Staying close is what we’ve had to do this semester. As the chaos in Bangkok has increased, we have had to stay side-by-side,

even while working and traveling in different parts of the country or preparing to pack our sacks and make our own tracks into

the future. Project time is also about coming together. Rather than getting carpal tunnel taking a final exam, CIEE provides us

with the space to put together projects that address the issues and constructive intentions of the communities who have shared

their homes, lives, and knowledge with us. Youth groups, documentaries, professional brochures- the sky is the limit for what

we can produce, and what comes to life during this time is entirely dependent upon how well we meet each other and our com-

munities, locating our most ardent passions and offering them for the world to see. Thank you for following our giant journey

and for daring to sit face-to-face with that which is wild and jumping within us.

- Abe Levine

CIEE Khon KaEn SprIng 2010

BE HERE Now ISSuE No. 3 MAY 2010

Cyril Bennouna (university of Michigan) ...................................7 Alexander Binder (univ. of Colorado at Boulder)..........................5 Claire Coddington (occidental College).....................................9Liam Dixon (occidental College) .............................................. 6Gianna Fazioli (university of Michigan) ......................................8Charlotte Friedman (Bates College) ............................................ 3Larissa Gaias (Bowdoin College) ................................................. 13Becky Goncharoff (Transylvania university) ............................... 8Caitlin Goss (occidental College) .............................................. 11Emily Hanson (Macalester College) .................................................. 6Ben Hudgens (Claremont McKenna College) ............................... 15Ann Kam (Claremont McKenna College) .................................... 13Megan Keaveney (Denison university) ......................................... 7Abe Levine (Macalester College) .............................................. 11Stephanie Liu (Northeastern university) ..................................... 7Bijal Makadia (George washington university) ........................ 13

Rachel Mattingly (Denison university) ..................................... 15Maggie McLagan (univ. of Colorado at Boulder) ......................15 Jenna Mendell (George washington university) ....................... 15April Morris (univ. of Colorado at Boulder) .............................. 13Kayla Nolan (occidental College) ............................................ 7 Michelle Nguyen (Brown univ.)................................................3Leslie o’Bray (Georgetown university) ..................................... 7Maggie Pearson (Macalester College) ....................................... 8Ilse Pukinskis (Bowdoin College) ...............................................11Amy Saekow (Middlebury College) .......................................... 3Samantha Sencer-Mura (occidental College) .......................... 3Barrie Schwartz (university of Michigan) ............................ 8Althea Smith (Georgetown university) .......................................5Ben Smith (Indiana university) ................................................. 8Esther Sosa (Bowdoin College) ...................................................11

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Table of ConTenTs

ThE nEw gEnEraTIon of UndErprIvlEgEd YoUTh of Ban Kham Bon noIKham Bon Noi Youth group Project

As we headed towards Khon Kaen’s primary landfill, a strange energy buzzed around the pick-up truck. It was the kind of vivacity that derives from a mixture of excitement and nervousness. we had been preparing for this day all week. This was the first official day of our Youth Empowerment Camp. Even though we had spent count-less hours scripting out every word we would say and analysed a variety of possible outcomes, we knew it would never be enough. we were about to attempt something that no other CIEE students had ever tried before. we were going to facilitate and introduce group building and group empowerment to 28 Thai youth with ages ranging from twelve to twenty one.

Although only one of us spoke fluent Thai, we decided to embark on this project anyway. After interviewing the village leader, Paw Kham, and surveying the kids themselves, we conclud-ed that an empowerment camp was what the community of Ban Kham Bon Noi needed. Ban Kham Bon Noi is a forgotten village that formed around Kohn Kaen’s main landfill. The residents of Ban Kham Bon Noi are mainly scavengers, who sift through the landfill in search of recycable materials that they can resell. As scavengers,

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the residents of the village are all part of the informal work sector; reinforcing their marginalization. They are not a very organized community and have trouble mobilizing to fight for government attention. Their children have problems staying in school, because they are teased about their family and where they live. Some chil-dren are also unable to afford spending time learning and have to help their parents scavenge instead.

By empowering the youth and exposing them to the con-cepts of group unity and cohesion, we believed that the community would also indirectly develop. our main goal was to provide them with the confidence and tool set to form their own sustainable youth group. we believed this youth group would be a positive entity in the community, because it would create a space for the children to share their feelings and to support one another. Hopefully, this sense of empowerment and support would help kids stay in school, and confront issues that are important to them. Furthermore, if we could catalyze the youth to organize, their parents might follow suit.

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Keeping this ultimate goal of creating a strong, supportive and active youth group in mind, we started to plan our curriculum. Along the way, we met a group of young, enthusiastic Thai post-graduates, who were working to build an urban Youth Center in Khon Kaen. Led by Ajaan Adisak Kaewrakmuk (a former teacher for our program), the urban Youth Center Staff specialized in group building activities and contempla-tive education. we collaborated intensely with these intelligent and experienced Thai counter-parts, learning valuable facilita-tion skills i.e., how to guide youth groups while still having fun.

we thus designed our three day camp to be a series of fun activi-ties that could also be interpreted as metaphors for cooperation and group unity. we planned each day with a specific goal in mind. Day one strove to make everyone feel comfortable as individuals. For example, we organized a con-templative and reflective meditation session, and also allowed the kids to evaluate how they felt during the course of the day through a fun visual grid sheet. At the end of this day, we noticed the kids were still shy and hesitant to open up and discuss how they felt.

