Culture

Thailand’s Culture Ministry is in hot water after suggesting on its website that one of the many uses for the Thai waistcloth ( pha khao ma ) could be to hang oneself. The suggestion appeared on the website as part of a list of ways the traditional garment could be used. Other helpful suggestions included using it as a towel or a pillow, or a floor covering once it became too old to wear. At the bottom of the list sat the 28th suggestion. “Used to hang oneself (when desperate)”. The pha khao ma is a chequered, woven cloth traditionally worn by Thai men of all ages for hundreds of years. The cotton cloth has also been adapted for several other uses and can now be seen in the form of tablecloths and reusable shopping bags. According to a Bangkok Post report, the list of uses has been on the Culture Ministry’s website since 2015 and was posted to promote tourism and Thai traditions. It was spotted by an eagle-eyed netizen who was researching the traditional item of clothing and ... » Learn More about Oops! Culture Ministry deletes website suggestion that traditional Thai garment could be used to commit suicide

Thailand’s famous hot and spicy shrimp soup, or tom yum goong , as it’s better known locally, is being nominated for inclusion on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. Thai PBS World reports that the government has approved a proposal from the Culture Ministry that the renowned dish be put forward for inclusion. UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance. Through a compendium of the different oral and intangible treasures of humankind worldwide, the programme aims to draw attention to the importance of safeguarding intangible heritage, which UNESCO has identified as an essential component and as a repository of cultural diversity and of creative expression – Wikipedia Traisulee Traisoranakul, deputy government spokesperson, says the soup represents the simplicity of life among rural farming communities along the rivers ... » Learn More about Tom yum goong to be nominated for UNESCO cultural heritage list

BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN): Tom Yam Kung will compete for a place on the Unesco world cultural heritage menu after the Cabinet decided to serve up the spicy soup as Thailand’s candidate this year. The shrimp soup – flavoured with galangal, lemongrass, chilli, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar – was proposed for recognition by the Culture Ministry at Tuesday’s (March 23) Cabinet meeting. Tom Yam Kung will now compete to join Khon and traditional Thai massage as Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Khon dance form based on the Ramakien epic was included as world heritage in 2018 while Thai massage made the list in 2019. Unesco is currently considering Nora, the traditional southern dance form, and the Songkran water festival for inclusion as intangible heritage of humanity. Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome explained Tom Yam Kung was a national dish famous around the globe, but it also reflected the simple lifestyle of agricultural communities living along central ... » Learn More about Thailand serves Tom Yam for Unesco Cultural Heritage 2021 list

SINGAPORE - When Ms Elfi Sufiyanti was a teenager struggling with friendship issues in secondary school, someone from Care Singapore helped her navigate through her problems. Now 26, she is working with the youth-centric charity to mentor other young people. Knowing first-hand how much it had helped her, she is hoping more will take part in mentoring programmes to help young people, including those struggling with self-image and self-esteem issues. To this end, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan on Friday (March 26) announced the Mentorship Alliance for Action (AfA), to develop common resources and share best practices on mentoring to raise standards of mentoring in the youth sector, and help youth achieve their full potential. This is the 20th AfA announced since such partnerships between industry players and the Government were launched in June 2020. The new Mentoring AfA will work with other organisations to build up the pool of volunteer mentors ... » Learn More about New alliance aims to promote culture of mentoring for youth

MANILA, Philippines — The alleged culture of impunity in the country has led Filipinos to feel fearful about expressing anything critical of the administration, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Friday. For him, it is no longer surprising that the majority of Filipinos, as shown in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, believe “(i)t is dangerous to print or broadcast anything critical of the administration, even if it is the truth.” “The culture of impunity has created the fear…It’s a culture of impunity that’s happening in the country. People are afraid and I’m not surprised. That’s what happens when you have impunity happening,” the opposition senator told reporters in an online interview when sought for comment on the SWS survey. “Meron talagang takot [There really is fear]. Fear for their lives, for their safety and can you blame them? Every day may balitang may binabaril, may pinapatay [there’s news about someone being shot, being killed]…Every day, there’s ... » Learn More about ‘Culture of impunity’ made Filipinos afraid of voicing criticism vs admin – Pangilinan

