CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2010--FA--No. 3

CIEE THAILAND FALL 2010 NEWSLETTER 3

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The ‘Pood Cha Cha’ Post‘POOD CHA CHA: PLEASE SPEAK SLOWLY’

During the past four months, we have studied through action-based learning, and during the past ten days we have worked on an action-based project. This type of learning means more than the work itself; it involves co%aboration, disappointment, miscommunication, and &ustration.

Diverse people, working together to fulfi% a common vision is more difficult than one could imagine, but it is rewarding. It is rewarding to watch, to experience, and to understand how

co%aboration and co%ective problem solving wi% one-day change the world.

“Access”

Images used for the Photo Ga"ery during the 5th Annual Human Rights Gathering on Dec. 10th, 2010 at Khon Kaen University.

“Justice”

“Dignity”


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Cradled in the dense, colorful forests of Phetchabun province in Northeast Thailand are several culturally unique, self-sustainable communities. Amid the swarms of mosquitoes and sweltering heat, villagers collect mushrooms and bamboo shoots from inside the forest and tend to their crops. For our final project, we had the opportunity to visit the Huay Gon Tha village community and explore their traditions and heritage related to living off the forestland. The villagers shared with us their stories regarding the injustices brought upon by government initiatives and policies.

Though the villagers in the area seemingly live a simple, stress-free life, they are currently struggling to stay on the land that they and their forefathers have lived off of for generations. The Ministry of Natural Resources and the Royal Forestry Department have been charging the villagers living in the Phu Pha Daeng Wildlife Sanctuary for trespassing and contributing to ‘global warming’. Environmental damage, otherwise known as causing ‘global warming’, is treated as a civil offense in the Thai judicial system. The villagers are simultaneously being charged for trespassing, which is treated as a criminal offense. In Petchabun, the Phu Pha Daeng Wildlife Sanctuary and Nao Nam National Park claim villagers in the forest communities are illegally residing within government property. The villagers argue they have been living off the land for generations, and

government property was never clearly marked nor enforced. These village communities located within the designated forest area have limited access to land ownership rights. Without a land title, it is impossible for their rights to be respected.

Allegedly, the government is attempting to force the villagers off their land for the purpose of creating a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A World Heritage Site is of interest to the government because it generates eco- tourism. As one would imagine, eco-tourism is a profitable industry in Thailand. If the land were to become a World Heritage site, no one, besides tourists, would be able to enter and build in the forest area. The proposed World Heritage Site creates conflict with sustainable communities that have lived in the forest for decades.

The issue of land ownership and natural resource management deserves national attention. We hope future students will be able to further expand on the civil and political injustices occurring in Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park property. The villagers of Phetchabun province are in need of legal support in order for the government to recognize their human rights.

Emily Srisarajivakul, Northwestern University and Katherine Cooney, University of Minnesota

“They built the resort in the forest, why don ’t t h e y g e t a r r e s t e d ? Vi"agers were hired to wo r k , w h y w a s it i"egal? If we were rich, w e w o u l d n ’ t be arrested. Why does the government have to use the law to oppress the poor?” - Mae Kwanlah S a i k h u m t u n g o f Phetchabun province


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The goal of our project was to increase the consumer base at two organic markets. The first market is in the city of Yasothorn and provides organic and local food to people who live in an urban setting. However, many consumers at this market do not always know how to cook local vegetables. In collaboration with the director of the market, P’Siam, some ajaans (professors) at CIEE, and green market customers we put on a cooking demonstration using local vegetables. The purpose was to provide a space where producers and consumers could come together and share knowledge as well as develop a deeper relationship with each other. In order to advertise about this event we were interviewed on the local radio and television. We also passed out hundreds of fliers downtown.

For the demonstration, we were both paired up with a cooking partner who was a regular consumer at the Green Market. On the day of the presentation, we practiced making the dishes for the presentation and anxiously awaited our guests. The menu included spring rolls, spicy bamboo salad, and stir fried flower petals. All of the dishes made with food that is grown organically and is native to Yasothorn. All three dishes were delicious! Our audience loved helping us cook and trying the food. After the presentation, people chatted about the market and exchanged more recipes. Everybody at the event had a blast. They also left with a better understanding of local and organic produce.

Our next final project adventure lead us to Kutchum, which is a small community located near Yasothorn. Kutchum had a Green Market two years ago but it closed because of lack of business. Three months ago they decided to give the market another shot. One strategy organizers are using in order to make the market a success is better advertising. Our goal for working with the organizers was to come up with a strategy to effectively advertise and improve the market. To achieve this, our CIEE team met with the directors of the market to conduct a survey that will provide us with more information about the consumer base. More knowledge about the consumer base would help focus advertising techniques and make improvements within the market.

