house of dignity issue
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Friends Without Borders Magazine No.17TRANSCRIPT
Friends Without Borders Magazine No. 17 Vol. 3 HOUSE OF DIGNITY November - December 2006Published by Friends Without Borders, a Thai non-governmental organization,established in 1999 to promote all human rights for all.
magazine ÃÒÂÊͧà ×͹ ©ºÑº·Õè 17 »Õ·Õè 3 ¾ÄɨԡÒ¹-¸Ñ¹ÇÒ¤Á 2549¹ÔμÂÊÒÃà¾×èÍÊ‹§àÊÃÔÁ¤ÇÒÁࢌÒã¨ã¹ÊÔ·¸ÔÁ¹Øɪ¹äÃŒ¾ÃÁá´¹
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magazine
FRIENDS
BORDERSWITHOUT
House of Dignity
ÃÒÂÊͧà ×͹ ©ºÑº·Õè 17 »Õ·Õè 3 ¾ÄÈ Ô¡Ò¹ - ¸Ñ¹ÇÒ¤Á 2549¹ÔμÂÊÒÃà¾×èÍÊ‹§àÊÃÔÁ¤ÇÒÁࢌÒã¨ã¹ÊÔ·¸ÔÁ¹Øɪ¹äÃŒ¾ÃÁá´¹
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E-mail : [email protected]
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Friends Without Borders Magazine is published by Friends Without Borders, a
Thai non-governmental organization established in 1999 to promote all human
rights for all.
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Editorial TeamPim KoetsawangSupattra ChoklarpWantanee ManeedangEnglish EditorsSabrina GyorvaryVenessa Lamb ContributorsPhatteka Ratta, Shine Shan,Ekkapob Dust and other friendsArt EditorWantanee ManeedangMember and DistributionSupattra ChoklarpPrinter Wanida Press
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We are happy to receive comments, suggestions, and articlesfrom all of you. Please contact, FRIENDS WITHOUT BORDERSP.O.Box 180, Chiang Mai University P.O., Chiang Mai 50202 ThailandPhone & Fax : 053-336298 E-mail : [email protected]
Friends Without Borders is a Thai non-governmental organization working to promote all human rights for all and the network between the Thais and the displaced people from Burma in Thailand. With a small team and big groups of friends, the work started from a small scale, with a hope to expand to wider and more diverse groups of people in Thai society.Our main activities are : Public education/information via various types of media including books, booklets, magazines, website, exhibition, and audio-visual media.Human rights education and civil society programs which include workshops, training, and exchange forums with local communities along the borders,Capacity building and consultancy for local groups on media production.
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During the last two months our home has had such startling changes that many, including me, have jumped in surprise. However, as the clock's hands went on for a while, I realized that change isn't a new phenomenon and that, actually, this phenomenon can't be called 'change' yet.
My home may look different from the homes of my friends along the border. Nevertheless, our feelings towards our homes are probably not so different right now.
Our riends in refugee camps have their houses on land that they have no legally way to secure. These giant villages are fenced by barbed-wire about which the inhabitants have no say. To invite an outsider for a visit or to spend a night is usually not allowed. Therefore, despite no fear of persecution, the feeling of not able to control what's going on in your own house makes feelings of insecurity come to life.
I used to wish for many changes in my house. But with my limited capacity, I knew I needed quite some time to deal with all the unstable poles, disordered furniture, and all that trash. Thus, when I woke up one morning and found construction workers had messed around with our new balcony, our repaired roof and both the wanted and unwanted things in the trashcan, I was stunned. I couldn't stand, I felt as if someone just hit my head hard. I even felt confused about my ownership status.
Friends Without Borders Magazine would like to present the 'House of Dignity' Issue. At this time eviction has become a crisis in both developing and developed countries, and happens even more in those so-called 'peaceful' states than those with armed-conflict. We believe that the right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right, and that a 'house' is not only a shelter protecting us from rain or sun, but provides security and dignity. Freedom to have a house and to manage one's own house could be the first step for obtaining all other freedoms of the day.
Looking back at my friends at the border, actually no matter what others would say to them, deep inside their hearts they still feel the sense of ownership of their houses. Despite such similar materials used, each bamboo hut is designed and decorated differently. To invite a friend for visit or have them stay over night is a disclosure and affirmation of the owner's identity.