During day two, we planned activities that would require intense group cooperation. For example, all group members had to fit on a small bed sheet. And then, while standing on this sheet, they had to

figure out how to flip it over without having anyone touch the floor. During this day, we noticed that the kids were able to physically support each other comfortably; however, they still lacked listening skills and verbal confidence.

Day three (and the consequent wrap up days) focused on trying to make the group realize what they can actually accomplish together. we also strove to figure out various ways to ensure that the group would continue to grow, as opposed to dis-appearing after our departure. we gave the kids an assignment to come up with a youth group name, as well as a corresponding logo. To our sur-prise, the kids really stepped up and took these tasks seriously. They took half an hour to vote, collaborate and create a youth group name; and the following day, skipped breakfast to design their logo. During these ac-tivities, we noticied that the kids had finally started to talk and plan with each other, instead of just rushing

into action. They also began talking about more serious issues, as demonstrated by their chosen youth group name: “The New Gen-eration of underpiviliged Youth of Ban Kham Bon Noi”. when they presented this name, they said, “This is the reality of our siutation. we have no opportunities or chances.” However, as their name further suggests, there is still hope: they are the “New Generation,” after all.

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over the past two months, our CIEE community has been studying the development of Thailand’s political turmoil from the relative sanctuary of Khon Kaen, often feeling as isolated from the capital’s impassioned demonstrations and intermittent violence as we would expect to from our homes a hemisphere away. The situ-ation, or at least the newsworthy version, has vacillated from im-pending emergency to peaceful campout and back again under our watchful eyes, and we still don’t know quite what to make of it.

For our final project, two of us students chose to take a closer look at the situation through its historical context and what it could mean for the future of Thai politics. The course of our re-search led us to ask the same crucial question that many academics and journalists studying the crisis have posed: is this just another cycle of protest, parliamentary dissolution, and reelection, or is this something new – a turning point in Thailand’s politics, potentially towards a more representative form of democracy?

This necessitates an inquiry into what people’s movements and democracy have meant in Thailand up to this point. Though the Yel-low Shirts and the Red Shirts, the main players in Thailand’s current political arena, name themselves people’s movements, it is unclear whether they actually represent the majority, as they claim. over the course of our program, we have studied the struggles of Isaan communities in regards to land rights, dams, mining, and the safety

of work conditions. As a result, this is the lens through which we view the political turmoil; a different view than is apparent from Bangkok or depicted in the news, but one that allows us a unique and valuable look at the question of representation.

The stagnation of political process in Bangkok has inconve-nienced rural communities like Rasi Salai in Srisiket province, which awaits the Cabinet’s approval of the Social Impact Assess-ment on the nearby dam to receive funding for a Learning Center; the residents of Baw Kaew in Chaiyaphum province, who wait for the central government’s promised intervention in their struggle to regain their land through the potential pilot implementation of the Community Land Title system; and the community of recyclers liv-ing adjacent to Khon Kaen’s municipal landfill, who are waiting for the approval of government funding to make the landfill a safe work environment for them. The government has always been slow to respond, but in this case it is the Red Shirt protest, purportedly the voice of disenfranchised Isaan communities, that exacerbates the process. For the current crisis to be a worthwhile wait for these communities, it must end with a long-term plan for representative democracy, one that takes into account the full reality of life and development in Isaan.

The political awareness and mobilization for change that both the Red and Yellow movements represent is already a turning point, and unprecedented in a country where democracy has long meant rule by the elites under the tight triumvirate of the military, the mon-archy, and the bureaucracy. But while the migration of Red Shirts to demonstrate in the capital as a voice for the rural unrepresented is a hopeful one, the current struggle over the future governance of Thailand is still mired in Bangkok’s old-style politics, where true community grievances and interests cede to money politics, crony-ism, and vested self-interests invariably.

As life in Khon Kaen and the rest of Isaan has remained largely the same despite the situation in Bangkok, is it we who inadequate-ly represent the crisis to our families and friends at home, having experienced virtually none of the symptoms? or is the current situ-ation yet another manifestation of how the rural majority lacks rep-resentation in the very political power struggles that are fought in their name? As Ajaan Decha Premrudeelert, our program’s mentor and the former head of NGo-CoRD offered, “Actually, Bangkok is not Thailand.” As the situation continues to develop, the ques-tion of whether it is a turning point in Thailand’s democratization remains unanswered. we can only watch and wait, and hope our version of the situation, through the lens of Isaan, can one day be resentative.

polITICS and CommUnITIESAlthea Smith and Alex Binder

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Folding laundry is boring. The chore is slightly more bearable, however, while watching TV, so I collected my dry laundry from the balcony, hit the power button, and surfed the channels for a news station. Somewhere between channel 60 and 70 I found CNN. Sat-isfied, I began folding.