With the survey data we created a pamphlet that will be used to attract more customers and give them more information about local organic food. After conducting the survey, we had a list of things that would make the market more effective.

At the December 10th Human Rights Festival, we demonstrated what we learned from the Yasothron chiefs by having another cooking presentation. During lunch time, people could find us rolling organic spring rolls, mixing bamboo, and talking about organic food. By the end of the presentation we had a crowd of villagers around our table scrapping up any leftovers we had and writing down the recipes.

Our fi nal project taught food is a great communication tool. Sharing meals with people can be the starting point of great relationships and continue existing ones. We learned how rewarding it is when our food choices help the local economy, your health, and build relationships. We ate good food, laughed, pretended to be Rachel Ray, and gave back to a community that has given CIEE students so much throughout the years.

Jessica Bohanon, University of Rochester andAbby Bok, Hope Co"ege

Radio Shows, Flower Petals and Rachel Ray:Abby and J.Bo’s Green Market Adventures


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INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations on Dec. 10th, 1948 and since then Dec. 10th has been considered International Human Rights Day. In Khon Kaen, Thailand, an event has been hosted, with participants coming from the CIEE program, the Law Faculty of Khon Kaen University, communities, people’s networks, and NGO’s for the past five years. CIEE Thailand often plays a role in planning and hosting this event, and this year CIEE students had the opportunity to join in the collaboration. There were over a thousand participants and the event ended with a press conference where villagers representing a number of different issues and networks read and presented a statement to current and past National Human Rights Commissioners. This was our role in the day.

Photo Exhibition

For the Human Rights gathering our student decided to put together a photo exhibition. The title of which was “Faces and Places of Isaan: Human Rights Through Their Eyes”. It was located in the center of the Law Faculty’s garden in a glass building. It consisted of 14 photos that were enlarged and printed on medium sized vinyls. Each photo was photo-shopped to include a Human Rights related word (i.e. violation, violence, peace, etc…). The photos were placed on the outside of the building so passersbys had an easier view of the display. The photos were given small and brief captions but primarily left to speak for themselves.

Advertisement for Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day is a big day for CIEE, KKU, and the community of Isaan so it is important to get as many people as possible to the event. In order to do this we advertise around KKU campus. We had an advertisement team within our group, who were in charge of designing the flyers, the T-shirts, and organizing the exhibitions. We partnered with Dao Din, a university human rights student group, and some law students in order to advertise around campus more effectively.

Exhibitions

We had four different exhibitions: two at the campus night market, one at the complex, and one at Central mall in downtown Khon Kaen.

The Night Market Exhibitions were the most successful. We did one six days before the event and one the night before the event. We wore our T-shirts so that we stood out, handed out the smaller flyers, and held some of the bigger flyers in our hands. It was awkward with our limited Thai, but we put on our best smile and give our best “Saa-waa-tee-kah” (hello in Thai).

Brett Srader, Macalester Co"ege andMadeleine Dick-God+ey, Davidson Co"ege

High School Activities

For the Human Rights Gathering, multiple schools were invited to send students to participate in parallel high school sessions designed for the age group and facilitated by Law students. In the end about 50 students attended including youth representatives from most of the communities CIEE works with.

Planning and preparing for the parallel sessions was done collaboratively between CIEE students and interns and Law Faculty students. The workshops were facilitated by Thai students and observed by CIEE representatives. They included a “Human Rights Theatre of the Oppressed”, an activity on the rights of children, and drawing and painting activities. The goal was to make the topic of human rights accessible to a high school population and all parties were pleased with how the parallel day went.


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SEEKING JUSTICE

Na Nong Bong is a village in the Khao Luang subdistrict of Loei Province, about three hours from Khon Kaen in Northeastern Thailand. We spent most of Unit 5 in Na Nong Bong looking at the issue of mining and its effect on local communities. During the final project section of this semester, four of us set out to do an information campaign to raise awareness for the issues of Na Nong Bong.

The Tungkum Ltd gold mine has allegedly created several problems for the villagers since the mine was constructed in 2004. The mine company employs a very inexpensive process to extract gold from mined material, using cyanide as the extracting agent. Villagers have been experiencing an increasing number of ailments associated with mines. In 2006, the Provincial Health Office found that 54 of 279 were suffering from cyanide poisoning, which causes vomiting, respiratory problems, and sores. In addition to the cyanide in their water, there are also increased levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and manganese. Currently, the Na Nong Bong community is fighting to regain their rights to water, food, work, and health under the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

The idea for this project came from the villagers.

They were interested in expanding their network and getting their information out to various groups. Na Nong Bong’s community leaders were particularly interested in working together to raise awareness for the issues of rights and health in their community. We brought in help from a Khon Kaen University student group that focuses on soc ia l enga gement . The group , Da o D i n , i s an undergraduate student group from KKU’s Faculty of Law. We worked with them to develop a plan of action for our information campaign in Loei.