And although their lives are under restrictions by others, the refugees still try to choose their own destiny by organizing themselves, participating in community activities, and electing their own leaders. To decide one's own future is the power that can counterbalance the feeling of insecurity.
Thus, I think I do not have much more time to sit hopelessly or feel sorry about the change or the lack of change. Also, I do not think I can continue living just like a guest, because deep down inside, I believe I am the owner of this house,
Just the same as all of you.
With Faith in Human DignityPim Koetsawang
â´Â ©Ò©ҹ l Shine Shan
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Wish to Return
Will do everything - in every way, to make you feel warm - with me,But we only met. Only our eyes met and I knew for sure what it would be.
A short while after we met, I let Sa Hye listen to this song on the MP3 player that I brought with me to Mae La Oon. The young guy could pick it up and interpret it into guitar chords right then. So that evening we sang this song together. It was like a farewell between him and me. Even now, although we have been separated, following different paths, whenever I hear this song, the scene of the gathering in the bamboo hut, and the faces, the eyes and the smiles appear clearly in my mind.
Apart from Sa Hye's family, I talked with other refugee families that were about to leave the camp for a new life in their 'third country'. Their stories in the homeland and here in the refugee camp are so varied. Now they've chosen a new path, with a hope for a new and peaceful life - a life without fear, worries, and endless displacement. All have beautiful pictures of the new homes in their minds.
Actually, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees believes that the best solution for refugees is a safe repatriation when persecution and war ends. But if not possible yet, allowing refugees permanent settlement and social integration in the receiving country is the second best. Only when the receiving country doesn't open that door is resettlement to a third country an option. This applies to the case of the Karen refugees from Burma in Thailand.
Many refugees told me that they actually wished to return home, but they couldn't see how peace and democracy could be possible in Burma. They used to hope, but they are tired of disappointment. Although to start a new life in an unfamiliar country is not easy, they'd love to have a peaceful home and freedom once again.
Most refugees were farmers from small highland communities. Life was simple. The outside world was so far away. Many had never been out of the village, while a few only went on foot and by boat to the nearby, bigger villages to buy salt, fish paste and other necessities. Even after taking refuge in Thailand, a large number of people have never been outside the camp. It is not that easy to integrate into the new society like those of the US, Canada, Australia, Norway or Sweden.
Sa Hye's parents are not different. They wished to see their children obtain a high education, proper career, and have a bright future. Despite being afraid that they're too old to learn English- the first difficult step of the new life, they want to try. Some have placed their hopes on the state's and humanitarian support in the third country without knowing the limitations of said support. Lack of good com-munication from related agencies allows rumors to play a big role in the refugees' decision. However, those who had an idea of how difficult it will be are still determined to take a risk, as the current situation doesn't give them much hope. Anyone who is used to reacting with tears when being asked whether they have had cruel experience would understand their decision.
I did not stay in Mae La Oon Camp for long, but long enough to make the camp feel like home - a place where I could sleep comfortably and wake up happily to greet the fresh fog that covered the whole valley. It's where I enjoyed the food shared from these aunties' kitchen, and enjoyed simple conversations with the neighbors and any new faces. But I deeply knew that my real home was where I had left from - it's the place where people would always be happy whenever I returned.
I loved to think that Mae La Oon is another home of mind. But if I have a chance to return there, Sa Hye and many others who make me feel at home will not be there any longer. I don't know how their lives will be, yet I wish them a nice home, In the same way, for the refugees who are still here, I wish that the situation will improve so that they can feel like Thailand is a home. I also hope that, on the day they leave for the next long journey, they would feel there is another place in the world that their return will always be welcomed.
Though you may have another, only your look back here would make me happy.Though you may have another, and despite whatever, you're in my mind forever.
I listened to this song while the boat left Mae La Oon. Sa Hey and a number of refugees would also leave here by a boat that runs along the Salween river. My little boat confronted the strong current and went right ahead, leaving the scene of the bamboo huts and Mae La Oon valley in the back. Clouds covered the top of the mountain. The sunlight turned the river into gold. I thought of the time I had with Sa Hye and other friends. Our attachment has grown in a short time; so strong.
I do not wish everything to finish here - we are only apart.
Canada is a large country with a beautiful landscape and an extremely cold winter. Many may know this place as one of the richest countries where people of various ethnic and cultural identities are living together peacefully. However, what is hidden are the homeless in almost every town - those who are facing the painful cold at this very moment.
