Jasmine Chia
Bangkok
perpetual perfectionist
Articles by Jasmine Chia
IFF Secures First Heart Health Claim for Soy Protein in Australia and New Zealand Original
IFF Secures First Heart Health Claim for Soy Protein in Australia and New Zealand Regulatory milestone opens heart health growth opportunities for food and beverage manufacturers ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences announced today that a new heart health claim for isolated soy protein has been accepted by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
IFF Tackles Top Challenges in Baking at IBIE 2025 Original
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, health and biosciences, will showcase how it is helping the global baking industry overcome some of its toughest challenges at the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) 2025 in Las Vegas.
Air Angels: the sexualised female icons of Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways
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IFF Expands Pet Portfolio with Latest Science-driven Solutions Original
Advanced biotechnology and innovative solutions set to redefine pet health and wellness NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global powerhouse in bioscience and innovation, today announced a groundbreaking expansion of its pet portfolio. This launch marks a significant leap in IFF’s mission to revolutionize companion animal care through advanced biotechnology and innovation.
How Thai Activists Troll the Monarchy
From early 2020 to late 2021, Thailand experienced near-daily protests triggered by the disbanding of the Future Forward Party, which was seen by Thai progressives and young people as a force for democratic reform. Thousands of people took to the streets to protest the military government brought to power in a 2014 coup. But activists soon turned their critique on the monarchy and the laws that shield the royal family from criticism.
How the Milk Tea Alliance Is Remaking Myanmar
Features | Society | Southeast Asia Why the social media-based movement, and not ASEAN, offers a vision for a democratic and federalist Myanmar. Protesters march holding slogans during a protest at Pazundaung township in Yangon, Myanmar, Wednesday July 14, 2021. Credit: AP Photo Throughout the month of June, the ASEAN flag has been burned over and over again in the streets of Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city.
Opinion: A reflection from Thailand on the CCP’s 100th birthday
China’s Communist Party celebrates its 100th birthday on July 1. It is remarkable just how much the fortunes of Thailand’s biggest neighbor have changed, while Thailand has remained stagnant. In 1921, when the CCP was founded by Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, China was reeling from poverty, warlord domination and a weak central government. A famine in 1920 had heightened revolutionary fervor. Half a million people died, while millions more starved and migrated desperately southward.
Women of Thailand’s Past: Sirin Phathanothai
Thai Enquirer’s ‘Women of Thailand’s Past’ series chronicles the lives of Thai women in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. We begin with Thak Chaloemtiarana’s prompt of Thai women as “multi-faceted beings” as an entry point for tracing different models of femininity developed in Siamese / Thai history. In doing so, we highlight the ways gender has intersected with political ideology and been used to legitimate, or resist, authoritarian rule.
Women of Thailand’s Past: Lady Laiad Phibunsongkram
Thai Enquirer’s ‘Women of Thailand’s Past’ series chronicles the lives of Thai women in the 18th, 19th and early 20thcentury. We begin with Thak Chaloemtiarana’s prompt of Thai women as “multi-faceted beings” as an entry point for tracing different models of femininity developed in Siamese / Thai history. In doing so, we highlight the ways gender has intersected with political ideology and been used to legitimate, or resist, authoritarian rule.
Women of Thailand’s Past: Boonlua Thepyasuwan
Thai Enquirer’s ‘Women of Thailand’s Past’ series chronicles the lives of Thai women in the 18th, 19th and early 20th century. We begin with Thak Chaloemtiarana’s prompt of Thai women as “multi-faceted beings” as an entry point for tracing different models of femininity developed in Siamese / Thai history. In doing so, we highlight the ways gender has intersected with political ideology and been used to legitimate, or resist, authoritarian rule.
Women of Thailand’s Past: Dara Rasami
Thai Enquirer’s ‘Women of Thailand’s Past’ series chronicles the lives of Thai women in the 18th, 19th and early 20thcentury. We begin with Thak Chaloemtiarana’s prompt of Thai women as “multi-faceted beings” as an entry point for tracing different models of femininity developed in Siamese / Thai history. In doing so, we highlight the ways gender has intersected with political ideology and been used to legitimate, or resist, authoritarian rule.
