• 'Red Shirt' members show support for fallen comrades in Bangkok

    Damir Sagolj / Reuters

    A member of the "red shirt" movement joins her hands in prayer during a gathering near the Democracy Monument, the site of bloody clashes in 2010 with Thai security forces, in Bangkok on April 10.

    Damir Sagolj / Reuters

    A member of the "red shirt" movement, dressed as an angel, cries during a gathering near the Democracy Monument, site of the 2010 bloody clashes with Thai security forces, in Bangkok on April 10.

    Damir Sagolj / Reuters

    Buddhist monks join members of the "red shirt" movement in prayer during a gathering near the Democracy Monument on April 10.

    Supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand who was ousted in a 2006 coup, and members of the "Red Shirt" movement gathered on Wednesday in Bangkok to mark the anniversary of bloody clashes that occurred at Democracy Monument three years ago.

    In 2010, a peaceful protest turned violent when dozens of civilians and several members of the security forces were killed when soldiers attempted to clear a Red Shirt rally site.

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  • Damir Sagolj / Reuters

    Tattoos come to life as festivalgoers act out creatures inked on their bodies

    Devotees in a trance state mimic the creatures which are tattooed on their bodies during the annual Magic Tattoo Festival at Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Prathom province, near Bangkok, Thailand, March 23. Thousands of believers from across Thailand travel to the Buddhist monastery to attend the annual tattoo festival to have their bodies adorned with tattoos and to pay their respects to the temple's master tattooist. They believe the tattoos have mystical powers which ward off bad luck and protect them from harm.

  • Eye-catching sight as thousands of monks gather in Thailand

    Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

    Thousands of Thai Buddhist monks chant during a lantern lighting to celebrate Makha Bucha day at Dhammakaya Temple in Pathum Thani province, on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 25, 2013.

    Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP - Getty Images

    Buddhist monks hold candles as they walk around a Pagoda on Makha Bhucha Day at the Dhammakaya Temple, Feb, 25, 2013.

    Kerek Wongsa / Reuters

    Buddhist monks pray at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple on Makha Bucha Day Feb. 25, 2013.

    Monks gathered to celebrate Makha Bucha Day in Thailand where they lit candles to commemorate two events during the Buddha’s lifetime that occurred on the same date, but 45 years apart. The first was the ordainment of 1,250 monks who came from all over, and the second was the delivering of the Buddha’s teachings shortly before his death. Both events happened on the full moon of the third lunar month. 

     

  • Smooooooooooch! Thai couple kisses for 58 hours, sets new world record

    Pornchai Kittiwongsakul / AFP - Getty Images

    Thai couple Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat make a new world record for longest continuous kiss at 58 hours, 35 minutes, and 58 seconds during an event n Pattaya, southeastern Thailand on Feb. 14.

    Narong Sangnak / EPA

    Ekkachai Tiranarat kisses his wife Laksana during an attempt to break the Guinness World Record time for longest continuous kiss in Thailand on Valentine's Day. The Laksanas were eventually successful by beating nine other married couples with a time of 58:35:58.

    Narong Sangnak / EPA

    Ekkachai Tiranarat and his wife Laksana cry after they achieved the new world record for the longest continuous kiss.

    After 58 hours, 35 minutes and 58 seconds, Ekkachai and Laksana Tiranarat of Thailand were the last couple still kissing -- beating the competition and holding the new Guinness World Record for world’s longest continuous kiss.

    The competition which began Tuesday in Pattaya, Thailand,  pitted nine married couples in a contest worth more than $9,000 in cash and prizes.

    The milestone must still be verified by officials from Guinness World Records.

    Related links:

    Slideshow: Valentine’s Day around the world

    Majdi Fathi / Corbis

    From San Francisco to Sri Lanka, China to Cuba, love and romance know no boundaries. See the many ways Cupid's favorite holiday is celebrated across the globe.

    Launch slideshow

     

  • Love is in the air (literally) as couples wed before Valentine's

    Reuters

    Prasit Rangsiyawong, 29, kisses his bride Varuttaon Rangsiyawong, 27, during a wedding ceremony ahead of Valentine's Day in Prachin Buri province, east of Bangkok on Feb. 13. Three Thai couples took part in the wedding ceremony arranged by a Thai resort, aimed at strengthening the relationships of the couples by doing fun activities.

    Reuters

    Prasit Rangsiyawong, 29, and his bride Varuttaon Rangsiyawong, 27, jump in a pond during a wedding ceremony ahead of Valentine's Day in Prachin Buri province, east of Bangkok on Feb. 13.

