You can’t choose your destiny. I dreamed of being a diplomat because I love languages and culture, but in the end I started working in the entertainment industry 20 years ago.
You must enjoy what you do to get the most out of it. I didn’t plan on staying in the entertainment business for this long, but I gradually fell in love with it. It’s art and I’m proud to call it my profession.
I’ve lived my life meaningfully. I used to fear that I wouldn’t have childhood or teenage memories like my friends. But looking back now, I think it’s really good that I started working early when none of my friends even thought of it. It’s exhausting but really worthwhile.
You can’t choose what you want to be when you’re born but you can always choose to learn. The most important thing is to learn from the right people. I was lucky to meet them.
Appearing in a movie like Jan Dara has changed my world. I wasn’t familiar with many aspects of film production because I mostly do lakorn (Thai soap operas).
As an actress, the opportunities for learning are endless. When you start out, it’s all about exploration.
Jan Dara isn’t all about sex. Watch closely and you’ll see that it explores human nature. It’s dynamic. My character, Hyacinth (Jan Dara’s big crush), represents the pure love that Jan has never received.
The more you forbid something, the more curious people will get. Take sex, for example: it’s natural, we all do it, so it shouldn’t be a taboo subject.
The internet gives people freedom of thought and the tools to express themselves. But many people just post cheesy things like that they’re bored or in love. I prefer to keep those feelings to myself instead of sharing them with others.
Technology makes people impatient. They’re used to getting what they want by just clicking on it and aren’t willing to wait.
People love each other less because of the internet. Everyone thinks that they are important and that their opinion is right, which results in pretty narrow-minded notions. People obsess over the business of others instead of finding ways to advance themselves.
The worst I’ve felt was when I faced that scandal [where she was revealed as mistress of actress Thanyaret Ramnarong’s husband]. It was terrible to read all those news stories on the internet.
I have nothing more to say about that. It’s in the past and I’m moving on as best I can.
I no longer surf the internet at random. I only update things on Instagram or Facebook for my fans.
All successful people must overcome critical points in their life. If I hadn’t been faced with this scandal, I would still be spending my life aimlessly. It made me value things around me more, like my work and my parents, who are my biggest supporters. Hardships drive me to do everything better.
Nothing is perfect in this world. You never know what’s going to happen to you. Do your best and care deeply for those who love you.
Music is my passion. My dad brought me up on jazz and 70s songs. I was a singer when I was a teenager but it wasn’t that serious. Now I’m working on a new musical project, which is going to debut later this year.
I adore the 70s. I wish I was born in that era. It created so many icons in fashion and music, such as flared jeans and disco. It was a beautiful time.
I love Japan. It’s like my second home as I have relatives who live there. I love to visit small towns where there are little hotels run by grannies who take care of the guests by themselves. Also, nothing compares to a natural onsen.
I want Bangkok to be like Japan. It would be great if we had better city planning regarding buildings and roads. I want Bangkok to have more trees and for people to be able to walk around more.
I want to have Doraemon’s language machine. I want to be able to speak in any language. It was really hard when I worked on a movie project in India, as I couldn’t speak with the locals. Body language is an important part of the Indian language. They use every part of their body in communicating. It’s their nature. I picked up that habit and kept it when I came back, too.
I believe in the destiny of love. No matter where your soulmate may be hiding, anywhere in the world, they will find you.
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Poopae and Yod met at a gay pub. Poopae developed a crush on Yod because of his tall figure. And after chatting a while, Yod fell in love with Poopae, in part because of his back-story.
“He’s had so many tough experiences, while I’ve had no disruptions, really. My family has accepted me since I told them that I was gay, when I was 28. I have good friends and a good career, while Poopae has had to fight to have everything that he wants,” Yod says about his partner of five years. “He has an endless lust for life.”
After two years of dating, Poopae and Yod decided to move in together. They go out for dates in malls and have no qualms about showing their affection, like many straight couples.
