common groundPerspectives, Volume IV, No. 6, Published May, 2005

EDITORS

Martina MeijerBeth Zikronah Rosen

Erin J. Lewis

CONTRIBUTORS

Abigail SmithJacob Fiene

Marco HerreraSarah Tynan

Thouni SeneyakoneSumalai Phuanget

Katie RossMonsuda Chansiri

Phatraporn TreesirisophonMichael J. Mintz

Michael Sloan

THIS PUBLICATIONstrives to serve as a space for the

stories of those often overlooked inthe rush of development—those

who we may have heard about, butwhose voices commonly go unheard.

The experiences outlined in thesepages come from students who

participated in a community-basededucation program. Much of the

learning is done outside of theclassroom; villagers are the teachers.

This publication has been written and produced by students of the Spring 2005 CIEE-Thailand program.CIEE is not responsible for, nor does it endorse, any of the views expressed within.

Front Cover Photo by Jacob Fiene; Back Cover Photo by Katie Ross; Cover Design by Erin J. Lewis

Thirty - one - year - old Ratree Kongwatmaihas lived all her life in Nam Khem, a coastalvillage which was devastated by the tsunamithat hit the shores of Thailand on December 26,2004. As soon as the wave hit, Ratree ran to find hereight-year-old daughter. “I knew my daughter was near thebig pond that used to be a mine sink. She was seen runningaway together with her friends in that direction,” she cries.

Numb with shock and grief, Ratree found herself stoppedby armed men, hired hours after the tsunami by a moneybaron who claims to own the community’s land. “I beggedthem to let me in so I could find my daughter and myrelatives. They said the tsunami could not kill me, butthey could.”

Ten days later, the girl’s mangled corpse wasdiscovered, so decomposed that even Ratree could notrecognize her without the aid of dental records. “HadI found her earlier, my daughter wouldn’t have beenin this condition, “ she pleads. “Look! Look at whatthey did to my little girl. Look at her! If you don’t,you won’t understand my pain and my rage.”

The money baron came to the peaceful village “threeyears ago, out of the blue,” asserting that he hadpurchased the beachfront property from a tin miningbusiness. Despite the questionable validity of his claim,he has been cruelly pressuring the villagers to abandontheir homes. “They sent tractors to demolish our homesand have made death threats. So when the tsunami struck,they thought it was an opportunity to keep us out forgood,” Ratree laments.

Tears force the tortured mother to pause from tellingher story, as she stares at the picture of her daughter’sdisfigured body. When she continues, it is with a fiercedetermination that springs from her devastating grief.

“I can’t bear the injustice”

“I can no longer stand their inhumanity; I can’t bear the injustice . . .”

By Beth Rosen. Also, a special thanks to Sanistsuda Ekachai of the Bangkok Post for sharing this story.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

6Beth Zikronah Rosen

8Katie Ross

13Jake Fiene

15Erin J. Lewis

18Sumalai Phuanget

20Martina Meijer

22Erin J. Lewis

24

27Martina Meijer

28Martina Meijer

30Abigail Smith, Sarah Tynan

35Thouni Seneyakone

36Marco Herrera

38Katie Ross

39Martina Meijer

40

42Marco Herrera, Katie Ross

44Marco Herrera, Michael J. Mintz,

Liz O’Callahan

WHEN WAVES RECEDE

The Tsunami: What They Didn’t Tell YouACCESS DENIED

Fishermen Struggle to Get Back to the SeaLIVELIHOODS ON THE BRINK

Living with a Thai Farmer in Northeast ThailandFARMING AS IT SHOULD BE

Reflections from an Illinois FarmTHE END OF A CYCLE?Reflections from a Thai FarmTHE RELENTLESS MARCH

A Report from an Assembly of the Poor ProtestA STRANGE KIND OF REALITY

Life in the Khon Kaen Municipal LandfillA LETTER TO MR. PAUL WOLFOWITZ

Addressing the newly appointed World Bank PresidentMY KINGDOM FOR A ROAD

How a large-scale development project plows into a small cityWHAT LIES BENEATH

Thai Villagers Fight a Proposed MineFULL STEAM AHEAD

Examining the Impact of the Thai-US Free Trade AgreementLIFE IS NOT FOR SALE

Opposition to the Free Trade AgreementARMED WITH SEEDS

A Report from the Front Lines of a Seed FairFOLLOW THE FOOD: MOO PING

Tracing a Pork Snack to Its Source on the FarmFOLLOW THE FOOD: WATERMELON

One Fruit’s Journey from the Vine to the VendorBEYOND THE SUPERMARKET

The Facts Behind Your FoodFAIR TRADE ORGANIC JASMINE RICE

From Isaan to Your TableDAWN OF A NEW DAY FOR THEPARAK 5A Slum Community Gets a New Lease on Life

Currency Converter:Isaan:

NGO:

US$ 1 = Bt 39 (Baht)Northeast region of ThailandNon-governmental Organization

T he day after Christmas, one event grabbed the world’s attention and prompted donations on a scale never seen before. As more and more wide-eyed orphans stared bewildered out from our TV screens, and the death toll rose higher witheach passing day, so did the amount of donations. We huddled around our TVs, families close by, horrified at the death anddestruction wrought in such a short period of time. Within a month, individual Americans had donated $200 million for reliefefforts. Countries around the world responded with donations. By the end of January, the world community hadpledged more than US$7 billion. Even some of the world’s poorest nations, Mozambique, East Timor, and Nepal,gave funds to the affected countries. Ian Small, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for Oxfam GB, East Asia,explains what this meant for Oxfam, “We could think big, program big and really begin to address the sufferingwithout having budget restrictions.”

Technology allowed the world to witness the devastation as it unfolded. The receding waves left a terrible scene onshore—bodies strewn across lavish resorts, fishing boats splintered against massive cement hotels. The only things left standing werethe larger resort structures. Although the media withdrew quickly, like the waves, surely we realized the effects would be long-lasting. Months later, the rebuilding continues in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, and India. Do you ever wonder what actuallyhappened to your money once you sent it? It’s likely your money found its way to a place such as Ban Nai Rai, a small Muslimvillage, to help Bahng Ban rebuild his boat and house. This is just one of many villagers we met volunteering in tsunami-affected areas of Phangnga, Thailand. Bahng Ban has a new fishing boat that your donation made possible. Now he will beable to return to the sea, and continue the livelihood that has supported his family for generations. Or so we would hope.

In Thailand, the government has declared that it is “unsafe” for villagers to return to their homes along the coast, while hotelshave not received the same warning.1 These families are being forcibly relocated inland, in order to make room for touristfacilities. With relocated homes away from the sea, and private ownership blocking access to the water, villagers’ very way oflife and livelihood are severely threatened. This will turn out to be the most significant aspect of the tsunami, thousands oftimes more devastating, affecting millions of lives.

Along with the death and destruction, the tsunami has laid bare political and economic interests. It proved an unexpectedboon for governments hoping to further develop the tourist industry. With shores now cleared, developers are claiming thecoastal areas that villagers have depended on for centuries. Did you ever imagine that your money would be obstructed by suchconditions?

These forces are not unique to tsunami victims. Every day, traditional villagers are struggling against the forces of developmentto maintain their way of life. In the following pages, we will connect you with other issues that may not appear on the eveningnews, but are an everyday reality for millions.

In the case of the tsunami, our donations helped us feel connected for a time. We cared about the faces on our screens.Although our world is increasingly interconnected, we often remain immune to the other day-to-day disasters that stem fromman-made global disparities and injustices. It is time to realize that our actions and choices are felt far beyond national borders.We indeed are connected, but it’s up to us to recognize the common ground we share.

What happened between seeing the wave and writing the check was no small thing. Millions of people cared enough to takeaction to help relieve the suffering caused by an unavoidable act of nature. If you knew about the disasters that are preventable,wouldn’t you respond in the same way?

Wouldn’t you care? Wouldn’t you do something?

6

Condoleeza Riceshocked listeners inJanuary 2005 bymentioning amid hercondolences that thetsunami to be “awonderful opportunity”which “has paid greatdividends for us.” Ashorrific as it may be toregard this devastatingcalamity as a chance toreap profits, manypowerful people shareher purported view. Agroup called ThailandTsunami Survivors andSupporters agrees that“for businessmen [and]politicians, the tsunamiwas the answer to theirprayers, since it literally

wiped these coastal areas clean of the communities which hadpreviously stood in the way of their plans for resorts, hotels,casinos and shrimp farms.”1 As if the tragedy of the tsunamiwas not enough, it is being compounded by a second disaster,which is rooted, horrifically, in human greed.

In at least thirty villages, land speculators are taking advantageof the catastrophe in order to further their own financial interests.During the tsunami, villagers fled their seaside villages to thesafety of higher ground. While they were gone, these developerscapitalized on the land’s vacancy in order to spout claims to theland and block their return.

Somchai Homla-or, a member of the Thai Law Society,shakes his head solemnly when he speaks of this issue. “Theywill use dirty tactics or some bad influence in forcing the peopleout of the land,” he explains. To make matters worse, “the

police become the tool of the business sector” and help themto “harass the people.”2

In Phi Phi, a new tourist hot-spot, the government is forcing5,000 residents to move from their homes to a mountainousnational park. The community’s beachfront land can then besold to developers for a sizeable sum. Nattawut Kaenthong,one affected villagers, laments that “This is a conspiracy by civilservants, politicians and investors to take advantage of villagers’

woes.”3 A local resort owner named Jareetna Takuathung regretfullyagrees that the situation is dire. “We are now facing ‘the secondtsunami,”3 he says.

Developers and the Thai government seem to assume thatgiving a pittance of financial compensation or a small landlockedplot of land to villagers justifies taking their homes. However,“fishermen have to live by the sea”, exclaims a member of a coalitionwhich works with Andaman Sea fishing communities. “Evictingthem is like killing them.”4 Kong Yaikwai, a fisherman from PakarangJut, has been struggling since the tsunami with the death of hiswife. In this time of grief, he and he four children are being relocatedto a place which is far from the water. “I still cannot imagine how Iam going to make a livingwhen they move usinland to live in a smallconcrete box,” heworries. “They said therelocation is necessary forour own safety, but Isuspect our beach willsoon be taken over byresort investors,” hesighs. “I don’t know whatto do.”5

Mysteriously, whilethe land is supposedlyunsafe for the villagers, itis somehow quite suitablefor the lucrative hotelswhich are to be builtwhere thesecommunities now standin ruins. One mightwonder why so manypeople seem intent onexploiting the tsunami inorder to snatch land. Dr. Suraches Chetamas, the project managerfor a tsunami-relief plan in Khao Lak, a beach in Phang Nga, hasthe answer. This beachfront land “is expensive” he notes. “We aretalking about prices that are ridiculously high—Bt 15 million per rai[0.4 acres].”6 If a developer can get the land at a low price anddevelop the area for tourists, the sky is the limit for his profits.

Far from condemning such human rights violations, thegovernment has been slobbering all over itself as it begs for moretourism and development. Within a single week of the tsunami,reassuring messages streamed out from Thailand, desperately urging

W H E N W A VTHE TSUNAMI: WHAT

“[F]or businessmen [and] politicians, thetsunami was the answer to their prayers,since it literally wiped these coastal areas

clean of the communities...”

7

they can think of—from offeringdiscounts to a specialtour which includes a“tsunami-trail” thatbrings tourists to thedevastated areas.While tourists have aright to learn aboutthe tsunami, there iss o m e t h i n gdisconcerting aboutThailand exploitingtheir tragedy andturning it into adisplay for profits.

This campaign isno surprise,c o n s i d e r i n gThailand’s franticdependence ontourism, which hasthe quality of a drug addiction. The Thai economy hascome to rely upon the money and jobs which it generates,and the more tourism the country receives, the more onwhich it depends. But because tourism is not sustainable,this reliance is dangerous for Thailand in the long-term. Inaddition, tourism can be drastically effected by unforeseeableoutside factors—SARS, a tsunami, Avian Bird Flu, even amovie. When “The Beach,” a popular movie set on theisland of Phi Phi, hit theaters in 2000, there was a suddeninflux of tourists to the previously virgin beach. Thoughtheir purpose was to find a quiet place to appreciateThailand’s natural beauty, the tourists are in the process of

creating yet another loud, polluted, over-developed locale.Due to the pervasiveness of divers and boats, for example,“the coral reefs in the Andaman Sea are taking a beating”says Udomsak Seenprachawong, an associate professor ofenvironmental economics at Thailand’s National Instituteof Development Administration.

The harm rendered to the protective reef can havesignificant short and long-term impacts on the island,including severe flooding and a sharp decline in tourism.Once a certain point of pollution and destruction is reached,unsatisfied visitors will inevitably turn from this spot in searchof new unspoiled beaches, and the process of inadvertentexploitation will continue.

tourists to come back. Prime Minister Thaksin has been championingthe push to revive tourism, an industry on which “people living inthe affected areas . . . depend,” he remarks. “Their livelihoods cannotreturn to normal in the absence of tourists.”7

This may be true for many citizens, but Thailand did survivebefore it became a trendy place for Americans and Europeans tospend their holidays. By ignoring those Thais who are struggling tomaintain their autonomous, traditional way of life, Thaksin issentencing their way of life to obliteration, and Thailand to perpetualdependence.

The Thai government’s skewed priorities are glaringly evidentin their treatment of the tsunami’s one-year anniversary. Thaksin

has announced thatDecember 26, 2005 is tobe a day of “grandcelebration” of therebuilding efforts andincreases in tourism,rather than a day ofmemorial. An editorial ina prominent Thainewspaper, The Nation, isquick to note that “[w]hileevery other countryaffected is likely to payrespect to the 400,000 orso victims, [Thaksin’s] firstinstinct is to congratulatethe hoteliers and tourism-business operators whosecash registers are onceagain raking in foreigncurrency.”8 How would alavish party celebrating,say, the rebounding of thestock market have gone

over on September 11, 2003 in the United States?The party, which is to include an elaborate Bt2 billion crystal

dome, seems to be a terrific mockery of the victims, “many ofwhom have seen little or next to nothing of [the] much-trumpeted[tsunami aid]. Corruption and government red-tape aside, everythingseems to be geared towards getting those big hotels rebuilt at allcosts.”8

To revive the profitable tourist industry, Thailand has beenpromoting an aggressive marketing campaign aimed at potentialvisitors. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is doing everything

By Beth Zikronah Rosen

“[F]ishermen have to live by the sea.Evicting them is like killing them.”