The reasons that a Canadian citizen becomes homeless are varied. While rental prices and the cost of real estate have significantly increased, a large number of people are unemployed. Many others, affected by the unstable labor market, gain lesser and lesser income so that their home becomes unaffordable. A number of women who decided to walk out from domestic violence also found themselves without a home. Although the situation is different from one area to another, and the homeless movement is irregular, it is estimated that the number of homeless people in Canada has risen to 100,000-250,000 - the 2nd highest among the developed countries.
A life without a phone number and address is the first step to the stage of being poor, as one usually needs an address to apply for a job. Without a job, one has no money and cannot obtain references for rental or buying a house. Without a home, a number of mothers are forced to give away their children to social welfare center and as a result, many children lose their parents forever. In some countries such as the US, the law forbids one to stay a night outdoors and the state officer has the authority to arrest the homeless even if the person didn't commit any crime. With the criminal record, one has very little opportunity to get a job, and the circle of sufferings rolls on.
Although the current Canadian government issued a national homeless initiative and various measures to deal with the problem, homelessness is still one of the most serious social problems of the country. In Calgary where housing for low income people has long been inadequate, the number of the homeless increased from 2,500 in the last year to over 3,400 this year. Twenty-two percent of them are women. The proportion of the aboriginal homeless is considerably high, comparing to the whole aborigine population. Thus, people's networks in Calgary, Vancouver, Ottawa, Toronto, and others are demanding the government deal with the problem more seriously and in an urgent manner. Temporary shelter or cheap housing projects are not adequate. There is a need for a better welfare scheme for the unemployed, low-income families, single mothers, and indigenous and African-Canadian families.
The key to for the homeless to leave this cycle is in the cooperation and understanding of local communities. Both state and non-state agencies that worked cooperatively on the issue found that most of the homeless were suffering from the feeling of being outcast, marginalized and isolated from society. There is a need for recognition of the problem and understanding that homelessness could happen to anyone regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, age or religion.
Winter is coming. The night starts to get colder and colder. Many Canadians who sleep well in nice and warm houses are obviously sharing their concerns about those who are torturing by the cold. There is no need to wait for another person to die of coldness - in a night and on a street - to realize that we need to do something about it.
For more information, please see: http://homelessness.gc.ca
·ÑèÇ·ÇÕ»â´Â àÍ¡À¾ ´ÑÊμ� l Eakkaphob Dust
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Homeless Nation
http://biblicalfoundation.tripod.com http://static.flickr.com
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ªÑèÇ¢³Ð¹ÔÃѹ´Ãâ´Â ÀÑ·à·¡Ð ÃÑμμÒ l Phatteka Ratta
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7
Memories of Sanrizuka
The huge glass lets the sunlight in onto the polished marble floor and rows of empty seats. Outside, a number of colorful aircraft tails are pointed up to the early-autumn blue sky. The planes look dead, devoid of the soul when they fly. The empty space made me feel that time had stopped. What had replaced the events of the present was imagination. I imagined the 21st day of May, 1978, when the first airliner via Frankfurt touched down on Narita Airport, and the day after, when DC8 of a Japanese airliner took off from it for the first time for Guam. The names of Frankfurt and Guam may provoke fantasy about faraway places, yet, they were certainly quite nearer to the policy-makers and proprietors of the Japanese and world economy, than the people of Narita.
Sanrizuka is the name of the district where the government, in 1966, decided to build Narita Airport amid opposing voices from people in the area and from all over Japan. The disagreement inflated into one of the most violent clashes in Japan since the Second World War, usually known as 'Sanrizuka Struggle'. In one moment of the struggle, 'Shibokusa Mother's Group', a group of housewives from the northern area of Mount Fuji came to support the protestors. At one time, they tried to fight to get their land back from the US and Japanese military. They picked up handfuls of earth crying, 'Don't, under any circumstances, hand over this beautiful velvety earth to the authorities'. Like state development projects all over the world, the Narita project created confrontation among the rural communities. The villagers were divided into those who agreed, opposed, and the neutralists who finally had to move out. The conflict involved more than one thousand people, and many thousand policemen who used violent means for the crackdown, which resulted in many deaths for both groups. The struggle went on for more than a decade before the airport was officially opened in 1978.