After a weather report and a brief commercial break, a story came on that caught my attention. The reporter said something like, “In some of Nairobi’s most desperate slums, improvements are being made.” He went on to mention poverty, malnutri-tion, the expense of food, and the crowded living conditions. Though many of the problems in Nairobi looked much more severe than in Khon Kaen, I could not help but think about the slum communities I had visited earlier in the semester.

The reporter moved on to talk about how, with the guid-ance of an NGo, many slum communities had begun an urban gardening program. They cleaned out spaces that had been covered in trash and began growing their own veg-gies. This initiative provided families with fresh, organic food for free. The spare cash saved from not buying vegeta-bles could then be reallocated to education, community events, and on and on.

Inspired by this story, another student, Emily, and I began talk-ing and thinking about urban gardening in Khon Kaen. Together, we researched urban gardening techniques that had been designed for small spaces, like container gardens, bag gardens, and keyhole gardens. we visited slum neighborhoods to gauge feasibility and interest from the communities about growing vegetables. our final project began to sprout.

The next step was to meet with the Slum Network of Khon Kaen. Through these meetings, we learned that that the network was already beginning an urban gardening initiative in the slums. we were elated! we worked with them to figure out how we could best use our skills during our short two-week project time to support their initiative.

The result of this process was a booklet about urban gardening and community development. Apart from providing information about grow-ing vegetables in the city, the booklet is a community-organizing tool. with the names and contact information of slum network leaders neatly in-

cluded in the final pag-es, the booklet makes it easy for communities in Khon Kaen to col-laborate and exchange ideas about urban gar-dening.

we began this pro-cess of exchange to-ward the end of project time, when we demon-strated how to make a “sack garden” in a com-munity called Nong wat 2. we met with a community leader a few days beforehand to set up the presentation, and he invited neigh-bors, friends, and lead-ers from other commu-nities.

Emily and I hope that this sharing of ideas continues. we hope that people who saw our demonstration show their friends how to make sack gardens of their own. we hope that our booklet brings communities to-gether and begins conversations. But above all, we hope that more urban gardens find roots in the soily spaces of this city.

UrBan gardEnIng and CommUnITY BUIldIngLiam Dixon and Emily Hanson

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landfIll ExpErIEnCEMaggie McLaganuniv. of Colorado at Boulder: Psychology

After staying with Kham Bon community members and learning more about the health challenges posed by the Kham Bon land-fill, it became clear that the community was not made aware of the work that academics and government officials had been con-ducting in the landfill. Several academics had come to take soil and water samples at the landfill to test for contamination but had not returned to the community to discuss the results. This left the community with an unclear understanding of the contaminants that they were being exposed to by consuming the groundwater. Due to the limited communication with the government, the community did not have an up to date understanding of the current and future programs being implemented to reduce health hazards in the land-fill. As these discrepancies began to unfold on our home-stay in the community, we decided to focus our final project on writing a pub-lic health review that would bring government officials, academ-ics and community members together in a conversation about the health problems associated with the landfill and future solutions.

In order to best understand the relationship among government, academic, and community groups, and the health and environmen-tal hazards caused by KBL, the research for the Health Perspectives Report was divided into three main parts:

1. ethnographic research, in which we lived with community members next to KBL, participated in the community’s daily ac-tivities, and observed the various health hazards that are present in their lives,

2. interviews and focus groups, in which we conducted a public health survey of 41 community members living next to KBL, inter-viewed multiple government organizations managing the landfill, and facilitated focus groups with community members on how to best address the health hazards present in the landfill, as well as a

3. literature review of academic articles pertaining to public health, waste management, landfill engineering, environmental sci-ence, and Thai governmental regulations on waste management.

As we researched public health articles, interviewed govern-ment officials and surveyed community members, the purpose of

the public health report became defined as the following:

Each party brings valuable perspective on and knowledge of issues concerning KBL. The Public Health Review serves as an up-to-date re-source on the condition of KBL and the status of the different stakehold-ers invested. By aggregating the different insights of parties involved, the report encourages both a written and verbal dialogue among key players. The compilation of different viewpoints provides a vehicle for broader community participation, organization, and empowerment. In addition, this document highlights the status of the KBL by integrating the health and environmental issues experienced by community mem-bers, with current government policies and projects and relevant aca-demic research. The Public Health Review concludes with a collection of recommendations to mitigate these environmental and health con-cerns, which community members have suggested and encouraged. This document is meant to improve communication between parties in order to more effectively collaborate and take action.