Photo by Jacob Fiene

E S R E C E D E THEY DIDN’T TELL YOU

Photo by Jacob Fiene

8

Access Denied:Fishermen struggle to get back to the sea

By Katie Ross

Sutin is a fisherman from Phang Nga province Thai-land. When the tsunami arrived last December, he was sit-ting in his small wooden fishing boat. The wave came andwent and he found himself at the top of a nearby tree. Hesurvived, but his boat and house were destroyed.

Various aid organizations came into Sutin’s village, NaiRai, to rebuild the flattened houses. But not Sutin’s. Sutinhas lived in Nai Rai all his life. But what Sutin does not haveis an official title for his land. Afraid of becoming entwinedin legal battles, aid organizations do not rebuild houses forpeople without official land rights. While all the houses inthe village were destroyed, from the large to the small, reliefaid has not been as balanced.

But the story does notend there. On March 30, Sutinand 19 fellow villagers wereaccused by the police ofsquatting on the land they’dbeen living on for years. Nohome, no boat, and now awarrant is out for his arrest.

The initial destructionleft by the tsunami was just apreview for Sutin and otherThai villagers who live alongthe coast. Sutin is just one ex-ample out of many. For thesepeople, the tsunami has re-vealed layers of realities thatmake the rebuilding processeven harder for villagersthroughout the tsunami af-fected areas of Thailand.

Sutin tells his storyagainst the kind of backdropfeatured in the office of ev-ery travel agent in America:white sandy beach, palm trees, turquoise blue water. Theimages on TV showed beaches and more beaches, piled with

bodies and rubble, cluttered with ravaged buildings. But NaiRai is much more than beaches. Behind the white sand you’llfind landscapes—landscapes which these days tell stories.

Just beyond the beach is a grove of pine trees. Nextcomes a mangrove forest, full of big-rooted trees that thrivetrue green in the salt water of tides. Beyond the mangroveslies a 50-foot wide saltwater canal, then more mangroves,and finally dry land and Nai Rai village.

Before the tsunami, Sutin’s daily rhythms revolvedaround the mangroves, the canals and the sea. More oftenthan not, you could find him there. Wading through the

canal with a net strung outbehind him, catching fish forthe day’s meals. Collectingmussels and crabs among themangrove roots. Bringinghome squid in five gallonbuckets, black ink sloshingaround their slimy speckledbodies. He eats what he canand sells the rest.

Most of the people liv-ing in Nai Rai are fishermen,like Sutin. Even if they haveother jobs, they depend onthe ocean and mangroves fortheir dinner; for them, theocean and mangroves are aseafood supermarket of sorts.While their income may besmall in monetary terms, forthem making money is not asimportant as being able tofish.

Nai Rai is a village beingreborn. Skeletons of half-fin-ished houses dot the land-

scape. Two-by-fours and bags of cement are piled every-where. Goats lounge among crumbling walls, coconut trees,

Sutin navigates his boat along a canal near Nai Rai.

Photo by Katie Ross

9

and power saws. The result of this construction frenzy re-sembles a collection of half-finished Thai subdivisions, eachsection full of identical houses. This contrasts with themajority of Thai villages, where each house is different fromthe next.

The varying styles of houses that make up this check-erboard effect match with the different organizations build-ing them: a Christian group and a local country club arerebuilding different groups of cement houses and the Ro-tary Club is building white wooden structures on stilts.Outside groups are not re-building houses in the areawhere Sutin lives because thegovernment has told organi-zations they cannot help vil-lagers who do not possesstitles to their land.

The Four Regions SlumNetwork, a Thai non-govern-mental organization thatworks on land rights issues,stepped in to help villagersrebuild when no otherswould. While the networkusually works in cities, assoon as they heard tsunamivictims were experiencingeviction problems, they cameto help out. With themoral and financial supportof the Four Regions SlumNetwork, villagers began torebuild, constructing woodenhouses raised on stilts withbamboo walls. Every day, vil-lagers work alongside volun-teers from the network to fin-ish the frame of one house orstart the roof of another. But while the constructionprogresses, the issue of land rights looms.

Nai Rai is not the only village struggling with land rights.According to the Coalition Network for Andaman CoastalCommunity Support, about 30 Thai villages in six prov-inces have been faced with such problems since the tsu-nami.1 Some of the villages are up against the government,while others are facing private developers. “When the tsu-nami came,” said Thai Senator Chirmsak Pinthong, “it wasa good chance to clear the land. They [the developers] havetried before to chase people away. The tsunami has donethe job for them.”2

Understanding the land rights situation in Nai Rai is

not easy. No one in Nai Rai seems to know the history ofthe land ownership in the village and different people telldifferent stories of who bought the land from whom. Somesay those whose land rights are under question have beenliving there for five years, other says they’ve been there over100 years. Some villagers supposedly have land rights butno land title document, while others have neither.

This is how Vinyai, another villager accused of squat-ting, tells it. His arms wave as he sits in a hammock belowthe skeleton of his half-finished house and recounts the

confusing story: Some timeago, a company mined tin inthe area, on land that includedpart of Nai Rai village. Afterthe mine was closed, the landwas sold to another company.The land was left unused,though, and people movedback to live in the area.

Eventually that companywent bankrupt and the landwas sold to Somkiet Ritirat,who is now trying to push thecurrent residents, includingSutin and Vinyai, off theland. “The villagers don’t re-ally know who sold land towhom; there are no real pa-pers,” says Vinyai, “And thetsunami came and boom!Villagers had to suffer: out-side foundations don’t buildhouses for those who don’thave land rights.”

To make matters evenmore complicated, it ap-pears that Somkiet is not inthis alone. According to

Vinyai, the former headman of the village helped Somkietsecure his land titles and has since worked with him to pres-sure villagers off the land. Abdun, a Muslim leader in thecommunity, agrees. “The government didn’t do Somkiet’sland title correctly,” he says, “The local government wonthe land by abusing villagers and trying to evict them. It’sreally bad.”

As you read this, you might find yourself thinking thateven if the way it was sold is a bit confusing, if Somkietbought the land, then it’s rightfully his.

Since the villagers didn’t buy the land, it might makesense to you that it would be their duty to move somewhereelse.

Villagers are building these houses with thehelp of the Four Regions Slum Network

Photo by Katie Ross

10

It’s true, in America it would probably work this way.In Thailand, however, things aren’t quite as simple. Untilthe early 1900’s, all land in Thailand was owned by the king.During this time there was no such thing as individual landownership. The right to occupy land was based on use—ifa farmer was able to cultivate land for three years, he gainedinformal rights to it. This land could then be passed on tofamily members.3 Although system of individual owner-ship and land titles was established during the first half ofthe 20th century, some families never gained a legal title forland they had been livingon for generations.

In many communi-ties, as in the case of NaiRai, mining companieswere given concessionsto mine on village land.When the mines wereabandoned, the land wasoften sold, even thoughit should have been re-turned to public control.4

In addition, accord-ing to the present laws,squatters can apply for aland title if they’ve livedon a piece of land con-tinuously for ten years.

In Nai Rai, regard-less of who legally ownedthe land over the years,villagers continued to col-lect firewood in the areaand fish from the adja-cent pond, unaware thatsomeone else possessedrights to it. It seems that over time, actual use of the landcontradicted with technical legal ownership. Villagers wereunderstandably surprised when Somkiet suddenly steppedin to claim the land. “Before the tsunami came, we neverknew our land was owned by other people,” says Abdun,“Then they did a demarcation and got land documents andwe were all confused.”

Mix lack of knowledge about the law with a little cor-ruption, and a chaotic land rights situation ensues. Threeyears ago, Somkiet tried to demarcate the land, which isrequired in order to secure the highest type of land title,one which allows an owner to sell his land. Villagers re-sisted, however, and Somkiet reacted by suing them. Someof the villagers were afraid that the government would forcethem off the land, so they did not show up in court.

The villagers ultimately won the case and received landrights, though those who didn’t go to court didn’t get therights. Abdun was among the villagers who went to courtand received rights; his house is now being rebuilt by a Chris-tian aid organization. Sutin and Vinyai, on the other hand,did not go to court, and so while the Four Regions SlumNetwork helps them rebuild, they must now fight to keepthe land they’ve lived on for years.

Nai Rai villagers, however, are not just fighting for aplace to build their houses. The mangroves on which they

so dearly depend are alsobeing threatened.

Riding in his small,very red wooden boatthrough the mangroves,Sutin is like a proud fa-ther talking about hiskids. “The mangrove for-est acted as a buffer andprotected the village dur-ing the tsunami, slowingthe impact of the water.”

Mangroves aretroopers. They live incoastal areas and theirroots spend part of eachday soaking in the saltwa-ter of the tides. Mostother trees would suffo-cate in such conditions.Mangrove roots, how-ever, reach down into thesoil before reaching backup into the air above thewater, allowing the tree

to breathe. At low tide it’s as if thousands of thin woodenstraws have been stuck into a huge vat of chocolate ice cream.These roots offer young fish a safe place to live and providefood for many species of birds, shrimp, crabs and otheranimals, a virtual cornucopia of food for villagers who livenearby.

The purpose of this trip is not fishing or crabbing. Af-ter traveling along the canal for a few minutes, Sutin parksalongside a cluster of mangroves. He walks over to a plasticbag attached to a five-foot stick that’s stuck in the mud.

The bag, he explains, has been put up by Somkiet tomark the area of land he owns. It seems that Somkiet is alsoclaiming to own the mangrove forests villagers have beenusing collectively for years.

Sutin is visibly worried about the prospect. “If Somkiet

Mining for tin in Nai Rai

Photo by Katie Ross

11

takes over the mangroves and canal, we won’t be able tofish,” he says. “It’ll be hard to get boats around if he ownspart of the canal.” He just can’t understand the situation, “Idon’t know why the government isn’t protecting the man-grove forest,” he wonders, “We all use it, how can just oneperson own it?”

Recently, a pick-up truck full of villagers drove off tothe District Land Office. In their possession was a petitionsigned by 80 villagers, demanding a title to the land they’vebeen living on, as well as a more transparent land title pro-cess.

“We don’t know the law,” said Arnon, a village leader,“We want the government to step in and help us here.”

Hoping to be heard, villagers also plan to take theircase to the National Human Rights Commission, an inde-pendent government agency that investigates human rightscomplaints in Thailand.

Nai Rai is not in this alone. They regularly meet withnearby villages who are experiencing similar eviction prob-lems. Most recently, people from Nam Khem, a village alsoin Phang Nga province, visited Nai Rai. During the meet-ing, villagers circled their chairs just below the frame of apartially finished house. Village leaders took turns talkingabout their village’s situation.

Ratree, a leader from Nam Khem, encouraged thepeople from Nai Rai. “Be strong,” she said. “Don’t give uphope.” Later someone told me that her daughter had beentaken by the wave.

For now, the villagers are rebuilding their homes, plankby plank. Once the houses are finished, they will focus onrebuilding their boats, and will eventually return to fishing.

Above all, they will fight for their land and the man-groves. “We have to fight harder,” says Arnon, “We’re wor-ried about future generations. They need land too.”

Traveling along the canal, green mangroves blendingby, cranes and other birds moving from tree to tree, it’s nothard to see why these forests are so important to villagers.

And Nai Rai is just a drop in the bucket. According tothe United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization

(FAO), in Thailand 2,923 households that depend on fish-ing were affected by the tsunami. Expand the area in ques-tion to the Indian Ocean and the number touched growsto the hundreds of thousands, perhaps even over a mil-lion.

So many people depend on their relationship with thesea, the same kind of relationship that Sutin has with thecoastal areas of Nai Rai. One can’t help but wonder howmany of those relationships are being threatened today bydevelopment or similar forces.

Sutin heads along the canal in his boat, traveling backtowards the village. Before returning home, he stops at asandbar near the ocean. He pulls up to a small woodenframe, filled with sand, one of its narrow edges placedjust where the water tastes the shore.

Accompanying the frame is an older couple. The man,whose shirt is held together with a safety pin, uses a metalscoop connected to a stick to slosh water onto sand insidethe box. The water washes away the pale sand to revealblack specks of tin, the stuff they’ll sell.

“We sell it to a business man,” says the woman, “butreally it’s illegal. You’re supposed to buy a mining licensefrom the government to mine legally, but it’s too expen-sive for us.”

After chatting for a few minutes, Sutin sets off to-wards the shore. The importance of these villagers’ inter-action with the land and sea seems clear. What is less clearis why the government seems to have such a hard timeunderstanding it. How can the government ignore the factthat villagers depend on the mangroves? How can genera-tions of traditions so quickly be stopped by a single out-sider with money?

Sutin ties up his boat and heads home towards hiswife and daughter and their partially built home. Wherewill life find Sutin 50 years from now, when the giant waveis a distant story told over meals? Will he have the samekind of relationship with the ocean and mangroves? Orwill Somkiet and the forces he represents have the finalsay? For now, the answers to these questions remains tobe seen; they are answers which are inherently linked withthe path of development itself.

Photo by Katie Ross

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An economic crisis struck Asia in 1997, causing currencies to plummet and factories tolay off massive numbers of workers. Many suffered from this unforeseen disaster, whichdemonstrated the limitations and vulnerability of basing livelihoods on a cash economy.However, Northeast Thailand, known to Thais as Isaan, was somewhat insulated fromthe effects. In fact, urban factory workers were happily welcomed home when theyreturned to their families in rural Isaan. Although it is considered the poorest region inThailand, farmers there were able to fall back on something that other regions couldn’t,something that doesn’t show up on the conventional economic radar.

The value of such a traditional lifestyle is hard to quantify when talking about theGross Domestic Product (GDP), a figure which represents a country’s total income.When simply looking at the economic statistics, the region appears to be populated bypeople living on around $1 a day, but that doesn’t come close to telling the wholestory. The limitation of using GDP as an estimation of wealth is that it considers moneyas the only means of survival.

The truth is, if you have a rice field, a cow and a mango tree, which many people inIsaan do, you then have a secure livelihood, a margin of protection for the times whenmoney fails. The real threat to thepoor is that developmentencroaches on this buffer.

Without considering aspectsbeyond money, these projects cannever effectively reduce poverty,as they may jeopardize the veryresources on which the poordepend. We must recognize that aself-sustainable lifestyle can andmust play a role in moderndevelopment, so that if anothereconomic crises hits, something tofall back on remains.

“I would rather have a bowlful of rice than a bowlful of money.”

< $365 = EXTREME POVERTY?< $750 = POVERTY?> $10,000 = HAPPINESS?