SINGAPORE - Hawker culture in Singapore has been officially added to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In virtual proceedings that took place on Wednesday night (Dec 16), a 24-member committee unanimously accepted Singapore's application. The process took all of three minutes, after nearly three years of work by Singapore. As Singapore’s application fulfilled all criteria, it was decided that there was no need for debate on hawker culture’s inscription on the list at the 15th session of the intergovernmental committee. The successful nomination means Singapore now has its first item on the intangible cultural heritage list, which currently has 463 entries including yoga in India and Belgian beer. It is also the country's second entry to any Unesco list. The first came in 2015 when the Singapore Botanic Gardens was designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, in a ... » Learn More about Singapore’s hawker culture makes it to Unesco cultural heritage list

KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to extend the Wage Subsidy Programme 3.0 (WSP 3.0) to assist the culture, media and non-profit charity organisations run by various communities, which are currently struggling to stay afloat. Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong) president Tan Sri T.C Goh said many non-profit charity organisations like the old folks homes and centres for disabled persons were depending on public donations to sustain their operations. But in the past one year, he said they too have been adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic with significant drop in public and corporate donations. “Many of these non-profit organisations also employed professional or full-time staff besides getting help from volunteers. Hence, they too are in need of government’s assistance, such as the WSP 3.0 in order to retain their staff, ” he said in a statement on Friday (March 19). He was commenting on the new economic recovery programme dubbed Pemerkasa ... » Learn More about Huazong calls for extension of WSP 3.0 to assist culture, media and non-profit organisations

The coffin of French bishop Rev Louis Laneau is kept on display at St Joseph's Church in Ayutthaya province. He wrote the first French-Thai and Thai-French dictionary under the reign of King Narai the Great of Ayutthaya in the 17th century. Chanat Katanyu As people around the world celebrated International Francophonie Day on March 20, Thais also expressed appreciation of the language and the culture. The 77 member states of the Organization of La Francophonie celebrate the French language and culture every March. The French language has a special place in Thailand as His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great grew up and studied in French-speaking Switzerland. He even gave an interview in fluent French. His older sister Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana was also a Professor of French at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts. Many high-profile figures including Prof Vitit Muntabhorn, international law expert and a member of a UN Human Rights Commission of ... » Learn More about French culture comes to the fore

China’s youth do not seem to want to go so far as to be labelled anti-American, but while older generations once admired US values, films and brands and held the political conditions and economic and technological advancement in a positive light, conversations with the younger generation show the appeal has certainly faded in the last few years. Citizens born in the 1970s and 1980s have memories of once admiring US individualism and democratic freedoms, but modern generations have become increasingly apathetic or even negative about the political system in the United States and its democracy amid increased geopolitical competition between Beijing and Washington. Whether it is the change in China’s advertising, fashion or entertainment industries, millennials born between 1980 - 95 and Generation Z born between 1995 - 2010 in China are less inclined to prefer American culture, products and values than Generation X born between 1961 - 80. China’s younger generation value being ... » Learn More about China’s millennials, Generation Z leading nation away from Hollywood films, American culture, US brands

The "pha khao ma", or traditional waistcloth, has many uses, and is often given as a gift to important visitors, or during ceremonies such as weddings. (Bangkok Post file photo) The Culture Ministry has deleted a controversial "benefit" of wearing a traditional waistcloth from its website, after the suggestion it could be used to commit suicide drew unfavourable reactions. Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome said on Monday he had ordered the ministry to delete the information that the many benefits of wearing a waistcloth, or pha khao ma , include that it could be used to hang yourself. The ministry's website promoted the waistcloth on its website with a long list of its uses -  including as a pillow or a towel, or even as a floor covering when it is too old to wear. One use that drew attention was the final one, the 28th. "Used to hang oneself (when desperate)," it read. The issue came to light when news media last week picked up on a post by a Facebook user who had been ... » Learn More about Culture Ministry decides suicide not ‘benefit’ of wearing pha khao ma