Latest news with #Lek
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Just another day in Thailand': Elephant enters store, leaves with rice crackers
A now-viral video has taken the Internet by storm, showing an elephant walking into a convenience store in Thailand's Khao Yai region, leaving viewers amused and awestruck in equal measure. The massive creature, later identified as Plai Biang Lek, a 23-year-old wild elephant from Khao Yai National Park, was seen poking around the aisles with his trunk, appearing surprisingly gentle despite nearly touching the ceiling of the store. The video shows the towering elephant gently poking around the shelves with his trunk, nearly brushing the ceiling of the store. The text overlay on the clip read: 'Elephant enters store in Khao Yai, Thailand.' According to The Independent, the incident took place at around 3 PM on Monday in Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima province. The video, originally shared by @bangkokcommunityhelp on Instagram with the caption, 'An elephant casually walked into a convenience store in Khao Yai — just another day in Thailand! On its way out, the hungry visitor even grabbed some rice crackers for the road.' The video has garnered over 1.7 million likes and 69.9 thousand likes. A post shared by Bangkok Community Help (@bangkokcommunityhelp) Reacting to the video, one Instagram user said, 'Are we just gonna ignore the elephant in the room?' Another user shared a personal experience: 'I encountered this one on the streets in Khao Yai. It's funny how dangerous they could be but how chill they actually are.' A third wrote, 'Thanks for posting this, normally no one talks about the elephant in the room.' Though villagers are accustomed to seeing Plai Biang Lek near the area, this was the first time he ventured inside a shop. As per Khaosod English, 'Locals are accustomed to seeing Plai Biang Lek passing by this particular store, but he has never before attempted to enter. This time, however, Plai Biang Lek surprised and alarmed the residents and store owner by walking right inside.' The Bangkok Post reported that the elephant entered the store while the shop owner was attending to a customer. Both immediately panicked, fleeing the shop and alerting park officials. This isn't the elephant's first close encounter with humans. In February, Lek made headlines after raiding a small restaurant in Nakhon Ratchasima. He wandered into the outdoor kitchen, knocked over chairs and kitchenware, and foraged for leftovers. It reportedly took about 30 minutes and metal poles to coax him back into the wild, said a report in The Independent.
Hypebeast
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Lawrence Lek Unpacks the Emotional Fallout of Tech-Powered Futures in 'NOX High-Rise'
Next month, theHammer Museumin Los Angeles will debutNOX High-Rise, an immersive installation by London-based artistLawrence Lek. Unfolding across multiple galleries, the exhibition fuses video, sound and sculptural elements to explore the evolving role of artificial intelligence in contemporary urban life, raising urgent questions about agency, empathy and the ethics of living alongside sentient technology. The installation revolves around NOX — short for 'Nonhuman Excellence' — a fictional clinical facility run by tech giant Farsight Corporation, that aid autonomous vehicles after they start exhibiting signs emotional instability. Mirroring the mental health troubles of humans, the cars undergo therapeutic treatment before returning to their jobs on the streets. This latest iteration ofNOX High-Risebuilds on the 2023 presentation ofNOXat LAS Art Foundation in Berlin, which introduced the first chapter of his Sinofuturist universe. Blending lush soundscapes and sci-fi mythos, Lek's imagined clinic serves as a metaphor navigating the moral complexities of artificial consciousness. Through a mix of game design, cinematic storytelling and speculative architecture, the artists constructs layered digital worlds that interrogate the politics of automation and the social futures we're hurtling toward. In addition toNOX High-Rise, on view from June 28 through November 16, Lek will also present films from 'Smart City,' the series that laid the conceptual groundwork forNOX, on June 29. Head to the museum'swebsitefor more information on the exhibition and additional programming. Hammer Museum10899 Wilshire Blvd,Los Angeles, CA 90024
South China Morning Post
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How Sritala from The White Lotus is promoting arts at home in Thailand