ANNUAL INCOME

Photo by Michael Mintz

-Tongcharoen Simuang, Isaan villager

13

on the brinkLiving with a Thai farmer in Northeast Thailand

Down the narrow road he comes walking with histhree cows and two small calves. The hot sun has begunto cool and midday turns to early evening. Two twinpuppies come running side by side from the fields andbegin playing tag under and around the cows who lazilywalk into their open-air pen. After closing the cows insecurely, he makes his way over to his old pushcart. Heloads up a fewcontainers and headsoff towards the well togather some drinkingwater for the next fewdays. A small layer ofdust rises behind him ashe makes his wayaround the corner andout of sight.

I sit watching thescene and think tomyself, “This couldhave easi ly been ascene observed from asmall farm in theAmerican countrysidesome seventy yearsago.” Without really thinking too much about it, I havejust made a comparison that is very real. I am sittingon an old wooden bench in Northeast Thailand.

In America during the 1930’s, thousands of small-scale farmers from east to west were forced off theirland due to the economic and social effects of the GreatDepression. This was a time of transformation. Asmasses migrated from rural areas to urban centerssomething was lost, something that extends beyondland or occupations. What was lost was the livelihoodof the historic small-scale self-sufficient Americanfarmer. What was lost was part of American heritage.

Sitting on this platform, having just watched thisman disappear, I think about how this is exactly whatis being lost here in Thailand. Though thecircumstances are somewhat different, the stakes arethe same.

We can call him Paw (father). His name is not really asimportant as the way of life he has come to represent.Paw is an ordinary man. He left school after the fourthgrade. He works hard every day; his work will never benoticed or looked upon as extraordinary.

He is a farmer. He relies only on the land to providehis food, and he wants nothing more than simply to live.

He is able to live day-to-day using his knowledgeof the wetlands and theriver to find enoughfood to stay alive,healthy, and strong.

I watch as he walksout to the wetlands toset his cows out to grazeand comes back with afew fish or frogs andsome vegetables andherbs to make soup. Iwatch as he cuts logsand lets them burnslowly under a pile ofrice husks to makeenough charcoal to last

about a month. I help him peel petals off dried flowers,which he boils into water and combines with molassesand yeast to ferment into wine. All these things he is ableto provide, spending very little money. His only regularcosts are bags of ice or a small bottle of Thai rice whiskey.

When I ask him about his life as a farmer he tells me,“Everything I have done, anything I can do, I am proudof because I don’t have to rely on others.” And a proudman he is. Proud of his humble home with dirt floors,because it is the home that he built with his own hands.Proud of the food he eats, because it has been providedout of his own sweat. Most of all he is proud of his wayof life.

“All I want,” he says, “is to stay here and live as afarmer.”

Paw, who is now 60 years old, may not be able tofinish his life farming this land. He lives less than half a

l i ve l i hoods

By Jacob Fiene

Photo by Beth Rosen

14

MekongRiver

PakMun DamHua Na

Dam

Rasi SaliDam

Photo by Jacob Fiene

Paw leads his buffalo to the nearby Mun River

mile away from the Mun River. The Hua Na dam, astructure that lies approximately 75 kilometersdownstream from his home, has directly threatened hisway of life. The Hua Na dam is part of a developmentproject called the Khong-Chi-Mun Water DiversionProject (KCM). The Ministry of Science, Technology andEnvironment passed the project in 1989 in order to irrigate13 provinces in Northeast Thailand. They planned toconstruct dams, irrigation canals, and electric water pumpstations to divert water from the Mun, Mekong and ChiRivers in order to irrigate nearby fields.

The Hua Na Dam was proposed as a four-meter highweir. By the timeit wasconstructed, theweir - the wordstill used wheno f f i c i a l l yreferring to thestructure - stoodas a 17-meter highconcrete dam with14 massive stealgates. The gates haveremained open sinceconstruction. If theyare closed, Paw’s landand his home will besubmerged.

No Envir-onmental ImpactAssessment (EIA)was done before orafter theconstruction of thedam. Althoughaccording to thelaw dams cannot bec o n s t r u c t e dwithout an EIA,there is still pressure from the government to moveforward and shut the gates of Hua Na.

Ninety kilometers upstream from the Hua NaDam is the Rasi Sali Dam, the first dam to constructedas part of the KCM project. The dam flooded over100 square kilometers of land and created a 100-kilometer long reservoir that extends upstream fromthe dam. The gates were closed in 1994.

As a result, miles of wetlands were permanentlydestroyed and thousands of people were left withoutland or compensation. Many of the canals from the

reservoirs are now dry, and the pumping stations gounused.

If the gates to the Hua Na Dam are closed theresults will be similar; the wetlands will be destroyed.Paw calls the wetlands the “market for the villagers.”

Thousands of acres of land will be flooded andonly some of those who fight will be able to receivecompensation. Many villagers will be neglected.

If the purpose of the project is to help the farmer,then why are the voices of the farmer not being heard?Why are valuable and sensitive ecosystems such aswetlands being destroyed to construct dams that go

unused? Howdoes this benefitthe far mer?How does thisbenefit Paw?

I would notsay that being afarmer is his job.

The word impliesan occupation or ameans of makingmoney. A job is abar tender or apharmacist. Pawis simply living theway his ancestorsdid before him.

To farm is tol ive. He hasenough; he hasponds, the river,and the wetlands.His life is simple,yet i t conta insknowledge, a typeof wisdom thathas accumulatedover thousands of

years from one generation to the next.“We have fish, frogs, bamboo, snails, clams, ants,

and mushrooms,” he explains. “We have tradition andculture.” Will this culture, this knowledge, and thisway of life be able to extend to future generations?

The future looks dim. The only hope lies withthose who continue to live like Paw, and with thosewho continue to fight to preserve the life of thehumble rice farmer.

Carleen Xiong contributed to this article.

Mun River

Map Drawn by Arunee Chupkhunthod

15

FARMING AS IT SHOULD BE

hen I was four and five years old, one of my favorite things to do was take my dad lunch. There wasa big red Playmate lunch box with a stained white lid that opened if you pushed the button on the side

as you slid the lid back. There was also a tall blue thermos with a circular handle on the side of the lid that myfirst two fingers fit into perfectly, allowing me to swing it back and forth by my side with the weight of the waterinside pulling at me as I carried it. I sometimes wanted to be in charge of carrying both the lunch and the water,but I knew I had to share with my brother Grant, just two years younger. I usually didn’t help mom make thelunch besides maybe putting chips in a baggie or getting an apple from the refrigerator. However, I knewwhatever sandwich she made was special ’cause she made it for my dad. She would also get a washcloth and wetit to just the right dampness with hot, hot water for my dad to wash his hands. I remember if I ever put it in thebaggie, I had to do it quick because it was so hot. My dad would always use it first before he touched his food,’cause when you work hard like my dad, your hands get dirty.

We load up in the car and set off to one of the many exciting places my dad would be. It may take fiveminutes; it may take ten or fifteen. However long it takes us to get there, I know we are on an important mission,one that couldn’t be skipped. When you work hard like my dad, you have to eat a good lunch and have plenty ofwater. Looking out the window, everything is green and flat with an occasional rolling hill. The land is so big andwide. We pass corn, soybeans, corn, soybeans, pasture, and a house every so often. Once we arrive at ourdestination, the next task is a very important game: finding my dad. We drive slowly along the road until we getwhere we think he might be. Mom pulls our car to the side of the road and parks halfway in a ditch. Dependingon the season and whether the field is corn or soybeans, Grant and I may or may not have to open the doorwhile still standing on the car’s floor to be tall enough to look. To add to the game, my dad’s tractor is green likethe field and goes slowly to be careful of the rows; my dad is always careful. Once he is spotted, we try to figureout which way he is going, either towards us or away from us. We’re there, but he may not get his lunch foranother three-quarters of a round. When he does finally get to us, Grant and I cross the ditch and walk out inthe field to meet him. Mom comes too. My dad always wears long pants, a button-up shirt, and work boots. Heusually also has a white dust mask on—like me, corn and bean dust bother him. We usually wait

W

REFLECTIONS FROM AN ILLINOIS FARM

By Erin J. Lewis

16

with him while he eats, so we can take the empty lunch box back with us. The waterhe keeps for the rest of the afternoon, evening, and sometimes, late night. He drinksthe water from the thermos using the lid as a cup. My dad is very resourceful.

Mom, Grant and I return home, mission accomplished. Mom goes back to workdoing all the important things she does, and Grant and I have endless options—whatever we dream up, the usual setting. The next time we’ll see my dad is wheneverhe decides he should quit for the day. Whenever that is, he is usually twice as dirty as

he was at lunch. When you work hard like my dad, you getdirty.

This is the way I’ve grown up—in my family, in myschool, and in my community. Farmers are heroes. In myeyes and to some extent in the eyes of everyone I grew upknowing. You pray for farmers in the spring and fall thatrain doesn’t keep them from planting and harvesting. Youpray for farmers in the hot summer that enough rain comesfor good yields. If we weren’t taking my dad his lunch, he’dbe in the kitchen tuned in to WMBD. Don’t talk until hehears the market prices. My dad always ate these luncheswith his eyes closed. I once asked him why, and he got afunny smile on his face and said, “because I’m enjoying it,”(meaning the food, not the market). My dad’s smart;whatever he says I consider it well-thought-out fact backedby years of experience. I’m 21, a third year universitystudent, and to this day I believe my dad is more crediblethan any academic professor.

My dad’s agriculture isn’t organic. It’s fertilizer, somepesticides, and high yielding seeds, or so we hope. It’s morethan a handful of acres. However, it is one of the mostwell thought out, prayed about, read up on, don’t do it unless

you have a really good reason, kinds of agriculture. He plants on ridges, leaves thecrop residue, and gets his soil tested. He has buffer strips and is working on a systemfor water table management. He reads magazines and papers, clipping articles for meif they have to do with conservation, nitrogen management, water quality or otheraspects of the environment. He showed me how to use county soil survey maps waybefore we learned in Ag class. He built a wood structure to hold three large trays ofsoil we collected for my science fair projects on erosion. He’s taken me to many Agdays in August at the University of Illinois, and would probably take me to more coolstuff if I wasn’t so busy going to school and doing whatever else it is that I do. Eventhough next to him I know nothing, I love talking with him about agriculture. He’sthe most careful, responsible and domino-effect thinking person that I know,sometimes taking it to the ten-thousandth domino which can drive my mom crazy.When I think of my dad, amongst other things a loving daughter thinks of, I think ofthinking, I think of his work clothes, I think of land, and very fond memories, suchas taking him lunch.

Coming to Isaan and staying in villages with farmers who told story after storyabout how high input agriculture has thrown them into a cycle of debt and ruinedtheir soil, I was taken aback. I had learned about the Green Revolution in schoolbefore. I knew what it was about. But coming here, I learned a side of it I never reallyknew existed. The transition from natural farming to green revolution farming hasnot been easy. It’s happened as a collaboration between government developmentplans and western agribusiness, but its promises of prosperity have been unfulfilledand hardship has arisen that wasn’t accounted for in the original equation. Perhaps

Photo by Carrol Lewis

17

this is because green revolution agriculture wasn’t developed in Thailand, andany good farmer knows that no one practice can be used on every type of land.Or perhaps it’s because the United States’ economy has been able to absorb thegreat number of small-scale farmers forced from their land due to modernagriculture. In Thailand, on the other hand, the workforce in the cities is wellover-saturated. Thai farmers are usually faced with three options: giving up andtrying to find work as a day laborer in the cities, farming rice in the rainy seasonand then migrating to find work in the dry season, or switching back to naturalfarming for family consumption and selling the surplus. Interestingly, a handfulis choosing the third option.

Troubled by the issue, I made a phone call to my dad. He got me in contactwith David Shupe, an Illinois farmer who serves on several state committeesaddressing international and domestic agricultural policy. All it took was oneemail asking a dozen and a half questions and I knew I had a great source ofinformation—even during planting season. Although my correspondence withhim is far from finished, I have identified what the fight is about. In Mr. Shupe’swords, “I have had several [large farm operators] tell me that if you are spendingtime in a tractor or scouting crops rather than in an office you are a poor managerand probably loosing money.” This attitude toward farming goes directly againstwhat real farmers value so much. I believe that if you are that removed fromyour land, you are not a real farmer and are too disconnected to make wisedecisions about managing land. If you work in the realm of agriculture and youdon’t get dirty, you probably don’t work hard at the right thing.

The struggle of Isaan farmers is against a world force that promotes a casheconomy. The value of growing rice in Thailand is hard to explain, especiallycoming from the outside. Perhaps this value canbest be captured by knowing that many Thai farmerscontinue to grow rice even if they cannot makemoney doing it. They recognize the importance ofsustenance over money—when times get hard, atleast they’ll have their rice. It provides a certainsecurity that money cannot.

It’s fairly obvious that a small 6 to 12 rai [2.4 to4.8 acres] farm in Isaan, or anywhere, is at adisadvantage competing with even a small farm inthe US. We’ve seen it in the US where the small guygets eaten by the big guy, and Thailand is facingsimilar struggles internally and externally as itsagriculture markets open up. Am I stretching toofar to assume that the big guy is usually the clean,air-conditioned office kind of “farmer”? Thesefarmers are often willing to sacrifice theenvironment for the opportunity to make an extrabuck. This is slightly ironic—kind of like cheatingthe very thing that sustains them. I don’t know aboutyou, but I think the growing of food ought to be alittle more intimate than that.

I’m still very much in the beginning stages oflearning about agricultural policy. However, a lot of what I’ve seen so far suggestswe need to find a way to bring agriculture back home. I sure hope that by thetime I have kids and beyond, there’s still the hardworking, get-your-hands-dirtytype of farmer left to bring a lunch to - both in the Midwest and in Thailand.

Photo by David Streckfuss

18

THE END OF A CYCLE?By Sumalai Phuangket

I was born and raised in a Thai farmer’s family. Farming as a way of life has been passed downfor generations from my ancestors to my parents. The question still remains whether I will passon this way of life, or whether it will end with me.

This is how it begins: Rice season starts around late April or early May. The monsoon giantawakens to green the whole field. The trees grow back their leaves after the long dry season. Thebell of rice farming season rings again and again, echoes its charming green environment. Thiscycle repeats over and over again as generations pass. Hope in the villages comes back, just likethe flower blooms when the sun shines its rays.

In our family, when it rains my father goes to the rice field to prepare his field and farmingtools while my mother and a few other villagers prepare the food to offer the great spirit, and waitfor the prediction of next season. The young men light their fireworks; children run away withexcitement when they hear the cracking noise. This is how we pay respect to the spirits who takecare of us. The following day, my mother will take the seeds to the field, while she prays to theGoddess of the Land for good luck with farming throughout the season. This is the way for farmersto increase their hopes and further their wishes.

My father prepares his tools and plows his land, choosing the best paddy to grow the first setof rice for transplanting. We wait until the plants are one foot tall, ready to be transplanted.