We prepared materials and put together an action toolkit so that interested students would have everything they needed to get involved immediately. On the morning of the December 8th, we began at a middle school and facilitated activities to teach them about community rights and mine issues. In the afternoon we presented to students at Ratchapat Loei University. Through working with Dao Din and the Na Nong Bong villagers, we have helped to develop and improve group strategies for challenging these issues.

Katherine Cooney, University of MinnesotaAlex Kovac, University of Santa ClaraEmily Srisarajivakul, Northwestern UniversityBrett Srader, Macalester Co"ege


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Imagine waking up to the sound of hammers, yells, and l aughs a s a g roup o f Tha i villagers construct a building together. Ima g ine s i t t ing through long translated meetings on the hard soil in order to help push forward a common vision. Try to taste the most flavorful Thai food you have ever tasted. Picture yourself lying in a gently rock ing hammock whi le watching a beautiful sunset.

This is a small sample of what our final project has been over the past 10 days working with the Rasi Salai/Hua Na Learning Center in Sisaket Province. The Learning Center is the result of the collaborative work between villagers and Spring 2010 CIEE students. The Center is a place for communities to join together to share their local wisdom and continue their fight against the Rasi Salai and Hua Na dams.

The Learning Center is a result of almost 20 years of fighting and protest. Eighteen years ago the Rasi Salai dam was built on the Mun River. The construction of the dam destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of local people in the region. Since that time, villagers have protested and fought for justice. This year, the government gave the villagers 30 rai of land. With that land, villagers started to construct a community-based Learning Center. While the endowment is only a small part of the demanded compensation, the Center will act as a powerful place for community alliance and social action to occur.

Our group of four has worked tirelessly to help villagers create a proposal for a “youth center” that will be incorporated into the larger vision of a Rasi Salai/Hua Na Learning Center. While the first two days were spent trying to figure out exactly what we were doing, the project quickly turned into an exciting and challenging endeavor.

After arriving at the Learning Center, we were immediately inspired when we saw villagers volunteering their time constructing buildings, planting vegetables, watering plants, and weaving mats. This inspiration pushed us forward, and challenged us to create the best possible products and outcomes for the Learning Center. We first met with P’Sanan and P’Banaya, the Learning Center’s NGOs. We asked questions, listened attentively, and took notes, in order to get a better understanding of what exactly the villagers wanted from us. Next, we met

with vi l lagers , NGOs, sub -district administrative offices, schools, and the Royal Irrigation Department . During these meetings we introduced the idea of a Youth Center within the Learning Center, described the ro le i t cou ld p lay in the community, and a sked for feedback and recommendations. Additionally, we met with Rasi Salai/ Hua Na youth to discuss the Youth Center and the role it could play in their lives.

On December 15th 2010, 2,000 vil lagers, government officials, academics, and students gathered at the Learning Center to celebrate its Grand Opening. We presented our Youth Center findings through a pamphlet and proposal for the youth center, a speech, and an art exhibition.

The Rasi Salai/Hua Na villagers have realized that their power lies in their ability to connect and collaborate. Throughout the past ten days we have been busy meeting, and creating documents and pamphlets. But more importantly we’ve been busy creating relationships. Throughout our final project time we have both experienced and witnessed the power of people coming together to fulfill a dream. The Learning Center is a perfect example of this. The Learning Center is a place where people connect with one another. It will create a stronger community, and foster social change throughout Thailand and the rest of the world.

We have learned about the Learning Center and the history Rasi Salai/Hua Na communities. Yet what we have learned goes far beyond this. During the past four months, we have studied through action-based learning, and during the past ten days we have worked on an action-based project. This type of learning means more than the work itself; it involves collaboration, disappointment, miscommunication, and frustration. Diverse people, working together to fulfill a common vision is more difficult than one could imagine, but it is rewarding. It is rewarding to watch, to experience, and to understand how collaboration and collective problem solving will one-day change the world.

Samantha Ryals. Pacific UniversityJake Teeny, Santa Clara UniversityBryant Mason, University of ColoradoMadeleine Dick-God+ey, Davidson Co"ege

RASI SALAI/HUA NA LEARNING CENTER


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Council on International Educational Exchange

David Streckfuss - Resident [email protected]

Arunee Sriruksa - Assistant Resident [email protected]

Jintana Rattanakhemakorn - Language Coordinator [email protected]

John Mark Belardo - Field Study [email protected]

“Suspicion”

”Water”

“Enforcement”

“Violation”

“Respect”

“Peace”

“Oppression”

mailto:[email protected]








CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2010--FA--No. 3

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Transcript of CIEE Khon Kaen Newsletter--2010--FA--No. 3