I tried the organic salted rakkyo from Toho village. It tasted a little bit like pickled shallot but some slightly stinging flavor was left dancing on my tongue. Looking outside, there were also rice fields, vegetable farms, and a community center where organic products were collected and neatly packaged before being directly sent to consumers. No middleman. In a moment, I felt like I was in a remote rural village of Japan, but before long, the next aircraft was flying only 40 meters above me, before landing in the runway just across the fence. Toho village was situated right in the middle of the second runway of Narita Airport, where it had been expanded to support the World Cup in 2002. This expansion was done despite the government's promise in 1991 to consult with villagers before any future plans for construction.
Exactly 40 years has passed, but many have still strongly, courageously resisted to face reality. If they wanted to continue to fight, they needed to have a job and income, but certainly not on the corporatist path. Many were just university or high school students in the 70s before they made a lifelong decision to become farmers. Many youth in their mid-20s had joined to carry out their beliefs into the next generation.
For a second, I thought of the business areas like Shinjuku or Shibuya. The image of Japan that I had gotten used to contrasted strongly with what I saw in front of me; although both can be said to belong to one same space and time: 'Tokyo in the 21st Century'. This was like all the many concepts and assumptions that overlooked delicate realities - the sensitivity that let me know that 'Narita' was not merely an airport town, but also held the memories of Sanrizuka.
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8
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â´Â ª¹Ò ´Óà¹Ô¹ l Chana Damnoen
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Different Houses but not Separate Lives.
younger children so that they smile. I joined a puppet theatre group of Duang Prateep Foundation. The first time we performed for the tsunami affected children, I didn't know what to do but I just realized that it was the first time my fear of the sea had gone."
In the luxurious hotel's meeting room, Nung's brain was working hard to absorb and learn new lessons regarding disaster risk reduction. The puppet show to soothe the pains of the young hearts was not the final answer. She moved forward to encourage children's participation in risk reduction - no mater what kind of risk it is.
"As a kid, I used to join the village meeting. The adults said, hey! You're just a kid. But I asked back whether I was one of the community member, so they let me stay," she smiled. "So now I'm happy to encourage the younger children to participate in community affairs and to respond to any kind of problems in their own ways."
The cruelty of civil war in Burma attacked Kyaw Mu's life several times. Although he never experienced such great losses of hundreds of thousands of people in such a blink like the tsunami affected people, the endlessly attacks left the wound of insecurity in the kid's heart.
"But then the villagers said they'd go back to build new houses and a new school again. I was very glad. At first we had to study under the trees and write on bamboo stalks but when the school was finished, I could write on the desk again. My school is near Moei river. It's the most beautiful school. We still lived in fear of the Burma's army but they haven't arrived recently. I'd like to continue to high school and then I'd like to be a teacher or a singer. I don't want to go away from here again," he wrote.
Kyaw Mu gave us such a big smile that could brighten the world. The boy looked smaller than his age. He laughs a lot - as much as he cries. He's shy as much as brave. Sometimes he stays behind a pole and peeps at the world curiously, but sometimes he's up on a stage, singing for adults and kids who sit watching him. His little brain was working hard to understand the way for him and his community to stand their own feet.
"I'm not good at studying. I'm lazy and misbehaved sometimes." He once said. "But I want to study and I'd like other kids to study too. I think we have to try our best for our homes and country."
Nung and a number of friends her age believe they can build their new homes and take care of one another, no matter what tomorrow will bring. The losses of lands, houses and their loved ones have been transformed into strength and inspiration for the youth.
It is the same as the belief of Kyaw Mu and his friends in the internally displaced children's school that they are able to build new homes and look after one another, although some refugees have gradually walked forward to new hopes and new homes in far-away countries. The houses that were burnt over and over again, the endless violence - these things cannot steal their hope for a peaceful life. This hope that has been transferred from one generation to another.
The ocean and luxurious building then became as familiar as a home, as the same as the cool mountain, Su-Mae-Gro (Moei river) and the bamboo huts. The wild ocean wind bid a cheerful farewell as if to ensure we will meet again.
Nung wished to see her friends' homes at far-away border areas. And if he knows about her, Kyaw Mu may wish to visit his sister's home at the beach for once.
