Wai Khru (Respect the Teacher) of tattoo master Achan Neng Onnut

Yesterday, Achan Neng Onnut, a Sak Yant tattoo master who supported the research of my new book Sacred Skin, the first English language publication on Thailand’s sacred tattoos, celebrated Wai Khru Day. During the course of the day, hundreds of his devotees visited his home in Bangkok to pay their respects to the master and […]

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Freiheit in Burma – Marc Eberles neuer Kurzfilm fuer die ARD

Marc Eberle hat gerade einen neuen Kurzfilmbeitrag fuer die ARD in Rangoon gedreht. Vom 31. Dezember 2011 bis zum 4. Januar 2012 fand in der ehemaligen burmesischen Hauptstadt das erste Filmfest der Freiheit statt. Komiker Zaganar und Nobelpreisträgerin Aung Sang Suu Kyi haben diese erste von der burmesischen Regierung nicht zensierte Festival organisiert. Hier ist […]

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Risky Bangkok by Vinai Dithajohn

Check out the excellent photo essay Risky Bangkok by seminal Thai photographer Vinai Dithajohn. Vinai Dithajohn is a Bangkok-based photojournalist covering news and documentary stories in Thailand and Southeast Asia for the past ten years. He has been shooting Thailand’s political turmoil as well as Bangkok’s dark underbelly and subcultures, often risking his life to […]

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Sacred Skin reviewed at Headbangers Tattoo Blog

“Sacred Skin Thailands Spirit Tattoos, the new two-hundred page, eight-by-ten-inch guide to sak yant protection tattoos by Tom Vater, with color photography by Aroon Thaewchatturat, is a beautifully organized, visual treat for both tattoo artists and collectors. Divided into easily navigable sections (Sak Yant, Master and Devotees, Sacred Images, Wai Khru the annual day of […]

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Andaman minority turned into tourist circus for rich Indians! Again.

British newspaper The Guardian reports that the Jarawa, a tribe of Andaman Islanders who number just a few hundred, have been coerced by Indian police to dance naked for tourist ‘safaris’. Unfortunately, this has been going on for many, many years. When I visited the Andamans in 1997 and 2000, Indian VIPs, speak politicians and […]

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