatic atolls, the sea of Maldives have undergone continuous changes. The ongoing development has provided a rapid economic growth to Maldives, while it is also taking some toll on the rich marine resources, which could become problematic in the near future from the ongoing impacts from both environmental and anthropogenic causes.
2015
Mergui: the Lost Archipelago
After the dissolution of the military junta, scientists finally get a glimpse into the restricted territory on the biodiversity, and livelihood of the people in the archipelago.
2014
Vegetarian Festival
Explosion, Mutilation, and Devotion, unusual religious rituals are performed during the annual Vegetarian Festival, which is celebrated by the Thai Chinese community in Phang-Nga and Phuket to display their faith in their beliefs and traditions.
bottom of page