For Thai actor and educator Patravadi 'Lek' Mejudhon, her role as Sritala in the smash hit third series of The White Lotus has put her in a broader spotlight than ever before, and she's harnessing this success to further train and inspire youth in arts and culture in rural Thailand. Advertisement Whilst her character in the show is the high-society owner of the fictional White Lotus resort, Lek is far more humble and comfortable in the small town of Hua Hin on the Gulf of Thailand coast teaching arts and music at her own school and supporting community creativity. Hua Hin is three hours south of Bangkok with a population of roughly 65,000, famed for its Royal Thai heritage, a preferred retreat for King Rama VI (1881-1925) and King Rama Bhumibol IX (1927-2016), with its bucolic beaches, seafood, and warm-hearted residents. On the sidelines of a recent press conference for the Hua Hin International Jazz Festival , she said Hua Hin has also 'always been a cultured town with dance and musical plays, Thai music and jazz. It's an East and West kind of place'. Lek Patravadi plays hotel co-owner Sritala, a former singer and actor, in season three of HBO's The White Lotus. Photo: HBO/TNS Indeed, Lek is harnessing East and West entertainment beyond The White Lotus – she was recognised as a National Artist in the performing arts in 2015 – sharing lessons with her 33 years of building performance creativity for Thai youth. In 1992, she developed her family's estate near the Chao Phraya River by Wat Rakang temple in Bangkok to launch the Patravadi Theatre in support of young Thai choreographers, directors and performers. Nearly two decades later in 2010, she opened Patravadi School in Hua Hin. 'I've got a camp for kids this week and all the little ones are running around,' she says of her namesake arts and music school's camp, which also hosts a state-of-the-art theatre, Vic Hua Hin. Advertisement 'My school is a normal high school, but I train my kids to do music and arts to become successful human beings. [I] nurture kids and teach them to appreciate cultures.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Thailand rescue dogs double as emotional support
Thailand's search and rescue dogs are taking on the role of emotional support animals for grieving relatives of victims of a Bangkok skyscraper flattened in a deadly earthquake. The 30-storey high-rise under construction collapsed in seconds on Friday when a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck neighbouring Myanmar, with effects felt as far as the Thai capital. As of Tuesday, 13 people -- thought to be on-site construction workers -- were pronounced dead, with nine injured and more than 70 still believed to be buried in the rubble. Their tearful families waited near the scene of the collapse, watching on with hopes fading as rescue workers and diggers scraped through the mountain of rubble. But their faces lit up when they saw golden retrievers Lek and Safari -- decked out in official search uniforms -- brought to the relatives' waiting area. Several canine teams have been deployed to help the search and rescue operation at the site, including from the military and police. Rescue workers have recruited 11 dogs -- not just in their usual capacity sniffing through the debris for signs of life, but also as emotional support for victims' friends and relatives. Alongkot Chukaew, deputy director of K9 USAR (urban search and rescue) Thailand, which handles the trained canines, said his team had learned from experience during the Turkey earthquake in 2023 that the dogs' presence offered a light in the dark for those waiting for news of their families. "The children whose families were lost, they walked over to our two dogs during their break. They came to play with our dogs, even as their head injuries were clearly visible," he tol AFP. It was then that he realised the dogs were doing more than just searching for the victims -- they made people feel "less anxious and less sad, even for a short while". He said he felt it was important to introduce the dogs to victims' relatives for them to meet the vital team members searching for their loved ones. "They are very valuable part of the crew," said Alongkot, "A team that is on a mission to search for many more people around the world." wjt-sjc/pdw/dhw
South China Morning Post
01-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Thailand's rescue dogs provide support to grieving families after Bangkok skyscraper collapse
Thailand's search and rescue dogs are taking on the role of emotional support animals for grieving relatives of victims of a Bangkok skyscraper flattened in a deadly earthquake. Advertisement The 30-storey high-rise under construction collapsed in seconds on Friday when a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck neighbouring Myanmar, with effects felt as far as the Thai capital. As of Tuesday, 13 people – thought to be on-site construction workers – were pronounced dead, with nine injured and more than 70 still believed to be buried in the rubble. Their tearful families waited near the scene of the collapse, watching on with hopes fading as rescuers and diggers scraped through the mountain of rubble. A migrant worker from Myanmar pets Tualek, a dog of the K9 USAR Thailand, as search and rescue operations continue, following a strong earthquake. Photo: Reuters But their faces lit up when they saw golden retrievers Lek and Safari – decked out in official search uniforms – brought to the relatives' waiting area. Advertisement