Women of Thailand’s Past: Princess Rudivoravan
Thai Enquirer’s ‘Women of Thailand’s Past’ series chronicles the lives of Thai women in the 18th, 19th and early 20thcentury. We begin with Thak Chaloemtiarana’s prompt of Thai women as “multi-faceted beings” as an entry point for tracing different models of femininity developed in Siamese / Thai history. In doing so, we highlight the ways gender has intersected with political ideology and been used to legitimate, or resist, authoritarian rule.
The Milk Tea Alliance: one year in, where is it now?
The Milk Tea Alliance celebrated its first anniversary on April 7. But with democracy movements across the region facing setbacks, where does the Alliance stand today? What are its possible futures? When Twitter Public Policy launched the tri-colored #MilkTeaAlliance emoji, it was a watershed moment of recognition for something previously dismissed as a fad. The Milk Tea Alliance (MTA) started out as a winsome slogan born of a Pan-Asian meme war, and appears to have grown exponentially since then.
What can ASEAN do about Myanmar?
Since Myanmar’s February 1 coup, critics have expressed disappointment with ASEAN’s lack of action. With the special ASEAN Summit on Myanmar looming this Saturday, academics weigh in on options ASEAN has – based on its structure, history and culture – to deal with the Myanmar crisis. An emergency ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) meeting addressing the Myanmar crisis has been convened in Jakarta on Saturday April 24.
Myanmar Anti-Coup Protests Go Global
Nadi Hlaing (pseudonym) was a teenager when the Saffron Revolution shook Myanmar. The 2007 uprising saw hundreds of thousands of Myanmar citizens, led by saffron-robed monks, take to the streets demanding political and economic reform from the military regime. Foreign correspondents predicted the downfall of the military government. But within weeks, the military’s brutal crackdown left the streets empty and monasteries stained with blood.
Is it ever okay? A relationship between a professor and a student poses difficult questions
A Thammasat University professor’s intimate relationships with his female students reveal broader problems about Thai universities. With their adjudication, Thammasat has the opportunity to set new standards for universities across Thailand. “Can I call you bunny, and you call me bear?” Pim [pseudonym] was a 20-year-old sophomore the first time they met. It was November 2013, and she was taking his class as a student at Thammasat University.
Special Report: Vulnerable communities hardest hit with second Covid wave
Barely back on their feet after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand’s less well-off communities have been sucker-punched by the second wave that started in December. And this time around, while the impact on small and micro-businesses is much the same, the government’s refusal to call a formal lockdown means support is harder to come by. Chalida Sisawang lost her library job at a primary school during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic back in April.
Thailand’s Gender Equality Act Five Years On
In March 2015, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) promulgated the ‘Gender Equality Act.’ It was a surprising move for a coup government that appointed a mere 5% of women to its 250 member National Legislative Assembly. Yet, it was a celebrated milestone – the Act was “the first of its kind in Thai legal history,” according to a study by Chulalongkorn University.
Thailand and the International Drug Trade: Part II: Where do the drugs end up? What’s next for Thailand?
This is a two-part article. Part I discussed the history of the narcotics trade in Thailand and the recent 11.5 ton ketamine bust in Chachoengsao Province. The market in recent years The COVID-19 pandemic has only expanded the drug trade. According to a report released earlier this year by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), drug production has continued at “record levels” while governments shifted their attention to the pandemic.
Civilization and its discontents: Gender and Article 112
Student protesters are taking back the ideal of the proper Thai woman in their fight against the state and for reform of the crown. When Jatuporn Sae-ang strolled the red carpet in a pink phaasin at the October 29 protest on Silom road, it was not her but her dress that turned heads. Unprompted, fellow protesters mock bowed at her feet and reverently reached for her hands, as if she were a queen. Three months later, the 23-year-old was charged with violating Thailand’s infamous lese majeste law.
Opinion: Another World Is Possible, And It Isn’t Communism
When Free YOUTH released its ‘Restart Thailand’ logo in the manner of the Communist hammer and sickle, it stoked widespread political discussion. Many – both supporters and critics alike – argued it was merely provocative. “Just a meme!” they declared, designed to trigger a virulently anti-Communist state. But with the recent release of Free YOUTH’s statement, it is beyond doubt that Free YOUTH has chosen to brand its movement a Communist one.
