Those who hang around the Thailand Internet scene will probably be aware that for the past few years young Thai webmaster extraordinaire Panrit (formerly Nattawud) Daoruang has been locked up in Samut Prakan Central Prison. Known by the nickname “Gor”, he was recently released. One of the websites run by his long-time teacher, mentor and friend, Richard Barrow, has the happy pictures of family reunion.

Once he is back on his feet I hope Gor will leap back into the online world with relish. His site announces that “Some of his previous blogs had to be censored as the Department of Corrections discovered this website and were giving Gor a hard time. Now the full truth will come out.”

Once upon a time (and we are talking 1999 here) I learned a huge amount from Gor’s early experiments online — the websites that grew into www.thailandlife.com. I don’t know him personally but I have always remained impressed by his commitment to sharing his life (and its ups-and-downs) with the world through the web.

Hearing that he has been released has made my day.

Gor, I hope you enjoy this new chapter of life back with your daughter, family and friends. Good luck from all of us at New Mandala!