“We always hold hands when we go on dates. Some people still feel a bit awkward to see this, but we don’t care. It’s just natural. If more gay couples did it, eventually people would just get used to it,” Poopae says.
Despite gay rights activists pushing for the legalization of same-sex marriage, Yod admits equality could still be some way off, with many conservative groups, and even sectors of the gay community, against the idea.
“Some gay groups are afraid that it will stir up the issue, and turn public opinion against us. But for me, it’s clear that if we don’t start now we’ll never have the rights that we should have. Members of the LGBT community are like second-class citizens. While it seems that we can do anything, actually there are many things we can’t do,” Yod says, who is part of a team pushing strongly for Thailand’s first same-sex marriage law under an alliance called Sexual Diversity Group.
“The way things stand, I’m totally against weddings between men and women. It’s unfair. Why should we go celebrate something that we, as gays, can’t have? I don’t go to weddings nowadays unless I’m extremely close to the couple. I often question if it was a gay couple getting married, whether half the people would come to congratulate them,” Yod continues.
Demonstrating how necessary the law is, Poopae says he has already encountered hardships that could have easily been avoided.
“My ex-partner had an accident back in my hometown of Nakhon Phanom. He was in a critical condition, but the hospital had to wait a whole day for his family to come from Sukhothai to sign a piece of paper allowing them to operate. Unfortunately, they couldn’t save his life,” Poopae recounts.
What’s more, the police wouldn’t allow Poopae to take his partner’s body from the hospital because he was not legally his relative.
“It was really sad and frustrating. I had to find seven people to sign a paper to be my witnesses. I had to ask the head of the village and my relatives to sign the paper. Finally, I got his body out. It took me a whole day. I was really lucky that my partner had already told his family that he was leaving all his assets to me and that they complied with his wishes.”
While this sad case ended without a feud, Poopae says others are not so lucky. As they don’t have ambitions to start a family by having kids, Yod and Poopae hope to focus their attentions on helping advance the gay cause in society.
“We have to look to the future. We want to help gays who get lost in all this conflict. Many of them flee from unsupportive families to lead a wild life in the city. Many get HIV and die. It’s a modern-day tragedy. I want to educate and help them to achieve a better life and to stand up for their rights. Everyone has a reason to exist. If you find those reasons, your life will be meaningful. We’ve already found ours,” Yod concludes.
When Nam and Fias announced their wedding, there were friends who congratulated them and others who cast doubt on the seriousness of their decision. But Nam insists her marriage, though not legally recognized, couldn’t be more important to her.
“I knew she was the one right from when we first started dating. I bought a ring and kept it for a long time waiting for the right time to pop the question,” Nam recalls.
In the end, Nam decided to make it official—not to Fias’ face—but on her Facebook timeline, on the date 12-12-12. Fias replied with a simple comment that read “YES.”
“Every woman dreams of wearing a wedding gown, and I wanted her to have that moment, too,” Nam says.
The couple eventually celebrated their wedding on January 19, with lots of friends and family in attendance, all of whom fully support the unofficial union.
Newlyweds Nam and Fias insist that they need a law that gives their life some foundation, especially as they hope to one day adopt a child to fulfill their familial instincts.
“I want a marriage license so we can be confident in starting a family together,” Nam says.
“Gender shouldn’t be a barrier for humans. We are free to express our love to anyone,” Fias adds.
While for some a big wedding ceremony is important, for other couples like Nong and Ple, who have been together five years, all that matters is getting a marriage license to secure their status.
“I didn’t want a big ceremony because my family, who are quite conservative Chinese, would not be all that happy about showing everyone that their daughter is getting married to a woman. I also don’t like the idea of spending lots of money on a lavish party. We’ve been through tough experiences together, so we don’t need to do anything to prove our commitment,” says Ple.
The couple’s courtship started in late 2007 when Nong began chatting with Ple, a host in a Camfrog chat room on the topic of dharma.