The Public Health Review focused on the water, air and occupational hazards presented by the landfill and how each interest group worked to minimize these dangers. These perspectives were presented and dis-cussed in a meeting that included two representatives from the Regional

pUBlIC hEalTh rEporT for Kham Bon CommUnITY

Steph LiuLeslie o’BrayMegan KeaveneyCyril BennounaKayla Nolan

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Environmental office #10, two representatives from the Khon Kaen Municipality and P’Kovit in the Kham Bon community. Before the meet-ing, Pa Kham led a tour of the landfill. The government officials, CIEE students and a large portion of the youth in the community toured the landfill for about an hour. we saw where community members worked in the landfill, the incinerator and the leachate ponds. Afterwards we returned for a two hour exchange on a range of topics from health care to supplemental education. Pa Kham presented the concerns of the community and the government officials discussed the ways in which these concerns could be approached. In the community and govern-ment officials discussed the idea of creating a committee to oversee issues pertaining to the landfill. The government officials also scheduled a another meeting with the Kham Bon community to discuss the progress they had made on implementing water testing and some of the other suggestions made by community members. After the meeting, everyone sat down to eat lunch together and continue to discuss the topics of the meeting. Hopefully this meeting will serve as the first of many meetings between community members and government officials as they work to resolve the health and environmental concerns in the landfill.

Youth workshop in Na Nong Bon As we all put our hands in the cen-ter of the circle, Bell counted off. “Nung, song, sam” and we shouted in unison “Rak bahn gut” (love your hometown), throwing our hands to the sky. The youngest members of People who Conserve Their Hometown, a community orga-nization in Na Nong Bong village, were about to present a presentation they had prepared along with CIEE students for the first time. In the presentation they acted out a skit portraying a story of how 2 farang came to know about the effects that a gold mine has had on their community. They proceeded to present a pamphlet that CIEE students had completed with the help of the youth’s photog-raphy weeks earlier. Everyone participated in the group, whether it was acting out a protest at the Provincial Hall, detailing the human rights abuses caused by the mine, or telling a personal story about the skin rashes experienced by her neighbor. The CIEE students watching were once again filled with admiration and pride for these youth members. over the 2 weeks of project time we had grown used to being impressed by this youth group’s ability to come together, speak confidently about the issues in their community, and be prepared for whatever task was asked of them. we had prepared a 3-day empowerment workshop for the youth group a week earlier full of team-building games and cre-ative reflection activities using role-playing and drawing. The youth group consists of about 15 members ranging from ages 8-18. In the workshop we designed a presentation with the youth for communi-ty members from the 6 surrounding villages. People who Conserve

Their Hometown is currently looking to expand alliances in the area and work with villages where mining licenses are pending and the youth presentations fall under their latest strategy.

our own group of 6 spent many long meetings dream-ing, planning, and evaluating our project. At times we questioned our purpose in the community given the youth’s already-developed knowledge of the issues affecting their home. After reassessing our vision for the project we learned to appreciate the competence of our new friends and accept that we had much to learn from them. After two successful presentations, a hike up an un-mined moun-tain, and a final meeting with the leaders of People who Conserve Their Hometown, our project is complete. we are happy with the knowledge that was spread through the presentations, but more than anything else we are proud of the relationships we built with the youth and the community. These relationships have much po-tential for future collaboration with CIEE and for long-term bonds of solidarity.

YoUTh worKShop In na nong BongBarrie Schwarz, Ben Smith, Gianna Fazioli, Maggie Pearson, April Mor-ris, Becky Goncharoff

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“STUdY aBroad haS nEvEr SEEn ThIS mUCh grEEn”Claire Coddington

Sustainability. The word has taken on a life of its own in the past decade; sustainable living, sustainable forestry, sustainable development, sustainable agriculture, and sustainable communities. But sustainable study abroad? The thought was never much more than a passing whim for study abroad programs—until now. our final project is the culmination of a semester-long at-tempt to encourage discussion and action by both students and staff on the subject of program sustainability. The CIEE Sustainability Com-mittee was formed shortly after the end of our first unit on agriculture. Learning about the reality of food production firsthand left many stu-dents reflecting on their own role in the greater system of consump-tion. A Garden Club was formed and a raised-bed garden quickly sprouted up from the bare CIEE office blacktop. The Kitchen Club worked closely with CIEE staff to make our wish to have a kitchen in which we could cook our own food become a reality. with the enthusiastic backing of our resident director, Dave Streckfuss, the five of us formed a Climate Action Team. our mission was to assess the “greenness” of the program by developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP). A CAP includes a ‘baseline inventory’ of a munici-pality/university/program’s carbon dioxide equivalents (Co2e) for one