Opinion: Thai Protesters Do Not Need US Support
In late October, at the height of Thailand’s pro-democracy protests, a small pro-royalist protest took place at the US embassy. Led by singer-actress Haruthai ‘Au’ Muangboonsri, the pro-royalists held signs that read “Stop hybrid war in Thailand” and “Mr DeSombre [the U.S. ambassador to Thailand]! Your job in Hong Kong was good, but it doesn’t work for Thailand.” Claims of U.S. ‘foreign interference’ have been rife among conservatives, pro-royalists and CCP supporters.
Covering the 2020 Thai Protests: The Ethics of Photojournalism
This is a two-part article series initially conceived in response to this South China Morning Post article, but has become about much more: how do we as journalists cover pivotal moments like Thailand’s 2020 uprising? This first article surveys the ethics of photojournalism from an academic perspective, while the second article highlights the practice of photojournalism and the lived realities of photojournalists covering Thailand’s 2020 protests. Exhibit 1.
How Thailand Became The Center of Southeast Asia’s Narcotics Trade
On November 12, Thailand made international headlines for announcing the seizure of 11.5 tons (one billion US dollars’ worth) of ketamine in a warehouse in Chachoengsao Province. The information that led to the seizure was provided by the Taiwanese government, which was conducting investigations connected to another shipment of ketamine imported from Thailand.
Understanding the formation of the Crown Property Bureau and why it matters to protesters
On November 19, 2020, King Rama X appointed former army chief General Apirat Kongsompong deputy director of the Crown Property Bureau (CPB). Seemingly in response, pro-democracy protest leader Panupong ‘Mike Rayong’ Jardnok announced that the next major protest would be held at the Crown Property Bureau. The institution has been central to both political and economic development in Thailand but is shrouded in mystery.
How the Rubber Duck Became a Thai Protest Symbol
The 2020 Thai democracy protests have had no shortage of unexpected symbols, from Hamtaro to Harry Potter, Les Mis to the Hunger Games. As of November 17 2020, the rubber duck has officially joined that pantheon. November 17th’s demonstration in front of the Parliament House marked the most violent altercations between police and protesters since the movement began, with the BBC reporting some 40 people injured.
Thai protests and the possibility of a South East Asian spring
“The geographies of these protests have been different,” wrote Eli Elinoff for the Isaan Record, on Thailand’s October protests. Thailand’s current pro-democracy protests have redrawn the maps in different and powerful ways: the expansion of protests to sixty-two different protests are recalibrating Bangkok’s symbolic and geographic centrality, the #MilkTeaAlliance is re-imaging Asian regionalism with dissent at the core of cross-national solidarity.
Thai elites are resistant to change because they’ve benefited from the status quo
As the pro-democracy protests have gained strength over the past few days, they’ve been met by open opposition from Prayut Chan O-cha’s government. As of October 20, the government has unsuccessfully, but very visibly, employed a diversity of tactics: from shutting down public transit, to censoring independent media, to raiding small bookstores, and arresting protesters and prominent protest leaders. Less visibly, the protests have begun to stoke counter-currents of dissent among the elite.
October 6: A Buddhist massacre?
“Whoever destroys the nation, the religion, or the monarchy, such bestial types (man) are not complete persons. Thus, we must intend not to kill people but to kill the devil (Mara); this is the duty of all Thai.” The words of Buddhist monk Kittivudho ignited a firestorm. It was June 1976, the political atmosphere in Thailand had never been more tense.
Review: Sunisa Manning's 'A Good True Thai' is a timely novel
Every few years, it seems, Thailand is convulsed by the throes of protest. People fill the streets with waving flags, witty posters, and vicious slogans – sometimes directed at the powers that be, sometimes directed at fellow citizens.
The Big Interview: Sunisa Manning
Sunisa Manning’s first published book, ‘A Good True Thai,’ was recently reviewed by the Thai Enquirer [Read here]. The book, six years in the making, has arrived at a moment of incredible political upheaval in Thailand, where the meaning of ‘true Thainess’ is once again under question. Here, she speaks with the Thai Enquirer about the significance of the 1973 – 76 protests, intimacy and alienation from Thainess, and writing away from the Western gaze.
