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Bangkok History Highlight: 20 Years Later - Looking Back at the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami [S7.E13]

April 2, 2024

In a twist on our history episodes, Greg and Ed revisit the devastating tsunami of 2004. Greg begins with a thorough summary of the event, which begins with an absolutely massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra that caused a rift and shift on th…

Authors Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Discuss the History of Radicalism in Thailand - Part 2 [S6.E32]

March 21, 2023

This is the second part of a two part interview with Paul and Yuangrat Wedel, longtime scholars and writers on Thai history and society. The first part of the interview focused on the roots of radicalism in Thai politics, especially the cultural...

Bangkok History Highlight: Phlaek Phibunsongkram [Season 3, Episode 27]

Sept. 25, 2018

Greg and Ed try something new with the first in a series of episodes that look at interesting events in Bangkok’s history. For this one, they delve into one of Thailand’s most interesting personalities - Phlaek Phibunsongkram. Phlaek, or simply...

Bangkok History Highlight: The Amazing Career and Tragic Death of Mitr Chaibancha [Season 3, Episode 53]

April 2, 2019

First of all - we’re on YouTube! Well, just the audio of each show, but still...makes it easier to listen. ! On to the show… In a continuation of the series on Thai history, Greg and Ed discuss the fascinating career and tragic death of Mitr...

Bangkok History Highlight: The Blue Diamond Affair [Season 3, Episode 35]

Nov. 20, 2018

Continuing our series on interesting episodes in Thai history, this episode focuses on the infamous Blue Diamond Affair, It all started when a Thai gardener named Kriangkrai Techamon, who was working in Saudi Arabia, decided to make off with $20...

Bangkok History Highlight: The Blue Diamond Affair [Season 3, Episode 35]

Bangkok History Highlight: The Cambodian Thai Soap Opera Riots of 2003 [Season 3, Episode 66]

July 2, 2019

Continuing our series on interesting events in Thai history, Greg introduces the Thai-Cambodian ‘crisis’ of 2003. It started when rumors began spreading that a Thai soap opera actress, Suvanant Kongying, had said Cambodia had ‘stolen’ Angkor...

Bangkok History Highlight: The Surprising History of Patpong [Season 4, Episode 17]

Feb. 11, 2020

Greg and Ed interview Michael Messner, long time expat, Patpong bar entrepreneur, and the founder and curator of the Patpong Museum. Opened this year, the Patpong Museum is meant to educate the public on the entire history of the Patpong area,...

Democracy in Asia: Its History, Variants and Purpose with Ajarn Ployjai Pintobtang, Part 1 [S6.E50]

July 25, 2023

This is Part One of a two-part interview with Khun Ployjai Pintobtang, a lecturer in history at Chiang Mai University, about the history of democracy in Thailand and Asia. Ed begins by asking A. Ploy her take on an old trope: that Asian culture is...

Democracy in Asia: Its History, Variants and Purpose with Ajarn Ployjai Pintobtang, Part 2 [S6.E51]

Aug. 1, 2023

This is part two of a two-part interview with Khun Ployjai Pintobtang, a lecturer in history at Chiang Mai University, about the history of democracy in Thailand and Asia. The discussion picks up where it left off, on the particular characteristics …

History on Video: Bangkok Pat Talks Exploring & Storytelling [S5.E50]

March 1, 2022

Greg interviews ‘Bangkok Pat,’ whose uncover the hidden layers of this fascinating city. Pat begins with a bit of personal background, growing up in the UK with a Thai mother, and eventually losing touch with that part of his history....

The Gun Show: How a Few Thai Cannons Helped Shape History [Season 4, Episode 37]

June 30, 2020

We return to our Thai history series with a fascinating look at the role that several Thai cannons played in some important historical events. First, with the help of a , Greg tells the story of some silver cannons gifted by King Narai of Siam...

Journalist Dominic Faulder on the Complex History Between Thailand & Myanmar [S7.E34]

Aug. 27, 2024

Greg interviews Dominic Faulder, associate editor at Nikkei Asia, long-time journalist in Southeast Asia and observer of the political and diplomatic machinations of Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia over the past 40 years. The main...

Author Chris Baker Discusses Thai History, Culture & Conflict [S5.E59]

May 3, 2022

Greg and Ed interview expat legend Chris Baker, co-author (along with his wife Pasuk Phongpaichit) of , in addition to several other well-known books on Thailand. Greg and Ed gush over the fact they have both read Chris’s most famous work, something…

Authors Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Discuss the History of Radicalism in Thailand - Part 1 [S6.E31]

March 14, 2023

Greg and Ed interview a fascinating and very erudite couple, Paul and Yuangrat Wedel. Paul, a native of New Jersey, met Yuangrat, a native of Nakhon Si Thammarat, in Bangkok in the late 1970s and through various twists and turns ended up both gettin…

The Rules & History of Giving (and Receiving) Alms [Season 4, Episode 11]

Dec. 31, 2019

It’s been a long time since we sat down with our most returningest guest ever, so we’re psyched to chat with Phra Pandit for our first show of 2020. We’ve all seen monks going on their daily alms rounds, walking slowly and stoically as...

Bangkok History Highlight: The Samut Prakan Radiation Incident [Season 4, Episode 8]

Dec. 10, 2019

Greg tells the true story of the ‘Samut Prakan Radiation Incident,’ which happened in Thailand in 2000. A piece of medical equipment that contained the highly radioactive isotope Cobalt 60 was improperly disposed of, and after a series of...

Buddhist Scholar Justin McDaniel Discusses the History & Meaning of Thai Amulets [S6.E13]

Nov. 1, 2022

Greg interviews Buddhist scholar Justin McDaniel on the topic of Buddhism amulets. Justin is a true scholar of religion, especially Asian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, but he developed a strong interest in Buddhist amulets after he visite…

Finnish Ambassador Jyri Järviaho on Diplomatic History, Economic Trade & Vodka [S6.E5]

Sept. 6, 2022

Greg interviews Jyri Järviaho, Finland’s Ambassador to Thailand. Although Greg makes a valiant attempt at pronouncing the Ambassador’s name, the two begin by discussing the difficulty of Finnish, with the Ambassador explaining that it is a unique...

History and Insight: Exploring Thailand’s Indian Community [S5.E48]

Feb. 15, 2022

One of the great things about Thai culture is the many facets that make up the whole. One of them is the Indian community, and Greg is happy to welcome Ram Sachdev, a first generation Thai-Indian and founder of , a leading voice of the Thai-Indian...

History & Diplomacy with Canadian Ambassador Sarah Taylor [S5.E12]

June 1, 2021

Greg and Ed interview Dr. Sarah Taylor, the Canadian Ambassador to Thailand to discuss her role in Thailand, Thailand’s role in Asia, and what Canada and Thailand have in common...and don’t have in common. Ambassador Taylor comes from a long...

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