Nong is a mother of three children, and lived with an abusive husband for 14 years. “I never liked men. All my ex-boyfriends were girls who are tomboys. I accidentally had sex with my ex-husband and he said he would take care of me so I said yes. He is still the only guy I’ve slept with.”
But things went horribly wrong. Nong’s husband kept getting other girls pregnant and would hit her when he was drunk. When she’d eventually had enough, she turned to Ple for help.
It wasn’t a reckless decision. Nong wasn’t willing to leave her two-year-old son, Que, with her husband, which meant they had to find a place to settle and raise the boy.
For her part, Ple says she moved out from her family to save them from trouble. “Nong’s ex-husband had connections because he knew cops. He hunted us for months until one day he attacked his own daughter in order to force Nong to come back and, in the end, she did.” Ple recalls.
“He tried to hit and drag me into the house but I refused,” Nong says.
“We kept fighting until people called the police. We were taken to the police station where they asked us how we wanted to deal with our relationship. I announced there and then that I was done with him and wanted to start my new life. That finally made him leave us alone.”
Today they are the picture of a happy family. Que, who is now 6, calls Ple papa and openly tells his friends that his father is a woman. “Some of my friends ask me why my dad is a woman. I just say because he is my dad,” he says.
Despite this close bond, Ple is fearful that, without any law to guarantee their family status, should something happen to Nong, the boy will be sent back to live with dad.
“That is the last thing I want to happen,” Ple says.
For many, the start of the university year is a time for great optimism, but Pat and Grace never would have expected that they’d also find lasting love.
Both had been delayed in starting English classes, so they had no choice but to stick together to catch up on their homework. After just one week, Pat had developed a big crush on Grace, who he thought was beautiful.
“She's so gorgeous,” Pat says. “I started borrowing things from her just to have an excuse to chat more.”
When Grace, who had just finished competing in the Miss Tiffany 2008 pageant, noticed that Pat wanted to be more than just a friend, she had no reluctance in telling him the truth about being transgender.
“My standpoint is that I should be honest to anyone who is my friend. It’s not something that needs to be kept secret,” Grace says.
But the news took Pat by surprise and he thought that Grace was only joking.
“I was shocked. She is so beautiful; I thought, how could she be a man? Honestly, to this day, I still can’t quite believe that she is transgender. She is all woman to me,” Pat says.
Grace’s openness about her gender is helped by her family who has accepted her from a young age.
“My mom accepted me right away but my dad stopped talking to me for a while. I asked him frankly, would he prefer a daughter who is a drug addict or who falls pregnant before graduating, or a transgender who just wants to be a great daughter and to take care of her family for the rest of her life,” Grace recalls the conversation that finally won her dad’s acceptance.
“He just asked me to follow his will in helping the family business and to study hard for a master’s degree. I have achieved both these things.”
While Pat quickly came to terms with the truth about his girlfriend, he still had to face the nerve-wracking challenge of convincing his Chinese-descendant family to accept the woman he loved. Before too long, he introduced Grace to his parents.
“I introduced her to my family just a month after we became a couple. My parents were stunned when I told them the truth. My mom had the hardest time coping with this,” Pat says, adding that he was lucky that his parents gave Grace the chance to prove herself.
“I didn’t do anything to win them over. I just let Grace work her charms. Now my mom totally loves her.”
When these obstacles overcome, Pat was ready to take the relationship to another level—marriage. Even though they had only just graduated, he would continually raise the topic to Grace while on trips to Europe and US, but she wouldn’t commit.
“I thought he was just joking,” says Grace, who finally said yes to him in a place that no one would consider romantic, a garage. “This time he even came with a ring.”
Their wedding, a grand celebration at a high-end hotel, took place on Dec 16 last year attended by nearly a thousand guests. But when talks turn to the debate over the same-sex marriage law, Grace says it isn't something that she really wants.
