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The Fifth Floor

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Global stories from the BBC’s 40 Language Services, with Faranak Amidi

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

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The Fifth Floor: Thailand in Transition

Documentaries

A tuk-tuk driver in Bangkok (credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/Getty Images)

17/11/2017 GMT

Thailand in Transition

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Thailand in Transition

Royal mourning, a planned election, and very long names in Bangkok, the City of Angels

Thai nicknames; BBC Thai history; mourning the late King, and looking ahead; triathlete's Bangkok; being Thai; Vietnam seen from abroad.  With David Amanor.

The Fifth Floor is in Bangkok this week, meeting journalists from BBC Thai and BBC Vietnamese.  

City of Angels
Bangkok - or Krung Thep, City of Angels to Thais - has been at the centre of Thailand's recent history, with coups and uprisings, and now the transition from the late King to his successor.  BBC Thai editor Busaba Sivasomboon takes David to a Buddhist temple close to the bureau, and explains why this island of peace among the skyscrapers tells us so much about what's happening in Thailand today.

Just call me by my nickname...
Why are Thais more likely to be known by their nicknames than their official first names?  Answers from Honey, Deer, Arm, Kay and Sweet Water - aka Busaba Sivasomboon, Jiraporn Kuhakand, Thitipol Panyalompanun, Watchiranot Thongtep and Nanchanok Wongsamuth.
 
The return of BBC Thai
London editor Nopporn Wong-Anan gives us a brief history of BBC Thai from its first broadcast in 1941 to the launch of BBCThai.com a year ago.

Thailand in transition
The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been a huge story for BBC Thai from the moment the news of his death broke to the funeral ceremony which ended a year of mourning.  The team discuss what's next for the country, with the coronation of King Maha Vajiralongkorn expected next month, and elections next year.

Running Bangkok
The BBC's Thanyarat Doksone combines journalism with a strict training regime as a triathlete and 'Strongwoman'.  She runs us through Bangkok's Lumphini Park for a high speed tour of some of her favourite places. 

Being Thai
David discusses geographical and cultural differences between Thais with a group of colleagues from different parts of the country - Jiraporn Kuhakan, Watchiranont Thongtep, Thitipol Panyalompanun and Thanyarat Doksone.   Accents, food and style may differ, but is there still such a thing as 'Thainess'? 

A Vietnamese in Bangkok
The Bangkok bureau is also home to a team from BBC Vietnamese, including Linh Nguyen.  She tells David how her perspective on her own country changed when she left to study and work abroad.   And she takes him to Pho Van, a cafe where she can find the taste of home.

Image: A tuk-tuk driver waits for customers in a busy night district of Bangkok
Credit: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/Getty Images

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