May, June, and July are the happiest months of the year. The rain showers us everyday, thefields are flooded, kids play joyfully in the water. Lots of field crabs scurry about, as we run tryingto catch them. Food is everywhere to be found. We live our sustainable life in the village.

My mother always teaches us the value of rice, how it is important to us. “Rice is life, a sourceof income, and Rice is our mother. “These are the values of a grain of rice,” she says. We learnedfrom her how hard it is to produce rice. I didn’t believe her much at first, but as I grew, time went by

REFLECTIONS FROM A THAI FARM

19

and I learned more, I saw the process takes a longtime. I watched my parents leaning back andforth, growing and threshing it. That’s when Irealized the meaning of the phrase: “farmers arethe country’s backbone.”

After three months the green field turnsgold. I look tirelessly into the golden fields thatgo on and on. The fields show the productivityof hardship. Both of my parents have a smileon their faces while watching their pricelesspaddies.

“ T h i s comes from our sweat andhard wor k .Here comesthe r i c ebund le s, theproduct of ourhopes,” theysay. My parentsa lone cannothand le a l l o fthis work. Wesoon invite ourn e i g h b o r s ,thirty or fortyof them. We allhe lp eachother, sharing,and af ter nottoo long , thework is done. Ihave seen thiscu l tu re o fhe lp ing , thecu l tu re o fsharing.

T h r o u g hwatch ing ourparents, joy, fun, and also knowledge came whenwe were young. When I finished elementaryschool, the time came when I would have tomove to the big city for college, with the hopethat after my graduation I would certainly get abetter job: a government official, doctor, orengineer.

I moved away from the field! My life is nowtied to the city where I pursue my education.My memory of farming is fading away.

It is beyond my comprehension how and whyit happened this way. Years have passed me by,development came, and with it the integration

of moder n ag r i cu l tu re : u se o f chemica lfertilizers, pesticides, tractors, and all that.

My father bought more land, with the hopeof increasing his income to cover the burdenof modern society, of which my education wasa part. Here came the green revolution. Farmingmethods changed; more food was produced tokeep up with the growth of population. Herecame the changes in life. The harmonious, joyfulhands of farmers were replaced by the hardmachines.

My father told me the reason he had tochange h i smethods i sthat he hopedto have moreincome tosuppor t u s,o u re d u c a t i o n .That way, mybrother and Idon’t have tobe f a r mer sanymore…

This year,the s ea sonc i r c u l a t e sback to i t sorigins. Lifeand hopebeg ins inApr i l andMay, bu t i tmay no t bethe same asbefore.

This yearmy father is sick; he can no longer farm. Mymother cannot do the work a lone. I havegraduated but no longer know how to farm andhave to go work in Bangkok. My brother stillhas to finish his education. No one in my familycan carry on what our ancestors started. Is thisthe end of our culture?

Is this the answer of modern development?I don’t know. Farming exists only as a part ofmy memory. The consciousness of my roots hasf aded away. T he new cyc l e has r e p l acedfarming…what will happen next?

Will the chain be broken by my generation?

Photo by Michael Mintz

20

T h e ymarch on theG ove r n m e n tHouse, theoff ice ofT h a i l a n d ’ sprime minister,a l l together :b a l l - a n d -c h a i n e dvi l lagers, ad a n c i n gpuppet of theprime minister,m u s i c i a n s ,posters, men inpolitician masks, a sea of neon green flags. TheAssembly of the Poor unites to the beat of the drumand the blast of a loud speaker. “Hua Na Ho!”

“HO!” comes the united response. As the crowdwalks by the nearby zoo, children and their parentsstare at the commotion, confused, as they watch morethan a thousand grandparents, parents, and childrenmarching in unison. The green flags bob up and down;red head sashes abound.

“The government screws the poor!”“Slums are being evicted!”“Listen to the voices of the people!”These villagers have camped out for three days

on the steps of Government House, braving heavyrain and scorching sun. They are here to send amessage to the government and to the Thai people—

they are keepingtheir problemsvis ib le andreminding Thaksinof the promises hehas broken.

The Assemblyof the Poor (AOP)is a network of poorpeople acrossThailand. Created in1995, the AOPoriginally coalescedaround dam issues,pr imari ly thedisastrous Pak MunDam. Today, theAOP includesthousands ofv i l l a g e r s ,representing morethan 200 issues.They demand theg o v e r n m e n trecognize theirstr ug gles and be

accountable for its mistakes.The three-day protest and conference held in

Bangkok on March 15-18, 2005, highlighted thepolitics of poverty and what is happening in rural andurban areas throughout Thailand. The governmentand the people of Thailand often overlook thestruggles over land, water, and forests that dominatethe lives of the majority of villagers.

On his first day in office four years ago, PrimeMinister Thaksin Shinawatra pledged to address theproblems of the poor and work together with themto so lve these i ssues. Many of the membersdemonstrating today recall the hope that they feltwhen Thaksin sat and had lunch with them on thatday. In contrast, there is a feeling of bitterness inthis meeting of the AOP, convened simply to

M a r t i n aMeijerreports froman Assemblyof the Poorprotest

Photo by Thouni Seneyakone

THERRRRRELENTLESSELENTLESSELENTLESSELENTLESSELENTLESS MMMMMARCHARCHARCHARCHARCH

21

high l ight the fac t tha t noth ing has beenaccomplished. In fact, some of the problems haveworsened during Thaksin’s first term. The AOPwants to send a clear message to the politiciansmaking the ag enda for th i s new ter m: Theg over nment must work wi th the poor. Thegovernment and the people have the same goals—to solve the problems in society. Only when all thevoices are heard can a lasting solution be achieved.

After an overnight bus ridefrom Khon Kaen in NortheastThailand, Thouni and I arrivedslightly haggard in Bangkok at 4am on March 15th to attend theAssembly of the PoorConference. We got to the protestsite at 4:30 a.m. At first, it washard to tell exactly where it was,but I soon noticed rows of peopleon mats against the wall of thezoo, across from Government House. This wouldbe our home for the next three days—a cozy spotagainst the wall, sleeping on the sidewalk with therest of the protestors.

The first person who saw us knew who wewere—CIEE students like me have for many yearsfollowed the comings and going of the AOP. Shetold us that the protesters were separated by issues:dams to the right, other issues to the left. We walkedto the right and found the Hua Na Dam group,bought a mat to sleep on, and started chatting withsome of the villagers we knew. We had spent a weeklearning about dam-affected villages, staying withHua Na villagers and learning from the peoplewhose livelihoods are at stake. For three days, theprotest continued, and even a powerful rainstormcould not deter these activists from their agenda.

We heard many passionate speakers, includingthe 1995 Right Livelihood Award winner SulakS iva raksa , who proposed the c rea t ion o f ag ove r nment -mon i to r ing g roup composed o facademics, NGOs, and civil society in order toensure that all voices will be fairly heard in thisdemocracy.

People of all ages attended—children, students,villagers, and grandparents—many of whom hadtraveled from the far corners of the country tomake a statement to the people of Thailand.

We met some villagers who had traveled 15hours, including 12 hours on a train in third class,to represent the issues of the hill tribe villages in

and around Chiang Mai. Some of the dam-affectedvillages required that each household send at leastone representative. The conference culminated inan impressive 1,000-strong march to the Parliamentbuilding.

It was a powerful demonstration. After hearingthese villagers articulate their seemingly simple demandsfor transparency and accountability, I felt certain thattheir plight could not go unheard for another four years.

The colorful crowd, marching andchanting, would surely draw theattention of the prime minister. Butunfortunately, he was not there tohear it. While parliament membersfrom all the political parties but hiscrossed the road and addressed theAssembly of the Poor, Thaksindeparted for a vacation to Japan withhis family.

Though Thaksin continues toplay his game of rhetoric through the media, he willeventually have to answer to the thousand-plus villagersthat came to his doorstep, and to the rest of the Thaipeople, to whom the vi l lagers expressed theirfrustration. Thaksin would be well advised to listen tothe communities that are affected by governmentpolicies or he risks alienating the exact people hisgovernment claims to be helping.

The Assembly of the Poor is determined to showthat with patience and persistence, even the mostmarginalized groups can achieve their goals. If theirmessage isn’t heard this time, you can be sure they’ll beback in four years to send it again, with an even largercrowd and a stronger voice. These activists areunwavering in their demands for true democraticparticipation and accountability, things which everyhuman deserves.

This would be ourhome for three days—acozy spot against thewall, sleeping on the

sidewalk.

S u l a kS i v a r a s k aspeaks withreporters af-ter address-ing the As-sembly of thePoor.

Photo by Thouni Seneyakone

22

I smell it before I see it. It’s a stench that perhaps not everyone has breathedbefore, yet at the same time, one that everyone recognizes: garbage. I take anotherwhiff and quickly resort to breathing through my mouth. As the van comes toa stop and I step outside, the smell intensifies in one great gust.

I hurriedly change from my sandals to sneakers before climbing up a coupleof meters of trash to get a better look. Before me stretches many acres ofgarbage, some fresh, some decaying, but all smelly, as I feel my shoes sink severalinches.

For a couple hours I follow as our group is led on a tour of the Khon KaenMunicipal Landfill. I’ve been to landfills before in the States, but actually walkingon top of the filling was new to me. Even stranger yet was a pit stop in themiddle of our survey.

We paused for several minutes by a pitched tent that offers the card playersbeneath a bit of protection from the raving hot mid-afternoon sun. As I lookaround I notice a few more tarp tents scattered about, supported by whateverstick or pole the landfill happened to provide at that particular spot.

A little later, as the group stops to talk to a few people resting and eating asnack under another tent, I take note of a little boy, maybe three years old,gently swaying in a hammock, not at all bothered by the flies swarming aroundhim.

If you thought you missed the part where I left the landfill, you didn’t. I’mstill here, squinting in the sun, swatting flies, thoughts running wild as I try tograsp what I’m seeing.

A little later our tour concludes at the other end of the landfill. Nearby is apile of medical waste lying several meters from a broken medical waste incinerator.We head back about 50 meters to our starting point and cross a narrow dirtroad.

It’s here that we enter a house and sit to talk with a few villagers before I’mintroduced to my host family with whom I’ll be staying for the night.

The people could have been from any other village I’ve stayed with in thelast three months in Northeast Thailand—kind, cheerful, and loaded withmore hospitality than money. The kids laugh in the dirt road as they kick aball around. Dogs and puppies bark and the neighbor’s music is turned up toshare with whomever wants or doesn’t want to listen. That night I ate the bestomelet I’ve had thus far in Isaan. However, no matter how hard I try, or howmuch I think I’ll eventually get used to it, I cannot escape the smell of rottingtrash.

What is it that brings me here? I knew I could visit a landfill and I knew Icould visit a village, but the notion of being in a village and a landfillsimultaneously was beyond my comprehension. Yet, there I was, and there Iwould be for the rest of the evening, night, and following morning.

A STRANGE KIND OF REALITY

By Erin J. Lewis

Life in the Khon Kaen Municipal Landfill

23

The villagers here call themselves scavengers. Lotsof people scavenge in Khon Kaen, looking for anythingthey can find to sell to a middleman, who in turn makesa profit selling to a recycling factory. The scavengers inthe city get what households and businesses fail toseparate from their trash before it gets to the landfill.These scavengers are last in line. But don’t worry, there’splenty to go around since 190 tons of garbage is takento the landfill each day. It could be that the landfillscavengers have an advantage over the city scavengersbecause they don’t walk but five meters from theirhouse and they’re at work. However, coming fromAmerica where you don’t even want to pick upsomeone’s used Kleenex, I can’t help but wonder howthis reality exists.

As strange as it seems, one landfill scavenger Paw(father) Kham explains it this way: “We help themunicipality take care of the garbage, and we are happyto have work.” It is true that these scavengers havebeen significantly helping the city. In fact, they havelengthened the life of the landfill by five or six yearsfrom all the recyclables they’ve removed.

Being here and seeing how these villagers live, Ican hardly believe this can be considered a livelihood,but in a way, it is. Often as development moves forward,people fail to foresee novel opportunities that arise,such as living on trash. However, when developmentencroaches on common lands, a rural safety net, peopleare forced to find a new way to get by.

For some, that means relying on garbage, one thingmodern society will never be in short supply of. Thecrazy thing is, however, that even this trash buffer isbeing threatened. Governments don’t just privatizeelectricity, water, and health—they even privatizegarbage.

This landfill is filling up and one day will be forcedto move to a new location. The city says these familieswill be the first employed if a new recycling facility isset up.

However, not all family members would beensured a job and they’d probably make less than theydo now. Scavenging is considered work that confersindependence. One gets paid by how hard one works.Employment at a recycling facility would pay aminimum daily wage, regardless of work ethic.

How can the poor, who are often victims ofdevelopment, find a dignified way to compete in sucha system? For us, this may seem like a logical question.However, for some, such as those living in the landfillcommunity, it’s more than a question—it’s a matter ofsurvival.

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May 9, 2005Khon Kaen, Thailand

Mr. Paul WolfowitzPresidentThe World Bank1818 H Street, NWWashington DC 20433

Dear Mr. Wolfowitz:

Welcome to the presidency of the World Bank. As the head of such a powerful and far-reachinginstitution, we hope that you will begin your term by studying the effects of development projects,specifically ones that the World Bank has funded. After your nomination, you stated to the FinancialTimes that before you have your own vision about the mission of the World Bank, you “need to doa lot of listening.” As a group of American students who have spent the semester studyingdevelopment in Isaan, Northeast Thailand, we have some observations that we feel you shouldhear.

Your predecessor, James Wolfensohn, had an impressive ten-year presidency, working to improvethe World Bank and turn it into a more progressive and responsible global institution. He came intooffice shortly after the completion of the Pak Mun Dam, a project that typifies the disastrousconsequences of large-scale hydroelectric power dams, and unfortunately, he decided to end histerm by approving Nam Theun 2 Dam, an even larger project in Laos.

During our time in Thailand, we have stayed with and spoken to villagers who have lost theirlivelihoods due to negligent implementation of development projects. As students, we have novested interest in this project, and can say confidently that the negative effects of Nam Theun 2 arelikely to be the same, if not worse than those of Pak Mun, which the World Bank itself, as well as theWorld Commission on Dams, has acknowledged as a dismal failure.

If Pak Mun was a failure under a fairly stable democratic government, what will happen if aneven larger dam is implemented under the strict communist regime of Lao PDR? Villagers have hadno chance to show any opposition to the dam in Laos, nor will they be able to have a say incompensation. In the case of Pak Mun, villagers only received compensation for the negative effectsof the dam after extensive protesting. In the end, however, money will never be adequatecompensation for loss of livelihood. “I would rather have a bowl full of fish than a bowl full ofmoney.”1 As no baseline study has been completed on the area to be affected by the dam, NamTheun 2 villagers will face an even harder battle for compensation, against a government moreoppressive than Thailand’s.