“I want to marry as a woman, not a man. If the same-sex marriage law happens, that’s great, but I want my title to be either Mrs or Miss because my heart and my body is a woman’s. I want to make it clear that, as a transgender, I don’t want the title to be able to trick a man as people often argue—it’s just really important in order for us to lead a normal life. It’s really frustrating filling in documents and traveling. Whenever I travel abroad people look at me like I’m a criminal because my documents give me a title that contradicts my looks.”
Although her dream of being legally recognized as a woman would appear some way off fruition, Grace at least finds solace in having found the love of her life, at just 24, the same age as Pat.
For his part, Pat has no regrets. “When you’ve found the right one, why wait? She is the right one for me. I love everything about her, from head to toe, even her nails!”
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How did you become an internet idol?
At the beginning, a few people clicked like on my Facebook pictures. The number grew until my pictures started getting 100,000 likes. Now I have more than 500,000 followers on Facebook. Most of them are girls.
Have you been recognized by people on the street?
Yes, especially at university. Some of them walk up to me for photos and a chat. I get all types of feedback: compliments that I’m pretty or not as conceited as people expected, while some speak sarcastically while walking past me or just shout at me. Some comments make me feel bad, but they also push me prove myself. I hope people can be open-minded and judge me by my work instead.
How do you feel when someone posts a message about wanting to have sex with you?
Sexually explicit comments are the worst. But in the end it’s just nonsense from someone who doesn’t know me. I shouldn’t care as I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m used to them now. I’ve never met any perverts in person, but some send me dirty messages. I want to tell them that if they feel that way, they should fulfill their desires themselves, and not post about it on Facebook.
Tell us about your background?
I’m a Nepali girl. My grandparents were evacuated to Thailand during World War II, so my parents were born here. They lived in the Nepali community in Kanchanaburi before coming to work in Bangkok and getting married. I was born in Bangkok, but moved to live in Chiang Rai for 10 years due to the financial crisis. I came back for high school in Bangkok. Now I’m studying information technology and in my second year at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University.
Are you afraid that starring in a movie about sex like Fingering contradicts your reputation as a cute and naïve girl?
It’s not a sexually explicit movie although the trailer might make it look that way. I want everyone to see it. For those who look down on people with cutesy or abbaew clothing, I want to say that people who dress like that have a dream and they are free to follow it. It’s wrong to judge someone from their personal preferences.
What is your sexual orientation?
I’m okay with both men and women because I think love can happen with any sex or any nationality. But as I’m Nepali, it’s our tradition to marry only Nepali and my parents expect me to do just that. I’ve talked to my mother about it, saying times have changed, but she only listened and thought it over. I’m not a person who’s going to break every rule, but I don’t believe in locking myself into one nationality. I want to be free to love anybody, male or female.
Find Emmy at www.facebook.com/zuperem
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I was an unwitting follower of fashion. I loved it before I even knew what it was. I always kept an eye on my elementary school teacher’s fashion sense and would sketch details down in my textbooks.
I studied fashion design at the University of North Texas and discovered a real passion for fashion history. After I graduated, I came back to work in Bangkok as a junior designer for a small brand before becoming a freelancer for the Thai edition of Elle Magazine.
1997 saw a big change in the fashion industry. All the big names like Gucci, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton altered their marketing strategies, giving chances to new designers, installing head offices in the Far East and pouring money into advertising. I was lucky that this was when I started up as fashion editor at Elle Thailand.
You never know what your passion is until you start doing it. I’m lucky to have found what I love to do. I still get excited every day when I drive to work.
Fashion is not entertainment; it’s a business. People always ask me if I had fun at international fashion weeks, and I tell them there’s a whole lot of not-so-fun work to do to get a show up on the catwalk for only 10 minutes.
Working in fashion is like getting dressed up. It doesn’t need to be as stressful as some people make it.
