Death toll over the past five days of New Year holiday has risen to 256 in 2,529 road accident cases, said in a report released on Wednesday by the Department for Prevention and Mitigation of Public Disasters (DDPM).
Separated from their mothers, jabbed with metal hooks, and sometimes deprived of food -- many Thai elephants are tamed by force before being sold to lucrative tourism sites increasingly advertised as 'sanctuaries' to cruelty-conscious travellers.
At Bangkok's Reclining Buddha temple, Krairath Chantrasri says he is a proud custodian of an ancient skill -- the body-folding, sharp-elbowed techniques of Thai massage, which was added Thursday to UNESCO's prestigious heritage list.