Development projects should not begin with the destruction of the only resources and livelihoodsthat villagers have access to. Instead, development projects should build on these resources andrespond to the needs of the local people, whose indigenous knowledge of the area is priceless. Thisproject requires that communally owned resources that are necessary for the livelihood of thousandsof villagers be turned into profits for a private corporation. As the new World Bank president, youshould recognize that this is not “alleviating poverty,” which is what the World Bank was set up todo.

1 CIEE exchange with Tongcharoen, Pak Mun Villager, 24 February 2005.2 Tim Luard. “Laos: Caught Between its Neighbors,” BBC World Service, 27 Augus 2001.3 Asian Development Bank. Technical Assistance to the Lao PDR for Preparing the GMS: Nam Theun 2Hyrdropower Development Project, p. 3

This letter was sent on May 15, 2005 to newly appointed World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz.

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If you really want to help the Lao people climb out of poverty and promote sustainability,as outlined by World Bank objectives, help them preserve these resources and protect the fragileecosystem on which their future depends. Clearly, the Lao government has shown their lackof interest in conserving the environment, through actions such as its reckless logging practices.2

From past experience with Laos in particular, the “trickle down theory” doesn’t work indevelopment projects. The Lao government has an especially negative record of pasthydropower projects.3 Laos does not have the capacity to address the environmental andsocial effects of this project—much of the funding and profits from the dam will likely besiphoned off by corrupt officials.4 This has happened in the past, and there are no safeguardsin place to prevent it from happening again, as we are sure you are aware, given your expertisein political science, and previous experience as an ambassador in the region.

The potentially affected villagers have lived in harmony with the natural cycles of the riverfor generations. In a cost-benefit analysis, a 25-year “benefit” cannot offset the permanent lossof these sustainable livelihoods. If the World Bank supports this as a “sustainable” project,they are undermining the definition of sustainability. The World Bank should be setting thehighest standards of sustainability in development. How can a massive dam with a lifespan ofonly 25 years that floods a fertile area, kills off endangered species, and displaces thousands ofpeople be considered sustainable?

This dam will threaten the habitat of endangered species, and the number of fish specieswould decrease, greatly harming the livelihoods of thousands of Nam Theun fishermen. Thedam is located on one of the main tributaries to the Mekong, which is already the most dammedriver in the world.5 The Nam Theun 2 power company has acknowledged that some speciesmay become extinct.6 It seems extremely shortsighted to even consider the “benefits” of a 25-year development project that has high potential for destroying several species for the rest ofeternity. This is really not a matter that should be regretted in hindsight. You can determinethe fate of these species and their natural habitats by requiring a more stringent EnvironmentalImpact Assessment and reconsidering the goals of the project in general.

We urge you to revisit the question of whether this project will reduce poverty, which wehope is still the World Bank’s main priority. Please reexamine the World Bank’s past mistakes,particularly the Pak Mun Dam project. The World Commission on Dams questioned the notionthat there can be “environmentally friendly dams,” but of course there is always a balance tobe struck between people’s need for electricity and preserving local livelihoods. This dam,however, is not striking that balance, and does not merit World Bank funding. The Bank hasbuilt up an impressive record of more grassroots-based projects such as the Social InvestmentProgram. These types of projects are much more effective in reducing poverty than Nam Theun2 will be. As the new president, you are in a unique position to discontinue the World Bank’stendency of funding large-scale development at the expense of local livelihoods. With publicconsultation and conscious planning, infrastructure can be developed while ensuring people’sbasic human right to autonomy over livelihood.

Sincerely,

Twelve American and Thai Students Studying in Thailand

4 Joshi, Vijay. “World Bank Says Dam Will Lift Laos out of Poverty,” Associated Press, Bangkok, 1September 20045 South East Asia River Network <www.searin.org>6 Nam Theun 2 Power Authority <http://www.namtheun2.com/safeguards/orgprincip.htm>

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A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH: THE

DEMISE OF THE MEKONG RIVER

The Mekong River Basin is one of the most biodiverse areas onearth, second only to the Amazon. Eighty percent of theregion’s 250 million people depend on agricultureand their livelihoods revolve around thenatural flooding and receding cycle of the river.In the name of development, dams are beingbuilt all along the 4800 kilometer-riverand on many of its tributaries. As aresult of these irresponsible projects,the river is being systematicallystrangled, choking andtrickling to a slowbut seeminglyinevitabledeath.

Map drawn by Arunee Chupkhunthod

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of the local communities that will be most affected.The people and local government of Khon Kaenare left with no meaningful avenue for publicparticipation.

Development forces governments to face adifficult challenge: incorporating public participationwith infrastructure development. If the goal is trulyto bring greater prosperity and lower poverty, thenthe people who are to benefit should be included inthe process. A lasting solution to poverty can onlybe achieved through public participation andconsultation, something the GMS shows little signof doing.

Some aspects of the project seem harmless—a road connecting major cities, for example. Butbehind this road is the weight of a massiveinternational venture, with its own motives andimpacts, pushing down on a single intersection inKhon Kaen. The GMS has an international scopethat reaches far beyond the jurisdiction of nationalgovernments. While its sponsors emphasize theeconomic benefits of this project, an assessmentof the true social and environmental impact will beimpossible.

It’s rush hour in Khon Kaen. Traffic becomescongested on the eight-lane Friendship Highway.Along with the local residents coming home fromwork in pick up trucks and motorcycles, heavy 18-wheelers barrel through, transporting goods andproduce through Northeast Thailand.

With the completion of the EWC, trucks fromthe five surrounding countries (China, Myanmar,Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam) will be joining thislocal traffic, whether or not Khon Kaen is prepared.

The arranged marriage is starting to look like aVegas-style wedding, as the vice-mayor explains.“Are we prepared for the East West EconomicCorridor? Well, I’ve never seen anyone completelyprepared for anything. You kind of just go with it.The central government only has good things tosay about it, so I’m in love [with the project] rightnow. Running into the real thing I don’t know howI’ll feel—we’re probably not getting the full story.”

Surapol Churchomkul, a vice-mayor of KhonKaen, looks across the room from his desk.

“Having the East West Corridor come throughKhon Kaen is like inviting a guest over to your house.We want to clean up the city, make it look nice. Wefeel pressure now for Khon Kaen to give the bestappearance.” As an afterthought, he adds, “Ofcourse, the problem with an arranged marriage isthat you won’t know what the bride looks like untilit’s too late.”

Khon Kaen is preparing for its future bride,the East West Economic Corridor, to arrive. As partof an arranged marriage between the internationalof the Greater Mekong Subregion DevelopmentProject (GMS) and Thailand, the East WestEconomic Corridor (EWC) will run directly throughthe city of Khon Kaen. It will be the only directconnection between the Indian Ocean and the SouthChina Sea, crossing through Myanmar, Thailand,Laos, and Vietnam.

The GMS is a large-scale development projectthat was initiated 13 years ago. It is intended tostrengthen economic cooperation between the sixcountries around the Mekong River in order to “turnwar zones into trading zones,” as AsianDevelopment Bank literature states.

The development scheme is principally fundedlargely by the Manila-based Asian DevelopmentBank (ADB), as well as through bilateral agreementswith developed countries, and through sponsorshipfrom the private sector. The theory behind this long-term plan is that increasing and liberalizing tradeamong the participating countries will reduce povertyin the area. However, the general public, especiallythe poor, have yet to be consulted, or even informedabout the true scope of the project.

As vice mayor, Mr. Surapol sees the EWC as ablessing, something that will ensure Khon Kaen’sfuture as an economic and logistical hub of theregion. Although decentralization, or localgovernance, remains a mantra of government policy,a project of this size is negotiated and agreed uponon the national level—often without the knowledge

MY KINGDOM FOR A ROADHow a large-scale development project plows into a small city

By Martina Meijer

Phot

o by

Mic

hael

Min

tz

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The orange sun disappears behind the horizon, leaving the sky streakedscarlet. Fishermen bring their long wooden boats in to dock amongthe thick duckweed. The Nong Han wetlands near Udon Thani,Thailand stretch as far as the eye can see, a picturesque ecosystem fitfor the cover of National Geographic. But the real interest lies beneaththe marsh: three hundred meters below the surface, a seam of potash,a rich salt deposited by ancient oceans, is the unassuming center of acontroversy that could change the face of the area forever.

Thailand is in the midst of selling the rights to this potash deposit tothe Asia Pacific Potash Corporation, or APPC, a Canadian miningcompany. In its push for foreign direct investment, the Thaigovernment is bending over backwards to accommodate APPC,sacrificing the rights of the very citizens it is supposed to representin order to issue a mining license as swiftly as possible.

Thailand’s rush for development often bulldozes over what has beenbuilt slowly in the last ten years: a new constitution that guaranteeslocal control of resources and community r ights, as wel l asgovernment accountability and transparency. Though Thailand isadmittedly new to underground mining, the country is trying toaccelerate the approval process for fear of losing APPC’s business.

The proposed potash mine would be part of a larger scheme fordevelopment in the area, the Greater Mekong Subregion DevelopmentProject. Potash mined in Udon Thani province would be transportedto China’s Yunnan province, where it would be processed into chemicalfertilizer by Norsk Hydro Asia Ltd., and then transported back to thearea for use by local farmers.

APPC’s projected profits from the mine are around US$7 billion overthe course of the mine’s 22-year lifespan. Of this, Thailand wouldonly receive 10%, or US$700 million, while the rest of the profitswould go to foreign stockholders.

Since this will be the first potash mine in the tropics, it is difficult toguess the environmental effects. First, the potash is only 300 metersunderground—unlike most potash mines, which are usually 700 - 6,000meters deep—raising concern of land subsidence. There is fear, too,that the salt emitted into the air will settle on nearby fields and affectrice yields. The amount, according to the local Conservation Club, israther startling—as much as 92 pounds per minute will be dischargedfrom the plant’s stacks. Underground water may also be affected,making well water too salty to use. Finally, monsoon rains may

By Martina Meijer

Villagers Fight A Proposed Mine in Northeast ThailandWhat L ies Beneath :

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overwhelm the retaining pond at the mine site and flood, contaminatingthe public waterways and the Nong Han wetlands.

The government hopes to calm these fears by claiming that local villagerswill have more jobs and that local governments will benefit from their shareof the $700 million profits, but villagers aren’t convinced.

There is reason for them to fear. Villagers have been unaware of variousinteractions between the government and APPC over the past thirtyyears. Neither the government nor the company explained to villagersthe potential negative effects of the mine. In fact, the governmentinitially told villages they were drilling for oil. Once informed, though,villagers formed the Conservation Club, a group of local villagers -now 10,000 strong – who oppose the mine. This group works toeducate themselves and others about mining and peoples’ rights underthe Thai constitution.

The leaders of the Conservation Club complain that the governmentfailed to provide local villagers with neutral information about theproject and has stood silently by while APPC hired villagers to supportthe mine, hold counter-protests on the company’s behalf, and discreditthose working against the mine. Tension, distrust, and division nowprevail in the community. Leaders of the Conservation Club have beenthreatened with violence by people that they say are connected withAPPC.

With the villagers distracted by local conflict and dissent, APPC hasmoved ahead with the demarcation process, bringing the company astep closer to obtaining a mining license. The company has effectivelyemployed a divide-and-conquer strategy. As local opposition weakens,APPC marches confidently onward, with the suppor t of bothprovincial and central governments.

While villagers scramble to organize covert meetings and keep vigilantwatch for any trespassers attempting demarcation, the ProvincialMinistry of Industry reports that the demarcation process has alreadybeen completed.

The result is the latest example of what Thailand’s priorities havebecome—encouraging “progress” and “development” at all costs,under the auspices of “poverty reduction.” The government’s eagernessto develop the country requires that local people bear the risks broughton by the extraction of their natural resources. In the process, the goalof reducing poverty is lost—the resources on which the villagersdepend are threatened. Their buffer, the environment that sustainsand protects them, is now at risk. This type of development willpotentially transform Nong Han, a once-fertile ecosystem, into a barrensalty bog, the fish long gone, the small boats idle, abandoned at theshoreline.

Abigail Smith and Sarah Tynan contributed to this articlePhoto by Erin Lewis

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In the US, we hold the idea of free trade onpar with those of democracy and freedom.Although we engage in heated debates aboutNAFTA, CAFTA, and the WTO, on the wholewe agree that the principle of free trade is a goodidea. Every administration since World War II hasmade global free trade a policy priority.

But in general, we know little about how freetrade agreements work, why they have come about,and what their effects entail.

Prior to 2000, the US government focused onnegotiating regional agreements like NAFTA, andworking through the principal global body devotedto promoting free trade, the World TradeOrganization (WTO).

For proponents of free trade, the WTO’sdecision-making process, which requires aunanimous vote of more than150 member countries, is toodemocratic to be efficient.Even though the US readilyemploys the WTO disputemechanism—being involved asplaintiff or defendant in half ofall the cases brought to theboard—they still criticize thesluggish pace at which theinstitution works, as well thenerve of the board actually ruling against them.

Using the WTO to establish a baseline for freetrade, the Bush Administration is now approachingbilateral negotiations in order to get around theWTO roadblocks which are obstructing moreambitious agreements. The US has already signedFTAs with Singapore and Chile.

In fact, the main thrust of the Bushadministration’s foreign policy is not focused onforeign aid but on FTAs as foreign aid. Decadesof development theory have been reduced downto a dogmatic adherence to free trade.

For Americans, we might at least see one ofthese agreements debated in the Senate. But fordeveloping countries, there is often no framework

for discussion and debate of these agreements thatwill, in the end, affect millions.

Thailand Boards the TrainIn a hurried attempt to transform itself into

the economic, political, and cultural leader ofSoutheast Asia, Thailand is approaching theseagreements as purely a government matter—andthey still remain the domain of only the top officials.

In 2003, US President George Bush and ThaiPrime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced thatthey would begin negotiations for an FTA. Sincethen, there have been three official meetings of thetwo sides. Most recently was the negotiation inApril, held at the beachside resort of Pattaya,Thailand.

Thailand has flung itself into the world market,selling anything and everythingit can to the rest of the world—from natural resources, to sex, torice.

The FTA with the US, aswell as the numerous otheragreements it is simultaneouslynegotiating, is the next step,establishing a formal frameworkand rules for the already-extensive trade between the two

countries.Up until now, Thailand has been able to sell

many of its products abroad while keeping its ownmarkets relatively protected. But in order to getthe bigger market it wants in countries like the US,it needs to give a little as well, and that means turningthe sign around so it now reads “Open forBusiness.”