year and a series of recommendations to reach a set reduction goal in a specified number of years. It was a large undertaking, but two of our group members had experience from making CAPs for two municipali-ties and our other three members were excited to learn the process. As we began gathering initial data and setting up meetings, the scope of our project began to expand. why stop at CIEE Thailand? why not spread this tool to other CIEE study abroad programs and to the headquarters itself? why not open up this discussion to all study abroad programs across the world? our college campuses are taking steps to lower their greenhouse gas emissions to meet leading scientists’ reduc-tion recommendations. Each year, more and more college students are choosing to spend a semester or year abroad, yet these programs are not holding themselves to the same standards regarding their role in the mitigation of climate change. we hoped that by CIEE Thailand taking the first step to create a “green” study abroad, other programs around the world would be inclined to do the same. But first, we had to write the CAP. Initially, we were fairly certain we would be able to adapt the International Council on Local Environmental Initiative’s software for municipalities to meet our needs. After a few cross-globe phone calls, we realized we were going to have to look for another software. with help from Bowdoin College’s Environmental Studies Department, we eventually came across the Clean Air-Cool Planet Campus Carbon Cal-culator for college campuses in the united States. The 106-tab Excel spreadsheet was obviously not perfect for study abroad programs, but we knew we could make it work. Finding the program’s baseline emission level required a lot of searching through hefty receipt books and surveying in order to gather data. The next step was a series of tedious calculations. By project time, we had the information we needed to begin inputting into the software. After a lot of trial and error with the software (and possibly some minor freak-outs), the CIEE Thailand baseline was complete. we found that in 2009, the program was responsible for 1,185 metric tons (MT)of Co2e per year. Transportation, the larger of the two sectors, was responsible for 77% of total carbon emissions, or 941 MT Co2e per year and electricity, 23% (268 MT Co2e). After considering specific recommendations for both sectors, we proposed a 20% reduc-tion of Co2e by 2020. The following table gives a brief outline of the reduction measures we suggested to reach the 20% reduction:

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Activity

Domestic Staff Air Travel

Electricity

Program’s Diesel Fleet

Student Air Travel

Totals

Current Annual CO2e

6 metric tons

268 metric tons

41 metric tons

754 metric tons

Reduction Measure

No domestic air travel

30% reduction in electricity usage

25% reduction in gallons used by program’s diesel fleet

Offset student air travel

Implementation

Any travel done within Thai-land is by bus

Reduce amount of electricity paid for in student dorms, set AC at 26º

Upgrade diesel vans to more fuel efficient vehicles

Purchase renewable energy credits

Annual CO2e Offset

6 metric tons

75 metric tons

8 metric tons

149 metric tons

238 metric tons

% 2009 Emissions

.5%

6.32%

.67%

12.51%

20%

Cost

Savings of $4,079 annually

Savings of $3,198 annually

$30,900

$3,777

Although the program is coming to a close and our CAP is complete, we have no plans to stop promoting ‘green study abroad’. As part of our project, we created a Climate Action Plan “tool-kit” explaining step-by-step how to adjust the Campus Carbon Calculator for study abroad in the hope that other programs will follow suit in creating CAPs. At least three members of the Climate Action Team have submitted an application to give a presentation on study abroad sustainability as well as local climate change mitigation initiatives at the ENGAGE conference in June. we hope to meet again this summer in Portland, Maine to discuss the future potential of ‘green study abroad’ with CIEE headquarters and are creating plans to have a table at the next CIEE Conference in November 2010.

Sustainability is not just a buzzword, or a trend that is going to go by the wayside in years to come. It is a lifestyle choice and a commitment to the future preservation of our planet. It is our belief that study abroad programs should not be exempt from doing their part to address climate change. Although we have spent the past four months firmly grounded in Thailand, it has been impossible to ignore the global interconnectedness of all the issues we have studied. That same idea applies to climate change. we recognize we are dreaming big, but at this point, the world needs big dreamers if the immense change we need is ever going to happen.

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BY ConSUmErS, for ConSUmErSEsther Sosa, Ilse Pukinskis, Caitlin Goss, Abe Levine

why is the preservation of local culture important? To me, Esther, it was a way of combating the prospects of a globalized future world full of identical, monotonous societies and devoid of traditions. My initial understand-ing of the importance of preserving food culture was enhanced during a visit Abe and I made to a chili farm in ubon during our final project time. At this farm we learned chilies are often grown year-round, requiring the use of significant amounts of dangerous pesticides and herbicides. The farmer confessed to having her own personal garden of chilies grown without pesticides. She knew of the dangers associated with using chemicals not only for the farmers who apply them, but also for the people who consume their products.. Farmers grow what the market demands regardless of its seasonality, environmental impacts or health effects, simply to make ends meet. I began to see that preserving local food culture was not just about preventing the world from becoming one, uniform en-tity. It was also about protecting the environment, human rights, health, and the general wellbeing of society.our team of four united around a common goal: we wanted to understand consumers’ motivations and under-standings regarding their food. In doing so, we would hopefully find ways to promote the Green Market located in the city of Yasothon. The Green Market, which opened in the spring of 2008 with the backing of the Alternative Agriculture Network (AAN), is a 100% certified organic market where farmers sell their products directly to con-sumers every Saturday morning. Through conversations with the AAN over the course of the semester, we devised a final project to better understand consumer perceptions of food and to find ways for the Green Market to expand and educate consumers on organic farming and local food culture.

