Getting My Hands Dirty in Red Shirt Politics

Tens of thousands of Red Shirt supporters gather at a rally in Khon Kaen Saturday night. The rally marked the beginning of the election campaigning. If the Prime Minister dissolves the gov, there will be elections. The Red Shirts are trying to form a party to run in the election.

After reading this post, you may be concerned for my safety. As my mother asked, how do you know you won't be charged with criticizing the government? I don't. But I'll reassure you that my writing and analysis is taking the necessary precautions so as not to be accused.

It's project time! In the next two weeks I will be an investigative reporter investigating the different reports following the April May 2010 crackdown. So here's the dirty details....

One year ago Red Shirt supporters rushed to the streets to protest the government. The government/military responded with force. 92 people were killed and justice has not been achieved. Different groups have been assigned to write follow up reports on the events. Some reports are sponsored by the government, another by Robert Amsterdam, the lawyer of former Prime minister Thaksin, another by the People's Information Center and one by Human Rights Watch. Each report has a different perspective and goal. Significant progress has not been made on these reports to find justice. The report by Amsterdam is in the process of being submitted to the International Criminal Court to charge the current PM with crime against humanity.

Here's where I come in with my fellow students. With no coordination between these different parties on the reports, progress is not being made to achieve justice for the families of the victims and for the reconciliation in the nation. In the coming week my group and I will be critically analyzing the different reports to essentially find what is missing, and submit recommendations to the group. We will also write a summary of the progress accessible to the public and a feature news story on our findings. Our report will be submitted to the different groups writing the reports like the Truth and Reconciliation Committee. Next week we are working to host an event bringing together leaders from the different report teams to talk to each other. It's all really exciting!

Below are pictures from the Red Shirt political rally I attended Saturday night. I went backstage to interview Red Shirt leaders.

Interviewing Kwamchai, a Red Shirt leader in a NE province. Was imprisoned after the 2010 protests for 9 months after being charged as a terrorist.

Interviewing Nattawut Saikua, one of the top 3 Red Shirt leaders. He was the one to announce the beginning of demonstrations in Bangkok March 2010. Also charged as a terrorist. See me in the background taking diligent notes! Look like a reporter, eh?

This is former Prime Minister Thaksin video skyping from abroad. He was ousted in a 2006 coup and is living in exile maybe in Dubai. He skyped in to rally excitement from the Red Shirts (prob because he wants a political comeback). I took this pic from behind the screen backstage.

One year ago I was reading a blurb about the protests in Newsweek not even knowing where Thailand was on the map. One year later I'm back stage at a red shirt rally. Funny how things can change in one year...

So I hope I've peaked your interest in Thai politics. Go wikipedia it all!

Now wish me luck that I won't get charged with criticizing the king.... jusssst kiddin mom.

If money had no value...

I've already submitted the adoption papers for this girl!!

At this moment, I think happiness is realizing that you are doing exactly what you want to be doing. There are many things you can get out of a study abroad experience but for me, a few weeks ago I realized that every opportunity and activity I am doing here is exactly where I want to be and what I want to be doing. I can't imaginea better environment for myself at this moment where I can learn in a new and creative way, make deep connections with people (both locals and fellow students), learn about issues I care about and finally, gain a better understanding of the world and my role in it.

Last week, my group had an exchange with Pawh Somkiat, a village leader protesting the Pak Mun Dam. He talked about how government development projects are problematic, often trying to change theculture and way of life of local villagers. Locals are very sustainable. They have a lot of natural resources around their community and they don't need money. Nature is their supermarket. Until a few years ago theyhad no electricity but easily survived. And the bottom line of it all was that these locals are happy!

Posing with Pawh Somkiat--whata baller! right?

What's Justice got to do with it?

The view outside my window in the village I stayed one night. This is the Mekong River and across is Laos!!!

This village is fighting against a potential dam being built down stream that would affect their cultural way of life.

Throughout our unit trips we visit village communities who have been struggling to retain their culture and their rights. We have repeatedly heard stories where injustices are committed against the people. In the land unit I learned about the government arresting villagers for trespassing or global warming when villagers thought they were simply farming on land they have farmed for generations. In this past water unit, we learned how the government built large-scale dams for development. These dams took away the livelihoods and culture of the people who survived by the river resources. The government never provided adequate compensation.

We have exchanged with some government offices to understand their perspective. Frequently their explanation shows the stark disconnect between the government and the villagers. Policies either don’t make sense or they are not carried out to actually protect or help the people. They are often motivated by money gains.

Learning about these cases has helped me come to a better definition of what is injustice. I think injustices are cases that cannot be rationalized nor logically explained. Here, I have learned about many injustices; situations where the government acts against the people causing harmful effects that make little sense. When I cannot rationally understand why a government is acting the way it is, it makes me empathize more with the people or cause. By understanding what is unjust, I can recognize what issues I believe are important.

Some pictures from my last trip

Stage 1 -Planting Rice calf deep in mud water! yum

Stage 2- learning how to harvest rice

Dressed in traditional Issan (northeast) platooms (sarong like skirts) holding the cutest child I wish I could adopt

Our Deepest Fear

I really like this quote as something that inspires me and thought I'd share it with others. It's really applicable to everything in my life right now.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God... It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others" - Nelson Mandela

Scavenging

I went scavenging with people from Nong Wang slum located just 10 minutes from my apartment here in Kohn Kaen. Ironic thing is that we took a motorcycle to go scavenging back on Kohn Kaen University campus near where I live. I did a photo essay assignment on scavenging. Here are just a few of those pictures.