Free Trade: In Theory and In PracticeSo what does free trade mean exactly? Don’t

feel bad if you don’t know what an FTA is; you arenot alone. The stodgy economist would tell youthat the logic behind free trade is that it createswealth. Ideally, by dropping tariffs, which are actual

F U L L S T E A M A H E A DExamining the Impact of the Thai-US Free Trade Agreement

The main thrust of theBush administration’sforeign policy is not

focused on foreign aidbut on FTAs as

foreign aid.

By Abigail Smith and Sarah Tynan

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taxes on imported goods, and non-tariff barriers,like labeling requirements, there is increasedeconomic activity, which should create enoughwealth to improve national welfare. For us, theaverage American consumers, this means lowerprices on everything from food to computers tocars.

The optimistic picture painted by this is justthe description of a model. Unfortunately, it is amodel that neglects to account for the myriad social,political, environmental and developmental factorsthat may affect the unbridled success that moreopen markets promise. Therefore it is difficult tofully understand the actual costs and benefits.

While the Thai-USFTA, for example, will haveneither deeply damaging,nor wildly profitable resultsfor most middleclass Thai orAmerican citizens, somepeople will most definitelylose out. The losers will bethe ones who make the sameproduct but at a higher costof production— people will stop buying their moreexpensive product and eventually they will be outof a job.

The real indication of the success of free tradecan be seen in how quickly and easily the “losers”can move into the newly thriving ones. For adeveloping country like Thailand, this test is nosmall matter.

A Hard BargainThe first test of Thailand’s readiness for free

trade falls on the negotiators’ ability to face the USnegotiating team with 23 years experience.According to Mike Delaney, an EconomicsCounselor at the US Embassy in Bangkok and oneof the lead negotiators, the US has a “very structured,elaborate, and legalized way” of negotiating, as wellas a clear framework within which to work.

Thailand signed its first FTA in 2003, andalthough it is currently trying to negotiate at leasteight more, it still lacks the experience to match thatof the US. In its attempt not to be left on theplatform while the free trade train makes a speedyexit from the station, the Thai government hasneglected to do extensive, objective studies of thepotential impacts of its actions. The onlycomprehensive study that has been completed wasdone by the Thai-US Business Council in conjunction

with the American Chamber of Commerce inThailand. Given the interests of the organizationsthat commissioned the study, it is no surprise thatthe results were positive, especially since it wascompleted under assumptions that are unlikely.

In addition, the Thai government seems to beignoring signs of trouble for their small-scalefarmers resulting from their agreements with Chinaand Australia. This, however, does not discouragethem from heading into even more comprehensivenegotiations with other countries. Thus, the needsand concerns of those most vulnerable to theeffects of these agreements may be left by thewayside as Thailand rushes to catch up.

FTAs and FarmersRegardless of how

many skyscrapers are builtin Bangkok, agriculture isstill the backbone oftraditional Thai culture andthe rural economy. Butwhen farmers andagribusiness in the United

States push for a free trade agreement withThailand, they aim to get what they want.

Currently, Thailand’s tariffs on agriculturalgoods are some of the highest in the region.In exchange for lowering these protections, theUS is willing to allow Thai producers of cookedchicken and shrimp, as well as other processedfoods, to sell their goods in the US.

However, the people who produce thesegoods are not small-scale Thai farmers, butrather large corporations. Small-scale Thaifarmers have suffered for years from low worldprices on agricultural goods caused by US andEU’s price-lowering subsidies, but US refusesto discuss subsidies on the bilateral level.Therefore, big businesses will gain while Thaifarmers continue to be hurt due to USprotectionism.

Unable to compete, Thai farmers will beforced off their land. In some places, this hasalready happened to onion and garlic farmersdue to the FTA with China, and dairy farmersdue to the FTA with Australia.

In all likelihood, they will end up in an urbanslum, because without a government-providedsafety net, the average Thai farmer cannot easilychange jobs or crops and will be forced to seekwork in the city.

Unable to compete with UScorn and soybeans coming

in, the Thai farmers ofthese products will beforced off their land.

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But what about peoplewho will die if they

cannot afford the moreexpensive lifesaving

drugs?

Intellectual Property and the Fight for LifeAgriculture is to Thailand as intellectual property

is to the United States. Intellectual property rights(IPRs) is a concept created out of idea-driveneconomies like that of the US. With our “knowledge-based economy, there is no way we’re going to soft-peddle IPRs,” Mr. Delaney explained. “IPRs are seenas key to the survival of the current US economybecause by patenting our ideas we provide incentiveto innovate.”

Recently, we have heard a lot about IPRs in theUS with respect to pirated music—enforcing IPRswas the issue behind the controversy over Napster.More salient than pirated DVDs or CDs, however,is where access to medication meets property rightsprotection.

It is a complex, and at times an emotionalquestion of “fairness.” American pharmaceuticalsare seeking to “level the playing field” in Thailand,according to Bangkok IPR lawyer Ed Kelly.Everything from non-enforcement of laws toprolonged application for patents and registrationof drugs to “buy Thai” policies make it difficult forUS brand names to compete against generic,domestic producers. Representing his clients, thepharmaceuticals, Kelly argues that the situation is“unfair” to the companies that bear the cost, thework and the huge research and development funds(upwards of $800 million a year).Meanwhile, small-scale producers indeveloping countries like Thailandcan produce cheaper medication bycopying the chemical compoundsand essentially running pill-pressingfactories, without the huge expenseof research trials.

Most Thai people get theirmedication from hospitals. Thegovernment requires hospitals to look to theinexpensive Thai generics first, and only if the drugis not available domestically can the hospital buy thebrand name. In addition, the Thai government hasa list of about 30 essential drugs which most foreigncompanies are forbidden from selling altogether,further obstructing market access.

But what about people who will die if theycannot afford the more expensive lifesaving drugs?Stricter patent laws, or enforcement of Thailand’sexisting obligations may come at the expense ofpeople like those living with HIV/AIDS whose livesdepend on access to affordable medication. TheAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Thailand

represents many of these pharmaceuticalcompanies, and as Executive Director Judy Benn,explains, “These companies are not charities.They are accountable to their shareholders.”

Is it fair to blithely tell people in need ofmedication that these companies aren’t charitiesand place profit above life? Right now there aremore than 700,000 people living with HIV/AIDSin Thailand, only 50,000 of whom have access todrugs provided through subsidized treatment bythe Government Pharmaceutical Organization.If stipulations in the FTA require stricter IPRprotection or even the enforcement of existingprotections, it will prevent the government fromproviding even what little they now offer.

Mr. Kelly argues that tightening the IPRregime in Thailand will encourage the “secondand third generation Chinese-Thai genericcompanies” who currently simply manufacturepills, to move into more pure science and toincrease their research and development toinnovate new drugs themselves. And in themeantime, with more balanced access to markets,foreign brands like Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKlinecan sell their drugs at cost, using a not-for-profit,differential pricing program.

The problem is that this will only work if theThai universities are churning out enough doctors

and scientists to actuallyinnovate. If IPR laws aretightened too early, thesecompanies will disappearbefore they have a chance todevelop, leaving the Thaicitizens at the mercy of foreignpharmaceutical corporations.

A Right to KnowThailand may not be ready to compete on a

global level, especially with a country like theUnited States. But the reality of the situation isthat three rounds of negotiations have beencompleted, so Thailand is well on its way to anFTA with the US.

Behind the closed doors in Pattaya, Thai andUS delegates were discussing issues that will havedirect effects on the lives of many Thai people.However, these very people are left in the dark.

While the US requires Congress to ratify alltrade agreements, the Thai government claimsthat a similar procedure is not required by the1997 Thai Constitution.

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Although there is an article requiring that allinternational agreements affecting Thai sovereigntygo through Parliament, the government is tryingto adjust its laws beforehand to avoid this. It issaid that around 400 laws will have to be changedto help facilitate trade.

It is curious that thegovernment would be soaverse to letting theagreement go through theParliament because,considering the rulingparty’s absolute majority,it would be sure to pass.Their greatest fear,though, seems to be thepublic debate that wouldaccompany aParliamentary vote.

Even the Members of Parliament themselvesare excluded from the specifics of the negotiations,and without the legislation that would require a vote,it seems little can be done. An MP from theDemocratic Party, Dr. Khunying KalayaSophonpanich, plans to submit a law that wouldrequire such action, but given that the majority partyholds 309 seats compared to the other parties’ 91, itis unlikely to pass.

While this relationship between publicparticipation and development is still on the fringesof international debate, it is becoming clear that thepeople must have a say in their development if it isto be successful.

It should be no different with this FTA. Asupposedly democratic government is embarking onan agreement that will have enormous effects onthe lives of many of its poorest citizens, withouttheir consent or even full knowledge.

The Thai government did make someconsultations before commencing negotiations:liberalization of the financial sector has been delayedto conform to the “master plan” concerning banking.However, there is no “master plan” for agricultureor intellectual property rights, so the government isblazing ahead without considering the costs. Thisdemonstrates that, as in so many countries, it is theconcerns of big businesses that influence policywhile the interests of the people are discarded.

Behind Closed DoorsWalking through the expansive marble lobby

of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in Pattaya Thailand,

neither a camera flash nor an angry protester’schant signified what was going on behind closedconference room doors.

Far removed from those who will be mostaffected by the agreement, the third round ofnegotiations managed to slip by almost

unnoticed. Almost1,500 protestors cameto register their dissent,though their concernsare unl ike ly to beanswered by any realchange in theg o v e r n m e n t ’ snegotiating agenda.Furthermore, by thatafternoon, no sign ofthe protest remained,and it was business

as usual on the Eastern Seaboard beach.The fourth round is scheduled for July

of this year, in Montana. It will be evenfarther from the Thai people who soimperat ively need as much access aspossible. Hopefully the geography of thismeeting does not indicate that opaqueproceedings, lack of participation, andabsence of information will continue tokeep Thai people in the dark.

Is Free Trade for Thailand?The question remains: is this the best

course for Thailand? Why is the countryopening up to trade, and who will benefit?

Will small-scale Thai producers surviveagainst large, subsidized Americanag r ibusiness? Wil l more str ingentprotection of intellectual property rightsgive Thailand the jumpstart it needs for itsown so-called “knowledge economy?” Orwill they wipe out the current genericcompanies, leaving the g iantpharmaceutical companies of the UnitedStates in their wake.

It may be possible to conduct studiesthat answer these questions, but for now,only time will tell. However, the currentstructure of the global trading system andthe specif ic place of Thai land in i tsdevelopment right now suggest that ratherthan speeding ahead to catch the train,patience might be a virtue.

Although there is a section inthe 1997 Constitution requir-

ing that all internationalagreements affecting Thai

sovereignty go through Parlia-ment, the government is tryingto adjust its laws beforehand to

avoid this.

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that a small group of thoughtful,dedicated citizens can change the world.Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Meade

HO P E SP R I N G S ET E R N A L. . .

“Never doubt

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“L“L“L“L“LIFEIFEIFEIFEIFE ISISISISIS N O TN O TN O TN O TN O T F F F F FO RO RO RO RO R S S S S SA L EA L EA L EA L EA L E”””””

According to Thai law, afree trade agreement (FTA)can be negotiated withoutparliamentary oversight. Sincethe sessions are often closed tothe public, a group of NGOs,academics, and other civicinterest groups came togetherin 2004 to form FTA Watch.The purpose of thisorganization is to monitor theFTA negotiation process andto keep the negotiations in thepublic eye.

The following March,FTA Watch met to discusstheir concerns about the Thai-US FTA and lay out a strategyon how to inform the publicabout the trade agreement.They also provided a forum inwhich individuals couldexpress their opinions on andobjections to the FTA.

I was pleased to have the opportunity to attend thisFTA Watch meeting at the Parliament House in Bangkok.At the gathering, forty representatives from variouscommunity, government and social groups called on theThai government to halt the negotiations until “it hasstudied [the FTA’s] impacts, especially concerningintellectual property rights (IPR),” said a professor whoattended the meeting.

FTA Watch believes that the Thai FTAs with Chinaand Australia, which flooded the Thai market with cheapproducts and hurt Thai competitors, should be a lessonfor Thai negotiators. They are worried that similar effectsmay result from the Thai-US agreement. Also a concernis US companies driving out small and medium sizedThai-owned industries when barriers are lifted.

The organization is deeply disconcerted by thegovernment’s lack of transparency regarding thenegotiations. “The Thai government has not revealedall the details, including the consequences, to the publicin Thai,” laments Witoon Lianchumroom, coordinatorof FTA Watch. Most Thai people don’t even know thenegotiations are currently underway. A comprehensive

study ought to be conducted which involves a broadrange of people, and its findings must be accessible tothe public and presented to the negotiators.

“Life is not for sale—IPR out of FTA,” and“Sovereignty Not For Sale” are the mottos FTA Watchuses to suggest to the Thai government that patentingIPRs could turn life into a commodity. These patent lawswould allow companies to own genetic informationabout seeds, which would be very dangerous to Thairice farmers. Growing Jasmine rice is a defining act ofThai culture, evidenced by the common phrasethroughout Thailand, “Rice is Life.” If the FTA passes,companies will be able to patent the precious seeds andfarmers would be forced to purchase them every plantingseason. FTA Watch claims that the FTA puts a price tagon life and will drive out local Thai values, wisdom, andtraditions.

FTA Watch is an example of how people can uniteto make demands of the government, despite its currentlack of transparency. The government must listen to thepeople’s call and consider their opinions regarding thecountry’s future. It is the people who must be thedirecting force, because after all, Thailand is their home.

Thouni Seneyakone Investigates PublicOpposition to the U.S.-Thai FreeTrade Agreement

Thai protestors march for increased public participation in the Thai-US FreeTrade Agreement. The most recent negotiotians were held in April.

Photo by Thouni Seneyakone

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armed with seeds

On April 25-26 of this year, the latest chapter in thewar of resistance moved on to a new battle scene.

About 500 insurgents descended upon the smalltown of Googasing in Roi-Et province of NortheastThailand to regroup, exchange ideas, and devise newstrategies on how to continue the fight.

Determined to maintain their way of life, thesevillagers came prepared with their heavy artillery. Theycame armed not with AK-47s and grenades but withseeds.

Yes, seeds.The way of life that these bold farmers are trying to

protect allows them to be self-sufficient andenvironmentally responsible. Feeling under attack, theyare determined to break the stranglehold of largeagribusiness seed and fertilizer companies, which theypoint to as perpetuating a cycle of debt.