As soon as project time began Ilse, Abe, Cait, and I headed to Yasothon. our plan was to conduct at least 150 surveys at the Green and Municipal in order to achieve our goal of understanding consumer trends in Yaso-thon. with the help of Bennett Haynes, a CIEE alum and intern of the AAN, we prepared two different surveys, one for each market. upon our arrival to Yasothon we promptly set off to survey armed with one voice recorder, our translator, and our phonetically written questions. The Municipal Market survey asked about awareness of the Green Market, what types of food people generally bought, their knowledge on organic agriculture, and their confidence in the safety of the market’s food. This survey was made not only to create awareness of existing Green Market, but also to get more consumers thinking about organic and local foods. The Green Market survey asked what consumers bought, changes they thought could be made to the Green Market to attract more consumers, and whether or not they felt confident about the safety of their food. In total we conducted 135 municipal market and 16 Green Market surveys, which showed a range of opinions on agriculture and food.

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In addition to surveying, we scheduled individual interviews with five Green Market regulars to gain insight into their perspectives food and life? The motivation for these interviews was to develop stronger relation-ships with Green Market consumers and talk about the prospect of creating some sort of consumer group that could be mobilized to educate others about food issues. we had a wonderful time talking to these conscious consumers. we swapped book suggestions, helped make organic green papaya salad, explored back-yard gar-dens and were overall inspired by these active and insightful people.

Surveying was certainly a challenging process. In the four days we were there we went through three drafts of surveys after getting helpful feedback from more talkative consumers. Some people, however, were less excited about our presence at the market. Hurried customers rushed past us with a hasty excuse while some avoided us altogether, blatantly turning in the other direction upon eye-contact. one consumer zooming passed us merely pointed to her throat saying “jeb kaw” (sore throat), which we found was a humorous response for a written survey. Nevertheless, our perseverance never wavered, and we were successful in gathering over our original goal of 150 surveys. Creative tactics such as, getting people before they purchased food (so they couldn’t say they had to go home and eat) or helping vendors attract customers, didn’t hurt. For the most part people were curious, friendly, and happy to help. Cait and Ilse befriended a little bicycle taxi driver who helped track down consumers to fill out our surveys. His tactic of yelling “chewi farangs” (help the foreigners) was hilar-ious and startling at first but turned out to be very useful. Simply developing these relationships offered another look into the personalities of the “Thai consumer.” The entire surveying process turned out to be less daunting than we had previously expected and we were proud of our new surveying skills, especially with the added dif-ficulty of speaking novice Thai.

with the results of the surveys, our group created a 24-page booklet. The booklet includes an analysis of our survey results reflecting consumer knowledge on organic foods, their level of trust in their markets, and their shopping habits. Moreover, the booklet presents commentaries on the importance of eating local and organic and how consumer choices affect food movements in Thailand. The intention is to distribute the booklet to the AAN and to Green Market consumers. Hopefully, after reading the booklet both groups will be able to more fully understand consumption in Yasothon. with this knowledge, Green Market consumers may start a trend of becoming active promoters of the Green Market and organic, local food culture. over the summer Abe will be encouraging the five we interviewed to take up this challenge while he consumes large amounts of local sticky rice with them, as part of an internship with the AAN. we also envision that our project will get more municipal market consumers reconsidering their own consumption habits. A food revival is underway in Esaan (northern Thailand), and it has been exciting to make a small stand against consumer uniformity. we encourage readers of this newsletter to get out there and eat, but eat with a purpose!

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a CommUnITY IS STrEngThEnEd ThroUgh 189 daYS of proTESTBY: Bijal Makadia

As the Red Shirts continue to occupy the streets of Bangkok, the word “protest” evokes a distinct image for the people of Thailand. However, miles away from the heart of political unrest, a different kind of struggle has unfolded, one fought for not two months, but over a decade.

For the last 16 years, villagers affected by the Rasi Salai dam have been fighting for their voices to be heard. “I want people to know that what I have experienced is real. It fully changed my life, my whole life,” says Pa Gongtam, a community leader.

The construction of the Rasi Salai dam in 1993 had a devastating impact on the way of life of approximately 17,000 villagers from 3 provinces. The nine-meter concrete dam flooded and destroyed the region’s farm-lands and over 100,000 rai of the region’s most fertile and bio-diverse land. “I should be harvesting rice now. once they closed the dam, our lives were taken away,” says Camsing Nolasan, a villager from Rasi Salai.

The ancient culture and traditions rooted in dependence on the Mun River and the surrounding wetlands are in peril. Villagers spiral into increasing debt in order to survive and families are often torn apart by urban migration fueled by the loss of livelihood. The government’s failed development project has resulted in many hardships. However, the com-munities affected by the Rasi Salai dam are determined in their struggle for justice, no matter how long it takes.

Incidents of violence against villagers, protests in Bangkok, and hunger

strikes define the tumultuous history of this struggle. Events such as the 99-day protest at the Government House in 1997 were expensive to stage and reaped limited results. However, in the summer of last year, this fight rose to a new stage of defiance.

on June 4, 2009, over 2,000 affected villagers assembled outside of the Royal Irrigation Department’s (RID) office demanding compensa-tion, restoration, and a greater say in the operations of the Rasi Salai dam. A sea of affected people lived at the doorstep of the RID, only meters away from the river they loved and the concrete dam that took everything away. The villagers protested on government land for 189 days, cultivating a statement of resistance called the Village of the Poor.