My life is quite surreal with all the exclusive treats and luxuries I receive as a fashion magazine editor. So it’s really important that you surround yourself with the right people so as to not forget who you are and abuse your power and everyone around you.
Hanging out with those you love helps keep you grounded. I love to balance my fancy work life by spending time with my family. There are no exaggerations when I am with them. At the end of the day, even the editor of the Vogue’s US edition, Anna Wintour, is a mother to her daughters.
Vogue’s arrival is an indicator that the Thai market is ready to expand. People are spending more money on luxury brands. Vogue Thailand will change the local fashion scene immensely over the next six months.
Becoming Vogue editor is my biggest challenge yet. I’ve always said that you learn something new every day and this confirms it. Just because I have worked for Elle Thailand for 15 years doesn’t mean I know how this job is going to turn out. We’re starting from scratch so I’ve already met with the editors who took Vogue to Britain and Spain.
Each edition of Vogue must reflect its country’s culture. I love that the Vogue team doesn’t have a template for us to follow. We can create what we want so long as it matches Vogue’s standards. It’s up to us to portray Thai sensibilities in such a way that people know they’re reading Vogue Thailand.
I want to celebrate Thai talents; not only designers, but anything related to fashion, from photographers, models and make-up artists to Thai craftspeople. I want Vogue to be a platform for them to shine.
A top fashion magazine doesn’t need to be avant-garde. My ideal magazine is easily accessible and has the power to inspire every girl on the street to express their own sense of fashion.
I’m one of the biggest fans of HM Queen Sirikit. I can recall accurately what she wore at any number of ceremonies. I achieved one of my great goals by being a part of the creation of the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. I’m enchanted by Thai textiles and hope to keep developing them for the Thai fashion scene.
Thai fashion labels are being run by rich kids who oversee both the design and business aspects. That means there’s no real focus on designing clothes, unlike in global fashion cities where investors pour money into allowing designers to get creative.
I consider it my next duty to encourage investors to see the good opportunities in Thai fashion and to help expand it.
I pride myself on moderation. I never believe or like anything too much, until I’ve looked at it from another perspective. It pays to have an open mind. Reading and traveling will polish your thoughts.
Deadlines are the scariest thing in my line of work, much harder than dealing with people or keeping on top of trends.
Acknowledge your mistakes and move on. Don’t look back and don’t let it happen again. My big errors of judgment include choosing covers that didn’t sell.
Everyone has trial-and-error moments in fashion, myself included.
I have no noble philosophy. I just live with the truth. Even if one day I don’t have everything I have now, I’ll have no regrets.
Other Vogue editors have told me to live my life to the fullest now, because my social life will all but disappear once the magazine’s first issue is released.
Be prepared for everything that life might throw at you. You can never know how bad things are going to be.
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How did you come up with ShowbaTV?
Ben: We all studied communication arts so wanted to go into either film or TV production, but we couldn’t find a way to get work in that field. We also share the trait of bugging and driving people crazy, so one day Jent asked, “Why we don’t turn this into something productive?” Many people see the problems in society, but are afraid to talk about them. We are curious to know how much reality Thai society can really take.
Jent: The name is derived from the Thai word for “basic” because we want to portray the basic problems that need to be discussed.
How do you come up with your topics?
Jent: Mostly it’s simply when we find a story and think something’s not quite right. For example, I used to work in Siam and I would have trouble finding a taxi home, so I decided to take up the subject and it turned out to be one of our most popular videos so far.
How do you feel when authorities don’t do anything to solve problems like these?
Ben: I was shocked at first. We, the citizens, rely on them when something goes wrong, but often the law doesn’t adequately address these issues. For example, in our “Ghost tickets” episode we found that middlemen were charging outrageous prices for normal tickets, meaning real football fans couldn’t afford them. But the police said they could not arrest the scalpers because there is no specific law against selling overpriced tickets. They can only charge them for nuisance.