The sand was soaked with salt water. The desolate sea was still. Yet the ocean breeze was wild, different from the familiar mountain wind that usually greeted us softly and kindly. Back there, on the opposite side, was a three-storey building fancily designed into levels and steps that led to a luxurious turquoise blue swimming pool and the neatly decorated garden.
The sea odor and the shivering chill of air-conditioning was an unfamiliar atmosphere. It's amazingly strange but lonely.
But then a sun-burnt skin girl with melodiously laugh came and made the sky reflect the indigo light as the same as the sky at home.
"I used to be scared of the sea," Nung said.That was right after the great losses two years ago, when the giant wave wiped all
those of her small world away. She was only 17 then."Before that my family had been doing fine. I was studying. Then everything had
to start from zero. I had to quit school to get a job. My dad's fishing equipment - over 200,000 baht - was gone. Our car, house and everything in the house was gone. I deplored nothing but my house. I saw it with my own eyes - it just disappeared with the water and sand. I felt painful that we could do nothing to save it."
That morning her friend called her to take a look at the strange phenomenon - the sea dried out leaving the vast beach empty. However, Nung's mother insisted on her helping finish wash the clothes and her family then was able to escape.
.. Only lives left then.., Nung said.
Nung brought Kyaw Mu's picture to our mind.Kyaw Mu is a boy while Nung is a girl. Kyaw Mu speaks Karen while Nung speak
Southern Thai. Kyaw Mu lives in Karen state of Burma, far away from Ban Nam Khem, Pang-Nga where Nung lives. But it seems like they can be brother and sister.
"I am 15 years old. I have 5 siblings. My dad passed away since I was only 2 and since then my mom has been taking care of all of us. I remembered I really wanted to study but I didn't have a chance. We grew rice but we didn't have rice to eat. The Burma's army took all. We had to eat roots and banana stalks for survival. I watched over cattle to earn some money - kept watching them like crazy while those flies bit me. Then one day my mom said that we couldn't continue like this; we'd starve to death. So we fled from Burma's army area to the border close to Thailand," wrote Kyaw Mu in his school essay.
"At first we had to stay in another person's house until my mom was able to cut enough bamboos and build our own hut. Then the school was opened. I was very happy. I thought that I would try to be a good student, but only two weeks after that, one night just before dawn, the head villagers told us to prepare to flee. After the sun had risen, the Burma's army arrived. We all fled across the river to Thai side. I looked back at the Karen Land. I saw my house burnt into ashes. I cried. I told my mom to take me back. But then we continued to be in exile until the Thai soldiers told us to go back. The Burmese soldiers had gone, they said. So we went back and I started my schooling again;but not for long. The Burma army came back and burnt the whole village and we had to flee to Thailand for another time. At the time I felt hopeless. There's nowhere to go and nothing left."
.. There is nothing left except my sisters, my mom and I…
In a blink, the ocean got furious, and Nung's whole world changed. Many friends' bodies are unfound until now. Another one of her younger friends has lost all 17 members of her family. Schools and communities nearby were gone. One of her friends found an old guitar sunk under the wreck, and music was played to comfort the sad hearts.
"Many had nothing left, but my parents were still alive with me. Many aid agencies came in, and then we were able to build a new house. Then I'd like to do something for other people. Maybe I'm still young and very stressed, but I should be able to help
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Åͧ ¿ÒÁ μÃѹ μÒ§ l Long Pham Tran Thang
Photo: Dan
Photo: Areerat
The rain, the river, and the tearsÊÒ½¹ ÊÒ¹éÓ ÊÒ¹éÓμÒ
A window has been blurred with an unceasing rainThat is listening to so much piled-up sadness… deep in the heart of a young girl.She sits there, and silently looks at the curtain of rain,A white-dimmed drape is inundating her vision.
How many times must she hide together with the rain, she doesn't remember all;But unforgettable, her memory lives on in a voice choked with sobs,It does not return her sister nor her ancestor's land that she also lost in a rainy night,She has only one simple thing, she lives with the river.
The river has been still lying, under a dull rain;It silently flows in common with the deep pangs of parting.Because of its robbed partial bodies, from uncontrolled ambitions;For the time being all are just in memory, she will never get them back!
But the sun will come back with the river,And brings those who think about Mother river's giving birth and a settled position to.The river still currents, but full of sinewy vitality;Just remain a sparkle from the girl's soul, with the river bathed in radiant sunlight.