Protest Symbolism: Why The Plaque Matters and Why It Continues to Live On
The impact was instant: the moment protest leaders stepped aside from the plaque, members of the press swarmed the tiny, gold-colored disk so freshly covered in concrete. “Here on September 20 at dawn,” the plaque read, “the People proclaim that the country belongs to the people.” The language and placement mirrored a plaque that had recently disappeared, one announcing the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.
An Oral History of the Seri Thai - Part One
There are a few watershed events in Thai history that should be celebrated, honored, and remembered. This is definitely one of them. During World War II, Thai Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkram famously allied Thailand with the Japanese and the Axis Powers and declared war against the Allies. Yet, at the end of the war, Thailand somehow emerged as a friend of the Allied Powers – not exactly a victor, but not a defeated nation by any means.
Moral economies: the politics of donation in Thailand under COVID-19
ฉบับภาษาไทยอยู่ข้างล่าง Thailand’s government has chosen national and regional lockdowns as its tool of choice to halt the spread of the COVID-19 virus. A nationwide emergency decree currently allows the government to impose restrictions on people’s mobility and activities, previously including a curfew forbidding people from leaving their homes from 10 pm to 4 am. By June, the Global COVID-19 Index had ranked Thailand’s recovery from the pandemic third out of 184 countries.
Student protests in South East Asia have brought down dictators before: What Thailand's students can learn
The ground seems to be moving beneath our feet. Across the nation, protests have spread like wildfire. Many have been led under the ‘Free Youth’ or #เยาวชนปลดแอก banner, but the turnout has spanned geographies and generations. There are the students in their white shirts, symbols of virtuosity and restlessness, but there are also aunties with signs displaying their razor-sharp wit, defiantly dressed feminists, and trans / LGBTQ activists calling for broader gender equality.
The history of the Angyi - secret Chinese societies - in Siam
Tucked into Bangkok’s Yaowarat Chinatown is a thronging alleyway crowned by a Chinese-style gate, known as Soi Phalit Phon or – by its local name – Soi Sun Yat Sen. Halfway down the street, a small plaque marks the place where the revolutionary leader once spoke to the overseas Chinese in then-Siam, as part of his mission to raise funds and incite anti-monarchist, republican resistance against the Qing monarchy. Sun Yat Sen visited Siam on a number of secret trips from 1903 to 1908.
An interview with the CCSA Spokesman on disinformation, virus numbers, and spreading the right message
Natapanu Nopakun is a Deputy Director-General at the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but is better known as the face of Thailand’s English-language Covid-19 public communications. At the height of the pandemic in March and April, the Covid-19 press briefing took place daily.
"Rice for Fish": Karen counter-narratives of self-sufficiency and Thainess
When COVID-19 hit Thailand, Phuket Island locked down, leaving the fishermen of Rawai village without a market for their goods. In response, the Indigenous Peoples’ Association, an association of indigenous ethnic minority groups based in Chiang Mai, started the “Rice for Fish” program in which Rawai fishermen from the indigenous Moken, Moklen, and Urak Lawoi communities traded dried fish for rice from Karen communities.
Military-rule and military prominence in Thailand is a legacy of American imperialism
“The formation of a “Revolutionary Council” in Thailand announced today does not represent a coup d’état’,” reads a stunning 1958 memorandum from the American Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
The legacy of slavery and emancipation in Thailand
There is a stunning fresco at the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall produced by Italian painter Galileo Chini in 1913, titled “King Chulalongkorn abolishing slavery.” The Great King stands dressed in Western-style royal finery before a harbor scene, symbolic of free trade, as a number of “joy-full liberated slaves” gather at his feet on the marble steps below.
The Real Story about Thai Fruit: Growth of Internet Sales and Pandemic Worries
Thai fruit has been the subject of controversy lately, thanks to a New York Times article that provoked the ire of both Thai readers and BIPOC writers in food media.