This innovative protest strategy of occupation was rooted in self-reli-ance and a deep sense of community. Villagers built shelters made from resources found in the surrounding forests, fished in the river, gathered herbs in the remaining wetlands, and raised animals within the protest village. “we wanted to show society we can live from nature,” explains Banya Khamlap, a local NGo working with dam affected villagers and leader of the Citizens’ Media

unlike costly protests in Bangkok, villagers developed a system of reciprocity, learning from one another and sharing resources from the land and their home communities. This focus on community al-lowed for the protest to last as long as it did and contributed greatly to its success. “we work as a private organization, utilizing our own knowledge and skills,” one village leader shared.

Villagers placed an emphasis on incorporating recreational activities into their daily lives of protest. Regular exercise classes, dancing ev-ery evening, traditional puppet shows, and fishing contests brought the community even closer, fostering deep bonds among villagers while keeping morale high. “The relationship before [the protest] might be more like a colleague; now it is more like brothers and sisters,” observed Banya.

From within this heightened sense of community during the protest, arose the idea for the “wetlands People welfare” Fund. Villagers contribute 1 Baht per day to this savings group and in return, utilize the funds for important life events. The 1,600 villagers that partici-pate in this savings system, which currently has 450,000 Baht, can withdraw from this account for events such as string tying ceremo-nies for newborns, to pay for funerals, and hospital visits.

“It is a way for people to help each other. we started with 43 vil-lages, so it’s a way to get everyone involved. Together, we can solve common problems and learn from each other,” says Rampan Chanta-rasorn, an active community member who serves as the chairperson of the community’s wetlands Handicrafts Group. The savings group is just one of the many ways demonstrating the greater sense of com-munity unification resulting from the Village of the Poor.

At the end of the 189-day protest, the government agreed to com-pensate 795 million baht to 3,608 villagers on 24,681 rai of land, the most significant monetary award to the communities yet. In

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addition, the government promised to complete a Social Impact Assessment analyzing the damage done to the local culture and how to restore and rehabilitate the villagers’ way of life. More im-portant than the government’s promises, however, was the affected communities new sense of cohesion and the invaluable experi-ence gained during the six-month protest.

Villagers acquired essential community organizing skills and furthered their ability to think critically and negotiate with officials to meet their demands. Sanan Choosakul, adviser to the commu-nity and director of the “Mun River wetlands” Project, remarks: “I think [the villagers] have really developed in their thinking, their knowledge, and their ability. I believe I’ve seen the growth of the villagers.”

Despite these worthy strides, the communities’ efforts towards justice are far from over. Much of the promised compensation remains unpaid and thousands of affected villagers continue to struggle to support their families without the natural resources they so heavily depended on prior to the construction of the dam. In addition, the government-promised Social Impact Assessment is currently waiting for Cabinet approval in Bangkok. Villagers must await the fate of political instability before their demands can be acknowledged.

For over 16 years, the communities affected by the Rasi Salai dam have persisted, fighting for their right to a way of life. It is evident that the future still holds many battles until this right is regained and preserved. Yet, as the pages of their story unfold, new strengths and capabilities are realized and new hopes are invigorated. Villager Chaub Veerasing captures this enduring sentiment with simple conviction. “I want my life back.”

united by a common struggle, the thousands of affected vil-lagers have found their greatest asset, their strongest weapon: the power of community. As their battles continue, villagers affected by the Rasi Salai dam must harness this strength to en-sure their voices are heard. As community member Samboon wangpuh states plainly, “Solidarity is the only thing to help villagers get through their problems in the future.”

while the country watches as the political instability rages on in the heart of Bangkok, Rasi Salai is a stark reminder of the quieter battles that are being fought all across this country everyday.

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ThE IronY of rEforESTaTIon In ThaIlandBen Hudgens

Chaiyaphum—on April 28, 2010, Phu Keow court house ruled in favor of the Forest Industry organization (FIo), and is evicting 31 protest leaders from Baw Kaew Protest Village. The 31 villag-ers involved in the court case have been ordered to abandon their current protest by May 28.

10 months ago, 169 families came together to form Baw Kaew in the middle of an FIo run eucalyptus plantation—where their homes and farmland used to be. This village was formed as a means to force the government to acknowledge and address the injustices committed in Kon San District over the past 30 years. The villagers are used to having their stories ignored by the government, but this court case was better than most. “The judge here was very open, we were quite pleased with the judge,” says witoon Boonpattaraksa, the defense lawyer for the villagers. “The judge actually looked at all the evidence, and all our witnesses. In my experience that is very rare.”

For the people gathered here, the court case is just another ob-stacle in a history of rights violations that the villagers share and does nothing to shake their convictions. “Even before the court decision, I believed there was only a 50-50 chance we were going to win. They can always find a law to rule against us, but I would have been really happy if we had won,” witchoonai Silasee explained after the court ruling. witchoonai, age 36, and her grandmother are among those who have been ordered to leave Baw Kaew.

The villagers intend to appeal the court decision and file another case in central courts with the Land Reform Network of Thailand.

This second case will hopefully protect the other protesters in Baw Kaew from a similar eviction.