Photo: Dan
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It has been four years since I first met Th'ra Bway Say. At the time I had no idea about refugees ; Th'ra was the first person - a kind uncle who opened the door so that I came to befriend many refugees in the refugee camps since that time.
Time has passed. I've grown up, finished university, and had a job far away from home, while Th'ra is still here with the Karen Refugee Committee (KRC). One afternoon, we had a chance to meet again and talk about our homes. Mine is far away on the mountain - and no matter how big or small or changed, my heart felt warm every time I thought of it. I wanted to know how Th'ra felt about his home in Burma that he had left for so long, and his current one in Thailand.
"I've been a refugee for 30 years… 30 years! (laughs) I've lived in the camp, eaten in the camp, and my kids have grown up in the camp. It has been since 1975 that we had to flee across the border. That refugee community became part of the Mae Khong Kha camp in Mae Hong Son, that has been moved to Mae La Oon only a few years ago.
"KRC is a refugee representative body that was elected by refugees to take care of all refugee affairs. At first when we arrived, there was neither representatives nor leaders and it became confusing for coordination with the Thai authorities and humanitarian agencies. So KRC was established. Then I felt that I had to do something because I've been living here and so have my kids. Then I was elected as Mae La Oon camp's representative and then worked in this central office. My task is to coordinate community affairs - administration, deal with all kinds of problems and conflict including education and health.
"We were from different towns, different types of villages and we had different style of houses then. But here we are almost the same. Anyway, no matter what our old homes looked like, if there's no war, oppression and fear in our country, people will definitely be happier in their homeland. No matter how poor people were, they just made a roof and a few bamboo thatches with their own hands and that would be fine. To wake up before dawn and head to the fields in such early morning are physically tired but not psychologically exhausted like we are now. It's about freedom, I guess. In our country, we could build a house from woods, tiles, tins, or bamboo - whatever up to our capacity, and we could build it anywhere we found it suitable. But here in a refugee camp, if the authority allowed only a house with nine poles, then it must be no more than nine. If the rule is that the roof must not use more than 300 leaves thatches, then it must be 300. When the kids have grown up, the house became too small but there's nothing we can do. Anyway, you see, our country is not yet peaceful, so I have to say that living in a refugee camp is better than in my own home. (laughs)
"In the beginning, there is no clear rule. One family came and then another. One built a house and then another did the same. Those who built a house first got better locations and bigger spaces. But as more and more arrived here, the flatland disappeared. The Ministry of Interior then had a restriction that a house must not be bigger than 21 x 18 square feet. The new arrivals would be told where to stay - any space available, either it is a hillside, a stream, a cliff, a rock; if they said we had to stay then we just had to. "Then the problem occurred. Actually the streams run naturally, right? In some years there were floods and in some years none. This is natural. But refugees have no choice where to build a house, right? So when people had to build a house on the water running path and that year came the heavy rains, the house and lives would be flooded away. If KRC knows there may be soil erosion or sees the cliff rock starts cracking, we have to try to relocate people. Yet it can't be so far off because the camp is limited to be here, in this location, so it must be here.
"We've got house construction materials from humanitarian agencies, but their capacity is also limited because the population is big. If it's not enough, you have to find it yourself. If the neighbors have extra, you may borrow some materials and repay the next year. Some people sneak out of the camp to cut more bamboo though, because they haven't gotten enough poles to build a kitchen, a toilet, etc. It has to be noted that refugees cannot earn income in the camp. They also have to find themselves extra food although they have got free rice, salt, fish paste, flour and cooking oil. To add a good test to the curry, there should be some vegetables or even MSG, right? (laughs) Considering hygiene, we need toothpaste, soap, detergent, etc. and one has to get money to buy all these.
"Oh! Lots of problems in refugee camps! People are from different communities of origin, different culture, values and ways of life, and then they have to live together in a crowed place. Conflict is common. There is also conflict regarding housing. As I said, those who arrived before got a bigger home. And then sometimes the new arrivals were told to build a house on that plot, and the owners may not be happy but they couldn't say anything because if MOI said the new arrival must be there, they must. KRC cannot give everyone satisfaction due to this limitation. Most likely, there is not adequate communication, either. I think the best way [to approach this issue] is to encourage more community organizing. I think of a consultation program; visiting houses and talking to them about how they think and feel, how happy and how difficult life is, and what we can do together. If people can get together and do something good for their homes, then they will feel more like the same family, conflict can be solved and houses will become real homes.