What has been your favorite episode so far?
Ben: My favorite one is called “Handicapped people or handicapped society?” Life is not so easy here even for the able-bodied, so things are much more difficult for the handicapped. The authorities don’t do a lot to help. In Japan, the handicapped get very good treatment from the government and people, which reflects the development of that society.
Jent: The government here gives them 500 baht a month instead of helping them find careers that can benefit them in the long-term. They don’t have a sustainable solution for these people.
What do these problems say about Thai society?
Jent: People always want to cover their eyes and ears. They want to live in an imaginary world where everything is beautiful. But we want to present the truth. Problems at the individual level impact all of society.
What are your plans for the future?
Jent: I want to have my own internet channel with many programs that open people’s eyes and ears.
Ben: We all quit our jobs to start doing our show. Although we are a small group, we want to really change the state of Thai media. I want to dispel the commonly held perception that quality programs get low ratings.
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I dreamed of being in the navy. Samut Songkram province is the home of the navy and my uncle was also in the navy. I fell in love with the white uniforms and wanted to wear it someday.
I decided to study an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) program as I saw it as a shortcut to wearing that white uniform as I would get a job after I graduated. My family was poor so they didn’t have much money to send me to school.
Being a success isn’t solely determined by studying at school. I went to a non-formal school to get a certificate for a nursing scholarship, and look where it got me. I believe that you can achieve your dreams regardless of what system you are put in.
Being a nurse pushed me to be a politician. I was never interested in politics until I found out about the corruption at schools. I would tend to children who were hurt while using playground equipment that had been bought on the cheap so that politicians could make a big profit.
Politicians don’t send their kids to study at poor schools, so they don’t understand how we feel.
My nursing colleagues encouraged me to become a politician. I kept asking how we could get rid of all those corrupt politicians and they told me, “Go for it and don’t be corrupt.”
As a female MP you must be resistant to sexist taunts. That’s what Chuan Leekpai, ex-prime minister and then-head of the Democrat Party (DP), warned me about when I told him I wanted to run for the DP in my hometown. I told him I’m not even afraid of guns, so why the heck would I be afraid of such filth. He laughed and gave me the green light.
I was nearly killed after I lost my first election. I believe that my rival was upset that I didn’t give up and was still going out to meet people in the area. One day I switched cars with my brother and he was shot by gunmen and critically injured. Luckily, he survived and I succeeded at the next election.
Being an MP involves high expenses. My monthly salary of B113,511 pretty much goes towards my team and travel expenses. I barely have enough money left to do anything else.
I never give money to people. Other politicians might buy votes or give out money when they show up at local events like funerals, weddings or monk ordinations. But I just go and dance with people.
The public image of politicians is at its lowest. People disdain politicians as they see them as corrupt.
Thais have themselves to blame when it comes to corruption. People love to ask for money from politicians, which only leads to more corruption. With all that dirty money, our roads could be paved by gold!
I curse corrupt politicians to death. I swear loud and clear that I have never been corrupt. I dreamed of getting rid of corrupt politicians when I started this job, but there are just too many of them. It seems that all I can do is curse them.
I’m not a political whore. I was once offered B40-50 million to change parties, but I refused. I’m poor but I’ve got more pride than that.
Don’t be greedy for things that don’t belong to you. If you want something desperately, be patient, work hard and save up. You can then be proud of what you achieve.
There’s no point having money without happiness. You may have billions, but you can’t take any of it with you when you die.
I live alone in a tiny knock-down wooden house that has only one TV and a bed. Thieves would cry if they broke in because there’s nothing there.
The sexual harassment case in parliament with the Pheu Thai MP [Prasit Chaisrisa] didn’t affect me because I think he’s just a crazy person. But sharp criticism makes me downhearted.
People were so mad when they saw me take a picture with Prasit at the news station. They called me a liar. I was so stressed I got a nosebleed!