    By Jonathan Sanger, NBC News

    Most couples are happy when their wedding goes according to plan. Some Thai couples, though, look for a day full of the unexpected. A day before Valentine’s Day, three Thai couples took part in an adventurous wedding ceremony that involved being chased by pirates, dangling from cables, and falling into water.

    Reuters

    Chutima Imsuntear, 37, falls as she runs with Sopon Sapaotong, 41, during a wedding ceremony ahead of Valentine's Day in Prachin Buri province, east of Bangkok on Feb. 13.

    Reuters

    Sorawich Changtor, left, 28, and Rungnapa Panla, 30, run to escape a man dressed as a pirate as other couples look on during a wedding ceremony ahead of Valentine's Day in Prachin Buri province, east of Bangkok on Feb. 13.

    Previously on PhotoBlog:

  • Pucker up, buttercup: Thai couples attempt to break world record for longest kiss

    Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

    Boontawee Seingwong, 35, kisses his wife Karnchana Kethkaew, 43, in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous kiss, as part of the upcoming Valentine's Day celebration in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand, on Feb. 12.

    Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters

    Bunjed Yomjinda, right, 74, kisses Suwanna Yomjinda, 72, during an attempt to break the world record for the longest kiss in Pattaya, 90 miles east of Bangkok on Feb. 12.

    Thai couples locked lips in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous kiss ahead of Valentine's Day in Pattaya, Thailand, on Tuesday. Nine Thai married couples, including including a gay couple, took part in the contest. The winners will take home 100,000 baht ($3,363.08) in cash and a diamond ring worth 200,000 baht ($6,726.24). The current world record for the longest kiss is 50 hours, 25 minutes, one second and was accomplished by Nonthawat Charoenkaesornsin and Thanakorn Sitthiamthong in Thailand in 2012. 

    -- Reuters, EPA

    Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

    Ekkachai Tiranarat, 44, kisses his wife Laksana Tiranarat, 33, front left, in an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous kiss, as part of the upcoming Valentine's Day celebration in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand, on Feb. 12.

    Couples in Thailand have locked lips in a contest to break the record for the longest continuous kiss. The current record stands at more than 50 hours. TODAY.com's Richard Lui reports.

    More world record attempts on PhotoBlog:

    Slideshow: Guinness World Records 2013

    Guinness World Records

    Here are eye-popping images of the biggest, fastest, longest, weirdest and wackiest record breakers recognized in 2012 and featured in the 2013 edition of "Guinness World Records."

    Launch slideshow

  • Surapan Boonthanom / Reuters

    Soldiers killed by roadside bomb in southern Thailand

    Security personnel inspect the site of a roadside bomb blast in southern Thailand's Pattani province on Jan. 11, 2013. Two soldiers were killed and two injured in a bomb attack by suspected Muslim militants, police said.

    A low-level insurgency in three mainly Muslim provinces of the predominantly Buddhist country has been simmering for decades.

    -- Reuters

  • At $50 a cup, you'll never forget your first elephant dung coffee

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A Thai elephant and a mahout (the keeper and rider of an elephant) walk along the field at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on Dec. 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. The resort is the production site for Black Ivory Coffee, a brew made from beans plucked from elephant dung.

    The AP reports: 

    In the lush hills of northern Thailand, a herd of 20 elephants is excreting some of the world's most expensive coffee.

    Trumpeted as earthy in flavor and smooth on the palate, the exotic new brew is made from beans eaten by Thai elephants and plucked a day later from their dung. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what its founder calls the coffee's unique taste.

    Stomach turning or oddly alluring, this is not just one of the world's most unusual specialty coffees. At $1,100 per kilogram ($500 per pound), it's also among the world's priciest. Full Story

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A mahout's wives pick out coffee beans from elephant dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on Dec. 9.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A mahout's wives pick out coffee beans from elephant dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on Dec. 10.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    The children of a mahout play with an elephant next to elephant dung containing coffee beans at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on Dec. 9.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Thai elephants head to the river for an early morning bath at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on Dec. 10.

    Ripened coffee cherries are fed to elephants on a reserve in Thailand where the excreted beans are roasted into 'Black Ivory' coffee. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.