"Another thing I'm concerned is that, in the camp there are many refugees who are illiterate but have a high level of traditional knowledge, for example, sustainable farming. However, they have no way to use the knowledge here. Then there are literate people, mostly youth, who cannot do anything either as they are not allowed to work. This is stressful situation, isn't it? It's quite frustrating when I think I see and understand the problem, yet I don't know what to do about it. If the Thai government doesn't allow us to work, then we can't.
"Now resettlement in the third country is promoted. Many camp residents feel insecure as people said many will leave, and there will be no one to help one another here. But looking at the whole picture, I still think that those who wish to leave and those that can leave are only a small number. (smiles) Personally, I understand that the refugees find life here insecure; it's not clear which country's citizens we are. As human beings, we usually need to understand which country we belong to. When people heard that if one has resettled in the 'third country' for two years or more, the person would be recognized as a citizen, that meant a secure life with opportunity for education and employment. So people think that if they continue being here, getting free food but have no chance to make their own living and no chance to go back home, the third country is their hope. For the good side of it, I think when one can work - no matter what kind of work it is, one has more self-esteemed.
"For me? I will be here. Most people will still be here and I need to stay with them. There's a lot I have to do, there's a lot of problem to deal with. I'm also old, you see? (laughs) If the young people want to go, then let them go. If my children want to go, then I let them go but I will be here. I still have hopes. Now that our country is not yet peaceful, we must spend efforts on solving problems in the refugee camps, so that we can live peacefully. But my highest goal: I'd like to say that I work so that one day we will all go back home, safely and with dignity. Now I want to be one of the leaders too, you know? (laughs) I will try to get peace as soon as possible so that we can live in our homeland and express our identity freely. A home, for me, is a place we can be physically and psychologically comfortable. When we feel comfortable, we are happy, and our family will be happy. It's just simple like that.
In a time like this, when I am so far away from home, I have found that Th'ra Bwae Say is my family. I can turn to him whenever I felt exhausted and confused. His love for home also makes me feel that this place is where I can always feel warm and happy.
¡ÃдԡËÒ§ ÈÔŻкѹà·Ô§·Õè·ÓãËŒËÑÇ㨢ͧ¤Ø³ÍÔèÁ͌ǹ
â´Â Á‹ÙËÅÒ¹ l Mulan
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The House of Sand and Fog (2003)
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For me, my home and people, plants and whatever in the house is my life!If some days someone takes away my home or displaces me, a dog like me will definitely be heartbroken - into pieces
If it were you, what would you do if in one morning, your house was simply confiscated?
You're a woman who'd been struggling to recover from the wounds of drugs and ruined family life. You didn't pay attention to nonsense letters from the tax bureau that claimed you owed them commercial tax, because you'd never owned any business in your life. But then one day, they came to evict you and took your house that was inherited from your dad to sell for an unbelievably cheap price.
You became a broken-winged bird, wandering around from here to there. The legal aid lawyer was able to make the state accept its mistake
but it was too late as your house had already been sold. Then you started to understand that there's no way the buyer would sell it back to the state in the same price, as he had improved the house with a plan to sell it in a high market price.
If it were you, would you be angry?But I think the important question is, with whom or with what will you be
angry?
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The House of Sand and Fog is a story about the fight between two people - Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) who believed she was the owner of the house and the country but was unfairly evicted, and Colonel Behrani (Ben Kingsley) an Iranian refugee who believed that as human, his family had the right to begin a new life with a home and a country as well.
Actually I think it could've been better if the state officer was not involved like this. The thing is, the unhappy married deputy sheriff (Ron Eldard) happened to have a crash with Kathy and thus, he emotionally wanted to be her savior. And looking at the person who stole the house from his girlfriend? The guy was just a refugee to whom he could give any kind of threats! His involvement made the broken-winged Kathy confused and Behrani outraged. Before each realized that the fierce fight was for nothing - as each are humans and the root cause was actually the distorted social structure, the story ended in tragedy. No one wins and all lose.