There will always be people who hate you. I want to make it clear that I haven’t called a truce with Prasit; I just feel you don’t need to fight with your rival every time you meet. Anyway, I’m willing to give up my MP status if people really don’t want me anymore.
I love cooking. I used to have a restaurant called Baan Ransima at Amphawa but I sold it after a year because I didn’t have time to take care of it. If I’m no longer an MP, I might go back to doing that.
My dream is to be Minister of Social Development and Human Security. I love this ministry because it’s involved in people’s lives from the day they are born until the day they die.
I want to be a role model for women aspiring to enter politics. Some people see women in parliament as just making up the numbers, but I want to show that we have brains.
Keeping your word is the most important thing in life. If you do what you have said, people will respect and believe in you.
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Why are you against the demolition of the old Supreme Court building?
Although it is an example of modern architecture, the building was built in 1941 so it is actually old enough to be classified as a historic building under the heritage law, which protects anything built more than 70 years ago. The construction law also bars any new buildings in the Rattanakosin area being taller than 16 meters. But the design for the new Supreme Court is 32 meters tall—twice that height! The old building also symbolizes the victory of the Thai court in winning back jurisdiction of the court after losing it for nearly a century under the Bowring Treaty. Simply put, it’s part of our heritage.
How is the protest going?
We’ve filed the case with the police to stop the demolition but nothing has been done. They said they accept our complaint but that we will just have to compromise with the court. As the protest has dragged on for so long without any action from the law enforcers, one part of the building has already been completely razed, and another part might follow soon.
What next?
We will continue fighting, even though this case will eventually end up in the hands of the Supreme Court anyway. It seems we have no hope of winning. But if we do, we want them to reconstruct the whole building as it was before.
What does this controversy reflect?
It’s a failure of our law enforcement agencies. The police are afraid to deal with the problem because our litigant is the Supreme Court who breaks the law themselves. Their reputation for upholding justice is tarnished. Who can we rely on now? This whole sorry episode also reflects that people want to delete their dark history, as the building was built in the era ruled by the dictator Field Marshal P. Piboonsongkram.
Is your social networking campaign helping?
In creating hype, yes. It’s like lighting fireworks. But in the long-term, it really depends on how many people make the leap from the virtual society to the real world. We must translate their “likes” and “shares” into real action.
What can we learn from this conflict?
Thais have a very narrow interpretation of the value of art. Many people have the old-school idea that there is only one way to represent Thai culture and that’s in the so-called traditional style. We need to rethink this approach and start preserving things with both historical and architectural value.
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I was encouraged to study palmistry and astrology by my grandpa, who was also a fortuneteller. He told me it would help me earn a living wherever I went.
I would use my talent to meet girls when I was in high school. I strolled around the National Library with my friends reading astrology books and waiting until the girls finished school to show what I’d learned.
Being poor forced me to be a fortuneteller. I had no money to pay my university fees so I tried my hand at being a security guard, waiter and valet. But none of those jobs could earn me as much money as fortunetelling.
Fortunetelling wasn’t considered a respectable job back then. My parents scolded me for taking such a lowly job after I had studied economics at university.
I eventually ran away from home to rent a room with friends, because I didn’t want to cause more of a rift with my family.
The turning point came when I attended a Red Cross event at Supan Buri with the Astrological Association of Thailand. There I met Jongchai Tiengtham, a high-ranking politician, who asked me to tell his future. I did a good job for him, so more and more customers came to me and I collected enough money to pay back my university fees.
My work brings me into regular contact with lots of famous politicians and other public figures, who have helped me to build my reputation.
Fortunetelling is my destiny. I never dreamed of becoming one, but it has saved my life so many times. I had no money and it saved me. I feel so grateful for that. In return, I promised myself that I would remain a fortuneteller and continue this great Thai tradition.
There are lots of lies in the astrology industry. I think it’s completely idiotic when people pay money to fortunetellers who trick them into changing mobile phone numbers or changing their names. That’s just a money-making scam.