The seed, the most essential part of agriculture, hasbecome the center of abattle between self-sustainable farmers andcorporate interests. Thesetransnational corporationshave a new weapon in theirarsenal: the free tradeagreement (FTA).

Due to Americanpressure, the Thai-US FTAwill include strict intellectualproperty rights (IPR) clausesthat will allow seeds to bepatented and lead to theintroduction of geneticallymodified organisms(GMOs). Thai farmers fearthat these provisions put thefood sovereignty of all Thaipeople in danger.

FTA with US a MainTopic of DiscussionThe original date of the

Seed Fair, organized by theAlternative AgricultureNetwork (AAN), waspostponed so farmers could

protest against the latest round of Thai-US FTAnegotiations in Pattaya. Consequently, the FTA becamea major topic of discussion at this year’s gathering.

Dej Watanasak, a farmer from Surin province,believes that the FTA will not benefit local communities,but rather the government and big corporations.

“That’s why we’re against it. All farmers in Thailandwill be affected. Unfortunately, most farmers are unawareof all this,” he explains.

Pratipat, also from Surin, warned us of the threatthat GMOs pose to Thai farmers. “The introduction ofGMO rice will force many farmers to stop farmingbecause we will no longer own our seeds and some willnot be able to afford seeds.”

For those who grow organic Jasmine rice for exportthere’s also a risk that GMO seeds could crossbreed withnon-GMO seeds, creating a GMO hybrid. This wouldnot only threaten biodiversity, but also greatly reduce

sales to the Europeanmarket which doesn’taccept GMO rice.Thailand already hasexperienced negativeeffects from other freetrade agreements. UsingThailand’s FTA withChina as an example,Pratipat tells us that“some farmers that grewshallots and garlic innorthern Thailand havestopped farming—andthat’s what they havebeen doing their wholelife.” It is these kinds ofeffects which Thaifarmers hope to avoid.

Public Exclusionfrom the Process

As is the case withmost developmentprojects in Thailand, theThai FTA negotiationswith the US demonstratean almost total publicPh

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Marco Herrera reports from the front line at a seed fair in Northeast Thailand

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exclusion from thepolicy decision-makingprocess. Ubon Yoowahof the AAN, who wasproudly wearing a “Lifeis not for sale—IPR outof FTA” tee-shirt, wasone of fifteenprotesters allowed toenter and speak withthe Thai negotiators inPattaya. It was a rareopportunity thatmembers of the generalpublic could voice theiropinion on the FreeTrade Agreement.

As one could guessfrom looking at Ubon’st-shirt, one of hisdemands is thatnegotiators exclude IPR from the FTA negotiations, asthey have already done with banking services. Ubonchallenged the negotiators by asking them who wouldreally benefit from the FTA and why the whole processis not open for public participation.

Sari Angsongwan, one of the other 15 who spokewith the negotiators, suggested that the governmentneeds to consult more with the public in devising anagenda, rather than just leaving it up to politicians. Uboninsists that some members of the negotiating teamactually agreed with the protesters, but were too afraidto say anything.

Seeds As Culture Besides exchanging activities, the fair also included

exhibits of rice husking by hand, herbal remedies,organic soap and detergent, rice snacks, woven silk,and of course, seeds. That’s what the event is about:bringing farmers together to trade seeds and exchangelocal knowledge.

“Before the Green Revolution, events like thiswere common and now the AAN is trying to bring itback,” explains Sumet Lanchanlong, one of theorganizers of this year’s event.

Through this forum, seeds are available toeveryone. Importance is placed on the concept thatseeds should be shared because they are life. “We looknot only at growing crops,” stresses Sumet, but at theculture behind it. Seeds are the most important partof agriculture because they determine not onlyproduction but also the culture and customs of people.”

“The exchange ofseeds,” he explainsfurther, “helps peopledepend on themselvesas much as possible.The capitalist systemtr ies to control i tcommercially in orderto make a profit. Thecorporat ions wantfarmers to depend onthem and they want totake away theownership [of seeds]that has a lwaysbelonged to thecommunity.”

The Importanceof the Seed FairWhy have a fair

like this? The answers are passionate. “This is apeople’s forum for us to come together,” says Dej.“We have to come here and show our spirit, localcustoms, and share local knowledge. We also exchangeideas and talk about different local strains of seeds.People in Isaan have come here to discuss problemsfrom the different areas and districts – without thiswe won’t be able to solve anything. We can use thispower of the people to fight against the governmentand powerful corporations. We can no longer justfarm. We need to understand international issuesbecause they affect us all.”

The seed fair has become a last line of defense topreser ve seed var iet ies which have decreaseddramat ica l l y due to years of governmentencouragement of green revolution methods. It isalso a forum for these farmers to gather and attemptto maintain a traditional way of life, which increasinglyfinds itself under attack by the forces of globalization.

Events like this one will become more commonas the thrust of globalization attempts to obliteratenot only Isaan farmers but small-scale farmersworldwide.

The Seed Fair can hopefully breed change by usingvil lage wisdom to refashion globalization at agrassroots level. It can also spread awareness ofcurrent issues such as the FTA and encourage morepublic participation. This event serves to protect theirway of life, the environment, and biodiversity. Dejsums it up best: “If we don’t come here, who else willprotect our knowledge?”

Photo by Katie Ross

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from the pen tomy plate

Moo-ping is pork on a stick. They’re meat popsicles, Thailand’s versionof the corn dog. Around every corner you’ll run into a vendor cookingthese pieces of barbequed pork on a roadside grill. Grab a few sticks anda bag of sticky rice, and you’ve got fast food Thai style.

Here in Thailand you see chickens living at farms and apartmentbuildings alike, and cows munching grass along 6-lane highways. With theprevalence of livestock in this country, I assumed that the pork sold atroadside food stands came from small, local family farms. I wanted to seeif my suspicions were correct, so I ventured out one evening to investigate.

I walked down the street to the closest moo-ping stand, where I metPong, the owner. He explainedthat 30 kilograms of pork isdelivered to his house each dayfrom Bahn Pye district, a halfan hour drive away. The meatthat comes to Pong’s housedoes not come pre-cut and packaged from a supermarket; it hails straightoff the truck from the city slaughterhouse.

I arrived at the slaughterhouse at midnight - it operates during thenight so that fresh pork will arrive at the market early the next morning.The slaughterhouse vet led me on a tour of the building where eachevening hundreds of pigs become pork. I could hear the squeals longbefore I saw a single animal. The unsuspecting pigs waited in a pen outback, each marked with stripes showing they’d been inspected and wereready for slaughter. They then entered a holding area in groups of five orso, where each pig was given an electric shock of 280 volts, which renderedthem unconscious. The pigs were then hoisted into the air, left danglingby a single leg. Another worker proceeded to slit the animal’s throat, creatinga waterfall of blood that collected into a bucket below.

Next the carcasses were moved into an adjacent room where theywere sliced and diced. It all took about 10 minutes per pig. As I forcedmyself to watch, men in white aprons hurried past with bagfuls of bloodthat would be sold and made into fish food. Pickup trucks would arrivelater to transport the fresh meat to markets all over the city.

The vet had told me that most of the pigs come to the slaughterhousefrom pig farms in Bahn Pye district, where Pong’s meat originates, so Icontinued my journey there the next morning. As I pulled up to a farm, Icould see dozens of pigs crowded into concrete pens, just behind thefarm’s chain-link fence. Flies bounced around the constricting heat, annoyingthe pigs who lay in groups, pork paperweights on cement.

The owner agreed to speak with me, though he refused to let me seethe rest of the farm. The pigs I could see were waiting to be transferred tothe slaughterhouse that evening; six thousand more lived in buildings setback away from the entrance. Each week, the pigs are fed 120 tons of ricehusks, rice germ, corn, and soybeans, which hail from locations as distant asMexico and Argentina. When the pigs reach about 100 pounds they’re loadedonto trucks, shipped to slaughterhouses and eventually pierced with sticksand grilled on moo-ping stands throughout Isaan. Next time I look at oneof those treats, I will see more than a few filling bites and the loss of fivebaht. I will see feed from around the world, Thai farmers, fish food, and ananimal who lived and died. What do you see when you look at your food?

K N O W Y O U R F O O D

FOLLOW

Katie Ross tracespork to its source

Photo by Michael Mintz

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On a hot, sunny day in Thailand, there’s nothing like a refreshing sliceof watermelon. As I sat in the shade on another sweltering day in KhonKaen, watermelon juice dripping down my chin, I wondered where thislovely yellow specimen came from. It didn’t just miraculously appear at thefruit stand. Who grew it? How many people did it take to bring thiswatermelon from the field to my mouth? Surely with so many fruit standsselling watermelon, the farms could not be far away.

Rungaroon Satmareung owns the fruit stand just steps frommy dorm. She works from dawn till 10 p.m. selling delicious pineapple,watermelon, mango, guava, and more. I retraced her steps to the trainstation market in Khon Kaen to see where she gets her delectable fruit.

As consumers, we rarely get a glimpse past the supermarket shelves.At the train station market (thalad rotfai), I felt like a spy, trying not to getlost in the maze of storefronts. This market is open 24 hours a day, andvendors seemed to be living in different time zones, some sleeping andsome hard at work. The market is busiest between 2 and 5 a.m.

While the market looks unorganized, with huge heaps of onions andgarlic next to masses of plastic bags and rubber bands, I finally found thefruits and vegetables. As I turned the corner I saw it—the mother lode: a

huge pyramid ofbrightly stripedwatermelons. Past thispyramid was another,and another, and

another…enough watermelons for a century of lazy, hot afternoons.Mae (mother) Chaw, a market vendor, purchases up to three tons

of watermelon every day with her truck. A middleman buys a farm’s yield,and then tells her where to pick up the crop. The farms are three hoursfrom Khon Kaen. She invited me to go, if I could meet her at 3 a.m.

The life of a fruit seller is not easy, I discovered, as I woke at 2:30a.m. I left for Non Pradu village, Sagornakorn province, where it allbegins. We finally arrived at the 100 rai farm of P’Sawai. Watermelonsare a lucrative business—P’Sawai earns Bt 500,000 (US$12,500) a season.

It was hard to imagine this was the watermelon I’d savored in KhonKaen. These melons travel so far, along with hundreds of other brightlystriped orbs in the bed of a truck to the market, into the fruit vendor’s stall,and onto an oversized toothpick before ending up in my mouth.

Following your food is something everyone should consider. InThailand, it was surprisingly easy to locate the exact farm wherethe watermelon or moo ping we ate every day was grown. In theUnited States, however, local produce or meat is almost a thing ofthe past—it would be next to impossible to track food from thefield to the table without special permits or identification, not tomention a plane at your disposal. Why should the origins and pathsour food travels remain such a mystery to consumers? In a worldwhere even a trip to the grocery store is an act of globalization,consumers should look beyond the “Product of Country X” label.Knowing where your food comes from, who harvested it, underwhat conditions, and how it was transported to you—this is theresponsibility that comes with the power of consumerism.

K N O W Y O U R F O O D

Martina Meijer tracks origins of a tasty fruit

the FOODalong the vine

Photo by Michael Mintz

Photo by Erin Lewis

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Much of food transportation isredundant. For example, Californiaimports many of the same productsit ships around the world.11

Flying food by air uses 37times more fuel per ton thantransport by sea and causesmore pollution.2

In the U.S., 100,000 family farmers were forcedout of farming between 1996 and 2001.10

K N O W Y O U R F O O D

A typical meal made from supermarket-bought ingredientsconsumes anywhere from four to seventeen times as much oil fortransportation than a meal made from locally bought ingredients.1

Coffee co-operatives fortunate enough tosell to the fair trade market received aminimum of $1.10 for a pound of Robustacoffee beans—nearly four times what farmersreceived through the traditional system.5

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Farmers supplying the global food chain earn 9 cents for every food dollar.Farmers selling at a farmers market earn up to 90 cents per food dollar.4

Since 1935, the U.S. haslost 4.7 million farms.Fewer than one millionAmericans now claimfarming as a primaryoccupation.8

In a study ofseed stockavailable in 1903versus thatavailable in1983, the RuralAdvancementF o u n d a t i o nInternat ionalfound that wehave lost nearly93% of lettucevarieties, over96% of sweetcorn, about 96%of field corn,more than 95%of tomato, andalmost 98% ofasparagus.3

Corporate agribusinessprofits increased 98percent during the1990s. Meanwhile, in2002 farmers earnedtheir lowest real netcash income since 1940.7

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ConAgra is the number 3 seller of retail food products in theworld and has continued to aggressively acquire small rivals.ConAgra’s brand names include: Armour, Butterball, ChefBoyardee, Healthy Choice, La Choy, Orville Reddenbacher,Parkay, and Hebrew National, just to name a few.6

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“Hmm, Uncle Ben looks like a trustworthy guy. ButI really like those Rice-a-Roni commercials. And MinuteRice cooks faster. But then again, store brand rice is thecheapest….”

These days, grocery shopping is half entertainment,half chore. The shelves are filled with flashy packagingwhich summons us to buy their tastier, crunchier, fluffier,healthier, softer, chewier product. With so many kindsof rice on display, how do you choose?

Consumers generally don’t give a moment’s thoughtto who harvested the rice in their Rice-a-Roni dinner.But on the other end of every grain of rice is a farmer,whether driving a tractor on a 5,000-acre factory farm orweeding a small family garden.

Wouldn’t you like to know more about the source ofyour daily diet? Wouldn’t it be nice to know that just byeating—something you already do daily—you wereensuring that a small-scale farmer could make ends meet?

S o o nyou’ll be able todo just that:starting thissummer, fairtrade organicJasmine ricefrom theNortheast ofThailand will beavailable in theUS.

By buyingthis rice you canconsume aproduct that isnot onlyhealthier foryou and theenvironmentbut alsosupports thelivelihood of

Fair Trade Organic Jasmine Rice:From Isaan to Your Table

by Katie Ross and Marco Herrera

small-scale Thai farmers. By making a simple choice, youcan create a real connection with the people who grow yourrice.

At first, the name ‘fair trade organic Jasmine rice” mightseem like a mouthful. But each label: “Jasmine,” “organic,”and “fair trade,” lets you, the consumer, know just what you’regetting when you buy a box of rice.

Let’s look at the term “Jasmine” first. Jasmine rice is afragrant Thai rice that is known for its sweet smell, similarto that of the flower from which its name is derived. It isbest grown in the soil and climatic conditions of Isaan, thenortheast region of Thailand. Over five million families farmJasmine rice in Thailand. To them, it is more than just acrop; “Jasmine rice is the very life of Thai farmers,” saysPaw [Father] Poom, a farmer from Isaan.