การระบาดของไวรัสตีแผ่สภาพสถานกักกันผู้อพยพในประเทศไทย
แม้ว่าหลายวันมานี้ ตัวเลขผู้ติดเชื้อลดลงไปอยู่เหลือเพียงเลขตัวเดียว เราก็มิอาจนิ่งนอนใจได้ เพราะเมื่อวันที่ 25 เมษายน มีรายงานว่าผู้อพยพ 42 คนที่ถูกคุมตัวอยู่ที่สถานกักกันผู้อพยพลี้ภัยในอำเภอสะเดา จังหวัดสงขลาติดเชื้อโควิด19 และยังมีอีก 73 คนที่กำลังรอผลจากห้องแล็บ อ้างอิงจากของพ.ต.อ.มานะ นาคทั่ง รอง ผบก.ตม.6 เมื่อช่วงต้นเดือนมีนาคม สถานการณ์ในประเทศสิงคโปร์ไม่ต่างจากประเทศไทยในตอนนี้ ตัวเลขผู้ติดเชื้อรายวันเพิ่มขึ้นเพียงเลขตัวเดียวและไม่มีรายงานผู้เสียชีวิต แต่ในช่วงปลายเดือน...
The cost of opposing mines in Thailand's rural heartland
The villagers stood six feet apart as they read their declarations, holding up signs that read ‘Lockdown Mining’ and ‘Save Community Rights.’ Some bore flags or coordinated green T-shirts with emblazoned with the image of a tree. All wore masks as they stood in their socially distanced protest. On April 28, these striking images were shared on Facebook as villagers from six communities protested continued mining activities under the Emergency Decree.
What America Can Learn From Chinese Society’s Media Skepticism
The Debate | Opinion Many Americans have almost blind faith in their preferred media sources. Most Chinese have learned not to believe everything they read. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Russ Allison Loar Images and videos of America’s anti-lockdown protests had a chilling quality. They bore a resemblance to Trump rallies but, given the ever-increasing death toll in the United States, appeared much crueler.
Tik-Tok's alternate democracy does not play by Thai celebrity culture rules
Social media is far from democratic. Although you can find such mythical encounters as a bat lover schooling Pope Francis on Twitter, it is generally observed that the rich and the famous have more followers and influence. The phenomenon is magnified multiple times over in Thailand, where celebrity culture is taken very seriously. Thailand’s most followed instagrammers are all of this creed – the Channel 3 / record label -associated likes of Bella Campeden, Bambam GOT 7 and God Jirayu.
Thailand’s outbreak spike exposes conditions in migrant detention centre
On April 25, 42 migrant detainees in Sadao’s Immigration Detention Center (IDC) tested positive for Covid – in a period where the government’s reported daily infection rates have descended into the single digits. But the falling numbers may raise false hopes – Sadao’s acting Immigration Police Chief Colonel General Mana Naktung told the press that the Covid-19 tests for the remaining 73 migrant detainees (of a total 115) were still pending.
In the absence of state support, the poor help the poor
It’s a revolutionary vision for community support. The fishermen of Rawai, Phuket were unable to sell their fish after the closure of Phuket island. Now, they’ve started exchanging their fish for rice from Karen communities in the North. The “Rice for Fish” program is a grassroots effort facilitated by an association for indigenous peoples, which spans indigenous communities from multiple provinces across Thailand. “They have rice, we have fish.
The cultural history of Thai sex workers from the north
Some songs capture the political imagination of the moment – in 1988, that song was ‘Mae Sai’ by Carabao. “Who could be in as much pain as the women of the North?” sings the soft voice of Thierry Carabao. The theme was resurrected in 2007 by Lek Carabao, with a song called Tok Keow. “You’ve been reserved since you were young. When you approach womanhood, the countdown quickens.” What is Tok Keow? The English translation is ‘Green Harvest’.
Sex workers, ineligible for the government's coronavirus subsidies, fear the worst " Thai Enquirer
The coronavirus outbreak has hit sex workers hard. As red-light districts in Bangkok and Pattaya go dark, many sex workers are left without an income. Pim, a transgender sex worker interviewed by AFP, is working the streets to pay for rent and food. She is one of many others who have had to do so. She, like all sex workers, will receive no support from the government.
What does the history of Sino-Thai relations tell us about its future? » Thai Enquirer
In 1975, Thailand established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
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