Regardless, the villagers are unwilling to consider vacating the village. For these families, this protest is a final response to years of being ignored.

In 1978, the FIo took over 4,401 rai, and began clearing farmland and existing forest to make way for a eucalyptus plantation. According to the villagers, the FIo took land from hundreds of families to make way the Kon San Forest Project. what was once rice and corn field surrounded by old growth forest is now a farci-cal forest of sprouting eucalyptus trees; the third generation to be planted and grown in 32 years.

Villagers face many problems supporting their protest. The lack of water and electricity can be frustrating, but the central problem is poor soil quality, caused by the eucalyptus trees. The 50 or so vil-lagers in permanent residence are unable to grow their own food and have to spend Bt100 per day on outside food. Many of them rely on the incomes of relatives, who live in distant urban centers and hubs for migrant labor.

Despite this, the villagers are resilient and resolved. They have found new, albeit short-term solutions to sustain their fight; this includes producing their own charcoal and compost, cultivating more food between the trees and raising chickens and cows. These projects are helpful, but are not a part of the villagers’ vi-sion for the future. “All we care about is getting our land back so that we can work on it. we are still under laws and regulations and I understand that, but I don’t plan on living the rest of my life

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with the eucalyptus trees,” says witchoonai.

Baw Kaew is emblematic of far-reaching problems in the ongoing effort to protect forests in Thailand. According to a recent article in the Bangkok Post discussing Community Land Titles, around 10 million people live in Forest Reserves in Thailand and two million live in forests owned by other agencies, like the FIo. Kon San District alone has 290,000 rai of forest reserve.

The images one would normally associate with a forest reserve are misleading. wichai Ploypattamawichit is the sub-district chief of Thung-Phra, where Baw Kaew is located. His land is surrounded by busy roads, modern homes and rice fields—the spitting image of the modern Thai village. As he points out, “we are inside the reserve forest area, but they don’t have the courage to come in and plant trees in our area. There are too many houses that prove that people have been here for 70 years.”

Since the National Forest Reserve Act (1964), the Thai govern-ment has focused on forest preservation, but their policies have been mostly unsuccessful. In 1966, about 51 percent of Thailand was covered by forest but by 2000 that number had fallen to 33 percent according to a report conducted by the Royal Forestry Department in 2006.

Half of this 33 percent is classified as “economic forest,” which includes eucalyptus plantations that are regularly harvested to produce paper, oil and other goods. Amongst these is the Kon San Forest Project.

In wichai’s mind, these plantations hardly qualify as forest. “The FIo cuts down over 100 types of trees and they only grow eucalyptus,” he observes, “In His Majesty the King’s speeches, he mentioned that in order to make a forest, you don’t have to grow anything- just take care of the plants that are already there.” For the villagers, the destruction and degradation they have wit-nessed is about more than Thailand’s disappearing forest cover: they have lost their way of life. The evidence showing that the villagers lived on this land in 1978 has been central to their quest for land-rights. As early as 2005, a working committee in Kon San evaluated land titles from villag-ers and satellite imagery of the area. It concluded that 90 percent of the land in the forest reserve belonged to villagers before they were evicted.

In 2009, immediately preceding the villagers’ protest, a cabinet subcommittee set up by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stipulated that a solution be found in two weeks, but the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment has done nothing.

After the failure of the cabinet subcommittee, the affected families established Baw Kaew with four demands. Villagers have demand-ed first and foremost that the Kon San Forest Project be abolished. Secondly, that 1,500 rai of land be returned to the villagers under a Community Land Title—a new title that will allow groups of individuals to take collective ownership of land, preventing any one individual from selling their stake.

Baw Kaew villagers have also demanded that two nearby forested areas, currently occupied by eucalyptus, be turned over to them as community forest. Finally, they have demanded the right to work on the land while the issue is resolved.

The villagers have demonstrated patience in the face of an ineffec-tive and confusing bureaucracy. This protest village is the culmina-tion of years of being ignored by high ranking government offi-cials. It is obvious from a cursory glance that this is not an extreme reaction to a reasonable process; this is the necessary response to get the attention of the disinterested political elite.The villagers here are not part of a broad political movement, but they are a part of a large political problem. As wichai Ploypat-tamawichit puts it, “In these cases we can see the gaps between the rich and the poor. The government keeps trying to fix the na-tional economy, but this is not the right answer for the people. The problems at the grassroots level need to be fixed first.” For Baw Kaew villagers, their needs are immediate.

Buala In-Im, age 65, is one of the village leaders who is being evicted. She does not believe that the villagers will give up before receiving their due, “we will not go anywhere. we will stay here with our brothers and sisters. we will keep on fighting to get our land back. Because this land belonged to my grandparents and parents and I have been working on this land since I was small. They took it from us for 33 years. But now, my friends and I, the thirty-one people who were sued, will not go anywhere. until they come and carry me out of here I will not leave,” she concludes, her passion leaving her out of breath. Although they have gained recognition from the government and other grassroots organizations, these villagers’ fight is not over yet. For now, they are taking justice into their own hands.