I was born in the wrong era. I feel I can’t relate to others these days. Performing in ancient stage plays like Nang Sueng only emphasizes this belief. I feel so good every time I’m on stage and revisiting the glory of our kingdom.
People nowadays are obsessed with making easy money. That’s why there are people who worship trees and weird animals to get lucky numbers for the lottery and girls who are willing to work at nightlife venues to earn lots of money from men.
Nothing can change your life like making merit. Doing good can only help you.
I don’t believe those famous people on TV who claim they can see ghosts. Those who are the real deal wouldn’t sell-out for such commercial purposes because their powers would be diminished. The press should think twice before reporting these claims and people should judge things for themselves.
I’m pretty sad that I’ve been branded a red shirt activist because I went to a red shirt protest. I’ve received a lot of negative comments but it shouldn’t be like this. Everyone has the right to choose what they believe in without being pushed to one side and labeled.
We must remember that if we keep fighting like this, we won’t have a country to live in.
I don’t have faith in democracy. It’s the system that stole the power from the monarchy in 1932. I didn’t even vote for anyone when the last election was held. It felt so good.
Politics are dirty. People used to ask me to become a politician but I hated the idea. I can’t associate with this foul system.
I will die at 48 years old. I was foretold this by the famous fortuneteller Jaral Pikul. I’m 43 now, so I only do what I want to do these days. I’m a dedicated Buddhist. But I don’t need it to be known, which is why I never put my name on what I contribute to temples.
What’s the point of being rich if there is no real happiness? It’s upsetting to see people race to be named on Forbes’ wealthiest list, but not care for philanthropy. I’ve donated hundreds of millions of baht and only have a few hundred thousand left on which to live.
Gratefulness is the best thing a human can show, especially towards your parents. They raised you so you should take care of them when they get older.
I wish to be reborn 10 more times before reaching Nirvana.
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How did you become a street sweeper?
I’m originally from Amnat Charoen province. After I finished my army conscription, I came to work in Bangkok. My first job was in a dry battery factory where I earned B70 a day. I quit because I wanted a more independent job and started working as a motorcycle taxi driver. I made B200-300 a day and did that for five or six years before I heard about this job from my wife, who worked in a district office. My initial salary was B4,100 per month which I earned for three years as a temporary worker. Once I became an official worker I started receiving welfare benefits including medical cover and tuition fees for my children. For my first six months I was assigned to clean Narathiwas Road, then I was moved to Silom Road, where I’ve been for 12 years now.
What’s your daily routine?
Every day I start work at 5am, take a break at 8am, and then continue working from 9am to noon. The street inspector comes around at 5:30am to check on progress and the garbage truck comes at 6:30am. There are eight sweepers on my side of Silom Road. When we finish up working, we have to go to the district office to sign our names. After I’m done, I join my wife at our secondhand book stall at Soi Suanplu. I take the afternoon shift there, while she goes to work as a street sweeper on Sathorn Road. I close up the stall at 3pm and go home to rest and then do it all over again the next day. I usually get Sunday off. I can’t take more than five days off at a time because the street must be kept clean. Recently some workers have quit, so I have more work to do.
Is there anything dangerous about your work?
I have to be careful when I sweep the street, especially in the early hours of the morning, as there could be drunk or sleepy people driving recklessly.
What new policies would you like to see implemented by the newly-elected governor?
I want a better trash collection system. Bars and restaurants put their garbage in bags, but many food stalls just throw it on the ground where it can be hit by cars or buses. Sometimes people go digging for plastic bottles or other things they can sell, and leave behind a mess on the sidewalk. Some just want the garbage bag, so they dump whatever’s inside it onto the ground.
What’s your dream job?
I think I will work as I do now until my son, who is in grade 11, graduates from university, then I might open an amulet shop because I find them very interesting.
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