    Also on PhotoBlog:

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  • Thais celebrate long-serving king's 85th birthday

    Royal Household Bureau via EPA

    Thai people wearing yellow shirts flock to Royal Plaza ahead of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's public appearance during 85th birthday celebrations on the balcony of Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 5.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Thai people, wearing yellow, wave flags as tens of thousands come to pay respect to Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej as he makes a rare public appearance on the occasion of his his 85th birthday, Dec. 5, in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Thai people, wearing yellow, come to pay respect to Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej as he makes a rare public appearance on the occasion of his his 85th birthday, Dec. 5, in Bangkok, Thailand. 

    Kerek Wongsa / Reuters

    Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej leaves the Siriraj Hospital for the Anatasamakom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Dec. 5.

    Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters

    A volunteer carries a woman as she fainted before Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej arrived for a ceremony outside the Anatasamakom Throne Hall in Bangkok, Dec. 5.

    Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of Bangkok and crowded into the city's Royal Plaza to pay tribute to King Bhumibol Adulyadej on his 85th birthday. The world's longest-reigning monarch was hospitalized in September 2009 and has since taken up permanent residence at the Siriraj Hospital. He appeared on the ceremonial balcony before crowds wearing yellow clothing, the color associated with the monarchy and adopted by the country’s royalists. Last month, the monarch met with President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. The queen was not present for the king’s speech, but his son and heir-apparent, Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, was at his side.

    Royal Household Bureau via EPA

    Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, center, sitting next to his family members, from left to right: Princess Soamsawali Mahidol, his older daughter Princess Ubol Ratana, Princess Siribhachudabhorn, youngest daughter Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol, Princess Aditayadornkitikhun, Royal Consort Princess Srirasm, grandson Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, his son Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn and his daughter Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

    Athit Perawongmetha / Getty Images

    People hold up candles and sing a song honoring King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a ceremony celebrating the King's birthday on Dec. 5, in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Thai royal nurses hold candles during celebrations for King Bhumibol Adulyadej 85th birthday, Dec. 5, in Bangkok, Thailand.

     

  • Thai anti-government protesters, police clash on Bangkok streets

    Reuters

    Police scuffle with anti-government protesters near the government house in Bangkok on Nov. 24.

    Reuters

    Tear gas is thrown as police scuffle with anti-government protesters near the government house in Bangkok on Nov. 24.

    Thousands of protesters gathered near parliament in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, on Saturday, demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. 

    AP reported: The rally was mostly peaceful in its early stages. Police, however, fired tear gas to disperse between 50 to 100 people who tried to break through a line of concrete barricades erected on a street near the protest site.

    The demonstration underscores the still-simmering political divisions that have split the country since the army toppled Yingluck's brother Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 military coup.

    Continue reading the AP article.

     

    Sunti Tiger / AP

    A tear gas canister is thrown to anti-government protesters, who call for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down in a rally, in Bangkok on Nov. 24.

    Sakchai Lalit / AP

    Anti-government protesters calling for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down, protect their eyes as police fired tear gas to disperse them in Bangkok, Nov. 24.

    Reuters

    Police detain anti-government protesters after a scuffle near the government house in Bangkok on Nov. 24.

  • Tea time in Thailand: Workers harvest Oolong #17

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Workers sift Oolong tea leaves during a wrapping process at the Suwirun Tea factory and farm.

    An Akha Hilltribe woman picks Oolong #17 tea leaves during a harvest at the Suwirun Tea farm in the hills outside of Chaing Rai, Thailand, Nov. 11. There are around 40 Akha hill tribe workers and 120 Burmese who make 300 Bhat a day working on the family-run Suwirun Organic tea farm, which has been in business nearly 38 years.

    The Tea is harvested every 45 days and about 1.5 tons is collected per harvest. On special occasions the Akha wear their traditional dress while picking tea. These days it is most commonly worn for tour groups and ceremonies. 

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    Workers spread out the freshly picked Oolong #17 tea leaves on a screen for drying.

    Paula Bronstein / Getty Images

    A Burmese worker sucks on an Oolong tea leaf while picking tea.

  • Fast and heavy: Thai farmers race buffalo to celebrate the rice harvest

    Sakchai Lalit / AP

    Buffalo riders race in Chonburi Province, south of Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 29, 2012. The races are an annual celebration by farmers of the rice harvest.

    Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

    A jockey falls from a water buffalo during the annual water buffalo races in Chonburi province, Thailand, Oct. 29.

    Rungroj Yongrit / EPA

    A jockey rides his buffalo.

    Chaiwat Subprasom / Reuters

    A water buffalo before the start of the race.

    More competitions on PhotoBlog:

    Competitors brave muck, mud in Strongmanrun

    Flipping runners at Washington National Cathedral Pancake Race


     

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