In Nong Wang Slum community located in Khon Kaen, Thailand, P’Dom, age 35, prepare for his daily routine of scavenging. P’Dom has a special needs and cannot talk but nonetheless he is able to go about his daily routines successfully. P’Dom sets out on his motorcycle prepared with the necessary tools for his morning of scavenging. He connects his cart to his motorcycle to carry his findings and takes with him a shovel, a dust pan and a broom.

P’Dom travels just 10 minutes from his home in the slum to Khon Kaen University campus where he scavenges. The dumpster is located in a parking lot on Khon Kaen campus. He is familiar with the area and is at ease as he instantly jumps in to the dumpster.

The Trickle Down Effect of the Government

A banner at Baw Kaew village draws out the history of the community in cartoons

Just last week I was in Baw Kaew, a protest village in Northeastern Thailand. There, villagers are continuing their 30-year struggle against the Thai government for taking over their land to develop a eucalyptus tree plantation. The protest village is illegally set up in the midst of eucalyptus trees. Back in the 1970’s as part of the national development plan, the government believed they were aiding reforestation by planting eucalyptus as a cash crop, which expanded industry. In reality, the plantation took over local villagers’ farmland.

This past unit looked at the impact of government policies on land. In addition to visiting Baw Kaew, we had a home stay in a forest village community named Toong Lui Lai. Near the forest village, the government established area asthe National Forest Reserve and then later the Wildlife Sanctuary, which designated land for preservation by arbitrarily drawing borders that overlapped with local villagers land. Subsequently, villagers have been arrested and charged for trespassing while farming for what villagers believe is their land. To give voice to their struggles, both Toong Lui Lai and Baw Kaew communities have united with the Isaan Land Reform Network of Thailand to go protest in Bangkok and ultimately to help them attain legal community land titles.

Today, I find myself back in the city considering the greater implications of these villagers’ long-term struggle against the government’s policies and actions. Considering the issues from the villagers’ perspective, it is easy to vilify the government and its policies. The government policies have created challenges to attain adequate living conditions and retain their means of livelihood and subsistence. Development and globalization often times jeopardizes the human rights of people as well as the sustainability of communities. The community visits show thetrickling down affect of policy on the community members. The networks, NGOs and community organizers give voice and legitimacy to the people’s problems. . As I think about the bigger picture, I am questioning the roles and responsibilities of the government to its people in causing and curing these larger issues.

When I begin to understand the concerns of the communities I visit, the roles and responsibility of government is becoming clearer. A mentor here explained that when thinking about change, it is important to first understand the root of the problem and how it functions. I also think it is important to understand the system by which policies are shaped and formed, because in fact they do affect the people. Both understandings are needed to address inadequacies from the top-down policy level.

The eucalyptus trees in Baw Kaew village.

A Slum Is Not A Slum

(My host mom is on the far left. Meh Joy in the middle, the most fun bad ass women ever!)

Last week I went to Nong Wang slum located just 10 minutes away from my home base apartment here in Khon Kaen, Thailand.

A little interesting background: This slum formed over 30 years ago. It is located next to the train tracks of the State Railway. It is illegal to dwell within the first 20 meters of the train tracks so these residents of Nong Wang are trespassing on the land. Because they are illegal, access to water and electricity is double to triple the price. Many people work as scavengers or in construction.They have been fighting against the government for land rights and recently obtained an area of land to move to legally.

In Thai class, we learned the words for slum--(chum-chon-eh-ad). I also learned how to say trespassing, railroad, evict, income, scavenging to converse. (Unfortunately I don't know how to say room, fork or phone in Thai). Later in the afternoon my friend and I were talking casually with the neighbor to find out more about the slum. My friend used the word chum-chon-eh-ad and the neighbor responded saying "not chum-chon-eh-ad, just chum-chon." They said this repeatedly. Ah Ha! My friend explained that 'chum-chon' meant community. They were saying that Nong Wang was a community, not a slum!

This realization brought up so many questions and ideas.Why was I told that I was coming to stay in a slum? Who officially gives it the title, a slum? We, in the US don't have much to compare a slum to except maybe a 'ghetto.' And who calls it a ghetto anyway?

When I first arrived at my homestay, I was shocked at the set up of the house. It looked nice! They had a TV, refrigerator, a spacious kitchen area, stereo system and a raised bed (not on the floor) all of which seem like luxuries to me here.

Why was this a community and not a slum? In Nong Wang, everyone knew their neighbor. My host mom had been living there for over 30 years right next to the train tracks. There was a sense of camaraderie. One conclusions is that proximity of space creates community where people live close to one another. Another conclusion is because Nong Wang has organized with the slum reform network (an NGO) in order to obtain land rights. This organization of the people may give them more of a united community feel.

Finally, it brings up the question of what does poverty really look like. Every village or community I go to I find myself asking this same question. With the luxuries mentioned before, does that mean the people are really poor? They have their basic needs from what I can see of food, shelter, clothes and medicine. Just because the physical condition of a house looks dilapidated does not mean they are impoverished. I did not sense they were seeking to change their socioeconomic situation. But just because they have a TV, does not mean they are not poor either.

As a westerner, I knowingly enter these communities with preconceived notions and understandings. I must take into account my own cultural relativism. I think having the chance to see villages and slums and what may or may not be called "poverty" will change the way I talk about these people in the future.

(The water fountain where people came to fill up their barrels with water. The background is the side of my host family's house. )