“Organic” is more than just a word associated withhippies and natural food stores. Organic rice farmers don’tuse chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides in their fields.The resulting rice is healthier not only for the consumer,but also for the producer and the environment. Becausechemical fertilizer is known to deplete the soil’s nutrients,going organic helps to nurture the quality of the soil foryears to come.

Organic farming also protects the aquatic diversity ofrice fields, something often damaged by chemical agriculture.“The more we do organic farming, the more we can see theenvironment get better,” says Wattanasak Sidsungneun, anorganic farmer from Isaan, “I could see clearly that my fieldbecame more fertile. Trees began to grow, frogs returned tothe fields, there were more plants to collect to eat, and it wasmore safe for us, too.”

Exposure to chemical pesticides and herbicides year afteryear can be harmful to a farmer’s health: “Every time myhusband put fertilizers on he got sick,” says Mae [mother]Koei, “We didn’t know that it was because of the chemicals.When we stopped using them we realized it.”

Organic agriculture allows both farmers and consumerto avoid the health risks inherent in the use of thesechemicals. Organic food has fewer toxins and higher levelsof nutrients; with organic Jasmine rice you can be sure thatwhat you’re eating is better for you and the farmer who grewit.

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In addition to being healthier foryou, the farmer, and the environment,the soon-to-be-available organicJasmine rice adheres to “fair trade”standards.

Fair Trade connects the consumerand producer in the trade process,cutting out the middleman and ensuringthat farmers receive a higher share oftheir harvests’ worth. Fair trade farmersare also members of cooperative ricemills, which establish long-termrelationships with them. While in theconventional market rice prices oftenfluctuate wildly, cooperatives offerfarmers a more stable price.

With chemical methods, farmersmust buy fertilizer, herbicides, andpesticides to improve the yield of their rice. The price ofthese investments adds up, often pushing farmers into debt.But by selling organic rice through a fair trade cooperative,farmers are simultaneously able to decrease their inputswhile improving their income.

Wattanasak Sidsungneun is glad he switched to organicfarming and joined the cooperative. “For the familyeconomy, we have more income. We have been able toreduce the inputs and get out of debt. We don’t have todepend on outside factors like chemical fertilizer. We canmake our own.”

Fair trade, however, is about more than just price: fairtrade standards also require that farmers have an active rolein the sale of their rice. Each farmer has a role in thedecision-making process of the cooperative rice mill, whichnot only sells rice but also helps organize activities amongfarmers and supports the transition to organic farmingmethods.

Paw Dej, also from Surin, belongs to Surin FarmersSupport (SFS) cooperative. “We have a great relationshipwith the mill. Under SFS, we get to be involved. For instance,we take care of a savings fund. We also learn about issuesof organic farming and try to solve problems together,” hesays. This kind of cooperative starts by providing farmerswith a place to sell their rice and ultimately fosters a senseof community among the members.

As part of a fair trade organic network, farmers areable to move out of debt and into a viable lifestyle that issustainable not only for them and their families, but alsofor the land on which they depend. “I feel satisfied andfulfilled farming organically,” says farmer Somrean. “Ilearned that I can produce good food that is safe for myown life . . . If we can grow our own vegetables, we don’t

need to spend that money on food. I think that helps thefarmer a lot.”

Previously, fair trade organic Jasmine rice had only beenavailable in Thailand and a handful of European countries.Now, with rice also being sold in the US, more farmers willbe encouraged to transition to organic farming, knowingthey will have an additional market for their produce.

Paw Dej was pleased to hear that organic jasmine ricewill now be sold in America. “If our market is bigger, it’llbe easier for other people to switch to organic,” he smiled.

When asked what he’d like to say to Americanconsumers, Paw Utha, a farmer from Surin, sums it up injust a few words: “Why should people buy our rice? Theprice is fair for consumers and producers, and it’s organic,chemical free.”

You probably already eat rice; this is a simple way thatyou can make a difference. Are you willing to take this smallstep by buying fair trade organic jasmine rice? Keep an eyeout the next time you’re in the rice aisle . . .

If you’re interested in bringing Fair TradeJasmine Rice to your community, or helping

with the campaign to promote the ricethroughout the US, please contact:

Chris WestcottEducational Network for Global and Grassroots

Exchange (ENGAGE)796 Hayes St.

San Francisco, CA 94102(609) 658-3199

Photo by David Streckfuss

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THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY FOR THEPARAK 5

After six years of struggle, the Four Regions SlumNetwork has won a victory for slum communitiesthroughout the Northeast.

Theparak 5, a slum in Khon Kaen, celebrates the longawaited signing of the land lease agreement with theState Railroad of Thailand (SRT) amidst the sounds ofIsaan music pumping through its narrow streets andalleyways.

Like the little engine that could, Theparak 5 hasshown that determination, organization, and many tripsto protest in Bangkok can force the SRT to lease itsprecious and most valuable asset.

Through the auspices of the Four Regions SlumNetwork, a contract signed between Theperak 5 andthe Community Organization Development Institute(CODI), a government agency that acts as anintermediary between the SRT and the community, setsa precedent for other slum communities seeking leasesfrom the SRT.

Over the past three decades the SRT has run a deficityear in and year out. In 2002 alone, the railway agencyrecorded a net loss of Bt5.27 billion. In an effort togenerate revenues, the SRT has been looking to capitalizeon its real-estate assets, leaving slum dwellers to fightfor the right to rent or be evicted in favor of commercialinterests.

Kovit Boonjear, an NGO worker connected to theslum community network in Khon Kaen, estimates thatin the past ten years the value of this real estate hasrisen about twenty to fifty percent.

“This community is in the heart of the city and theremight be projects that could be carried out that wouldhurt this community,” says Jitti Choetchu, chairman ofTheparak 5. “Private businesses can afford to payhundreds of times more than the 20 baht per squaremeter asked of slum communities.”

The sense of urgency to rent intensified last year asthe plans for the East West Corridor have come to light.This project will make the intersection where the slumcommunity is located not only the center of Khon Kaen,but the center of Southeast Asia.

“This intersection will be the connecting point fortrade from China to Singapore, Myanmar to Vietnam,”

predicts Dr. David Streckfuss, a leading expert on Isaandevelopment issues. Businesses are already snapping upthe valuable land in the area.

The struggle to remain on SRT land has been longand arduous. Malee Sipaa, a longtime resident of thecommunity, remembers moving in 25 years ago.

“The first time I came, the SRT told us to leave. ButI’m stubborn. Even though they told us, ‘You have toget out,’ I fought.”

She recalls a month-long period when residents couldnot remain in their houses during the day for fear ofbeing arrested. “I remember, I was building my house atthe time and we would leave during the day and comeback at night and rebuild.”

It was 1999 when the Four Regions Slum Networkwas organized enough to develop a land lease strategyfor Theparak 5. Residents are finally able to sign theirlease with CODI, making the life of slum dwellers moresecure. But with the ever-changing

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A Slum Community Gets a New Lease on Life

By Marco Herrera, Michael J. Mintz, and Elizabeth O’Callahan

Jitti Choetchu, a community leader in the slum communityTheparak 5, signs one of the many agreements

related to their rental lease.

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government administrations and ministers, the going hasbeen slow. On the local level, a community-wideconsensus to lease has been hard to reach because somevillagers wonder why they should pay rent at all. Evenafter forging a consensus, villagers had to improve theiradministration skills by successfully managing a savingsgroup for a year.

Slum leaders have watched the SRT carefully and feelthey understand the situation. Chairman Jitti says,“Leaders have been following the information all along.The SRT is in a situation where it is starting to open upland for bidding…We might lose the right to lease landif we don’t act now.”

The Lease AgreementUnder the agreement, residents such as Jitti are

entitled to a three-year renewable lease at a rate of 20baht per square meter per year, to be paid as a communityoverall. Communities living on SRT land not right alongthe railroad tracks are eligible for 30-years leases.

The lease can only be terminated if the SRT has plansto construct a new track or other public project on theleased land. One of the conditions of the lease is thatthe front 20 meters on each side of the present trackare kept clear. The 40 houses currently there mustrelocate to nearby SRT land. Houses in the back 20meters will receive money to renovate. As a result, thecommunity has had an opportunity to lay out an entirelynew community plan.

Up to now, slum residents lived illegally on SRT land.As the Khon Kaen municipal government could notprovide basic infrastructure or services, villagers had toseek electricity and water from private sources, most

often at disadvantageous rates. Villagers resent that theyhad to pay three to four times more for these servicesthan legal residents of the city. Even the road that runsthrough the community was built by the residents’ ownlabor with materials supplied by private donations

Now, Theperak 5 residents will have permanent houseregistrations, and with that will come electricity and waterat a cost no different than for other urban residents.

Included in the deal is a Bt2.9 million grant forinfrastructure development. This gives Theparak 5residents an exciting opportunity to shape the future ofthe community in the way they see fit. They have alreadycome up with plans to use the money to build a mainroad, walkways, a drainage system, electric poles, acommunity center, and a nursery school.

Through this agreement, each family gains access ofup to Bt150,000 per household at the low annual interestrate of two percent. The forty families that have tomove will use this money to rebuild their homes, andthe thirty families in the back 20 meters can use thesefunds for home improvements.

Acceptance of Slum CommunitiesSecure housing means that residents can invest fully

in the future of the community. However, the right tolease land means more than this. For Jitti and the rest ofthe community, it’s a step towards the acceptance ofslum residents as members of the city. It’s about humandignity. “We will no longer be seen as encroachers. Weare going to improve the word ‘slum’. There is a stigmaon slum people, that we are the worst in town. We willimprove so that we become accepted by the rest of thecity.”

Photo by Michael Mintz

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Most everyone is familiar with the idea of loving your neighbor as you love yourself. In ourincreasingly connected world, your neighbors live next door, as well as on the other side of theglobe. A stronger tie exists beyond economics and politics—our shared humanity. This connectionwas felt for a few moments as a giant wave threw a region into chaos, but what about after thecameras left the scene? What about the other world crises that the cameras never reach?

In America, it is easy to insulate ourselves from the bleak realities which so many people faceevery day. But ultimately, their world is our world, and their struggles are ours. How can we love

others if we know nothing about themand their day-to-day lives? And whatis the value of our own lives if we failto see that of another’s? By making asmall effort, it is possible to learn whatis truly happening in the world and totake a stand for those who may lackthe freedoms to do so.

At first it may seem daunting topromote changing the way we act as asociety and seeing beyond the forcesthat strive to maintain the status quo.But change always begins with a fewpeople brave enough to go against themainstream.

Are we? Are you?

SO WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Photo By Michael Mintz

Endnotes:

When Waves Recede, pages 6-7:1 Klein, Naomi. “The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” The Nation (US). 2 May 2005.2 Corben, Ron. “Developers, Villagers Clash Over Land Rights in Tsunami-Hit Areasof Thailand,” Voice of America. 24 March 2005. 15 April 2005.<http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-03-24-voa33.cfm>3 “Phi Phi Victims Press PM on Zone Plans,” The Nation (Thai). 8 March 2005.4 Tangwisutijit, Nantiya. “Tsunami Aftermath: More Than 30 Villages CouldDisappear,” The Nation (Thai). 28 February 2005.5 Ekachai, Sanitsuda, “This Land is Our Land,” Bangkok Post. 2 March 2005.6 Warunpitkul, Yutthana and Tagwisutiji, Nantiya. “Disaster Aftermath: The LessonNot Learned,” The Nation (Thai). 7 March 2005.7 Isaacs, Jacinta. “Tsunami Meeting: Action Plan Adopted in Phuket,” The Nation(Thai). 3 February 2005.8 “Focus on Victims, Not Businesses,” The Nation (Thai). 23 February 2005. 15 April 2005.

Beyond the Mangrove Forests, pages 8-11:2 Ekachai, Sanitsuda. “This Land is Our Land,” The Bangkok Post. 2 March 20052 Montlake, Simon. “In Thailand, a Land Grab,” The Christian Science Monitor. 8April 2005.3 Le Poer, Barbara, ed. Thailand a Country Study, U.S. Government, Washington DC.1987.

4 Asian Coalition for Housing Rights. “Tsunami Recovery: A People’s CenteredPerspective on the Tsunami Rehabilitation Effort”<http://www.achr.net/000ACHRTsunami/Thailand%20TS/sunami%20Thailand.htm>

Beyond The Supermarket, pages 40-41:3 Worldwatch Institute.2 Local Harvest, Pirog, Rich. “Checking the Food Odometer: Comparing Food Milesfor Local Versus Conventional Produce Sales in Iowa Institutions,” Leopold Centerfor Sustainable Agriculture. July 2003.3 International Society for Ecology and Culture.4 Ninelives Campaign. Brighton & Hove City Council, United Kingdom<http://www.ninelives.tv/9skills/s_food.htm#s5>5 Worldwatch Institute.6 Mertaugh, Hillary. “Concentration in the Agri-Food System,” Left Turn. August/September 2003.7 Mertaugh, Hillary. “Concentration in the Agri-Food System,” Left Turn. August/September 2003.8 United States Department of Agriculture.9 National Family Farm Coalition, “Factsheet on U.S. Agriculture and Trade Policy,”2003.10 Andrew Kimbrell. Foodroutes. 2002 <http://www.foodroutes.org/localfood/>

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On Thailand:CIA World Factbook:

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.htmlBangkok Post: http://www.bangkokpost.com

The Nation: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/CNN: http://asia.cnn.com

On Giving:Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org

BBB Wise Giving Alliance: http://give.org

On GMO Food:The True Food Network: http://www.truefoodnow.org

The Campaign: http://www.thecampaign.orgMothers for Natural Law:

http://www.safe-food.org/-consumer/shop.htmlNW Rage: http://www.nwrage.orgNE Rage:http:// www.nerage.org

On The Environment:Solar Living Institute: http://www.solarliving.org

Friends of the Earth: http://www.foe.orgSave Our Environment.org: http://www.saveourenvironment.org

Ecological Footprint Quiz:http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp

Alternative Media:Alternative Media Resources:

http://www.zmag.org/altmediaresources.htmNews Watch.org: http://www.newswatch.org

The Other News: http://www.theothernews.com/Reuters Alter Net: http://www.alternet.org

Adbusters: http://www.adbusters.orgAlternative Press Review: http://www.altpr.org

Democracy Now!: http://www.democracynow.orgFree Speech Network: http://www.freespeech.org

TruthOut Media: http://www.truthout.org

Recommended Sites:Educational Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange

(ENGAGE): http://www.engage-humanity.org/Reuters Alert Net: http://www.alertnet.org

Now It’s In Your Hands

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