Vadim Perelan, the first time director is a Russian immigrant in the US. He made me turn my ears left and right - don't know who's side to take ! Each character including 'the house' was amazingly alive by the stunning performance and cinematography. I just searched for this DVD after coming back from seeing a Korean movie 'The Host' a few days ago. When there's a problem, ordinary people like us are usually set against each other like this, isn't it? And the more the 'difference' can be drawn, the hotter the fight became - fight to win without seeing the other as the human. Anyway, Bong Joon-ho, the Korean director who has been actively participated in people's movement portrayed the 'enemy' in the Host as a 'monster' instead!
And if it were you, what would you do if one day you had to take your wife and kids fleeing from your house and your homeland, just because you had different opinion from that of the powerful.
As a high-ranking military officer, you used to live a luxurious life, but in the new country, even after you've gained citizenship, you are a construction and unskilled worker who are called and treated without respect. Very few care to even call your name correctly.
You tried to maintain your identity and status within the house you stayed, spent almost all saving for your daughter's marriage, and tried to make an honest living by buying a cheap old house to improve for sale. You hope the profits would allow your son to join university. You dream that one day you'll find your wife a nice house as she used to have.
But then one day, you were told to quit the whole plan and leave the whole dream because that house you bought had been unfairly confiscated, or in other words, it was a mistake of the state. You were threatened by a state officer that if you wouldn't agree, he could use his influence in immigration department to deport your family - to danger.
If it were you, would you be angry? But I think the important question is, with whom or with what will you be angry?
This strange creature was mutated from a tadpole in Han River that was polluted by Chemicals from the US. Army base. When the monster jumped out to eat many people, killing even a brave American soldier who resisted, and caught a few people including the daughter of the Park family as its food stock, the grandfather, father, uncle and aunt of the Park family had to come out hunting for it to save the girl on their own.
The Park family was no one powerful or rich. They are only ordinary people who had fight on their own because their government didn't seem to care. Moreover, the Korean government even followed the 'US army game'. News was spread that anyone who had contacts with the monster would become a monstrous virus 'host'. This meant those who resisted against the monster were portrayed a 'monster' instead of a hero. They were detained as prisoners.
The struggle of this family resulted in the loss of the grandfather's generation, but it could wake the father's generation who were lazy shopkeepers, unemployed intellectual and a low-self-esteem female athlete. Even the young girl who was the prey also didn't act as a helpless victim - she bravely protected the younger one and tried her best instead of solely waiting for help.
My tail wagged for many sarcastic scenes - when the father escaped from the detention and opened the door to find American soldiers enjoying a barbeque party, and when the Park family found the way to bring down the monster by ancient bows and handmade bottle-bombs - similar ones to what the uncle used in demonstration against the Korean dictators in his university days.
Bong Joon-ho made this movie from the actual event in 2000 that the US. Military facility disposed of formaldehyde in the Han river. I had quite a few Korean friends and they usually made a kind of face when talking about the influence of the US over every Korean government. I can't imagine what it'll be like if there's a foreign army base in my home here as the same as there in Korea.
Nowadays, many poor people with dark skin, heaps of sweat, in old, dirty and torn clothes, who communicate in a different language from ours may walk around our homes. But believe me! The real monster is inside our house. It has mutated from the distorted structure inside and outside it. And we can't just leave it like that.
Or, how about you try acting like the father in the movie. He finally stopped dyeing his hair yellow and shoved the TV button off when hearing the 'nonsense' about the 'monster',
But with his ears and eyes open to any danger.
Let's look around to see if there's a monster around you - in TV, newspaper, under the table, etc. . .
I'm off to sniff for it too!
You have my tail! Mulan.
The House of Sand and Fog (2003)Director: Vadim PerelmanFrom a book written by Andre Dubus IIIScreenplay : Vadim Perelman and Shawn Lawrence Otto/ Cinematography: Roger Deakins / Music: James Horner / Editing : Lisa Zeno ChurginCasts : Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jonathan Ahdout
The Host (Gwoemul) (2006)Director: Bong Joon-hoScreenplay: Baek Chul-Hyun, Bong Joon-ho, Ha Won-jun/ Cinematography:Kim Hyung-ku/ Music: Lee Byung-woo/ Editing: Kim Seon MinCasts: Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hie-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Du-na, Ko Ah-sung
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â´Â ¹éÓÊŒÁÊÒª٠l Namsom Saichu
à¤ÒлÃÐμ Ù¤ÃÑÇ[email protected]
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Mae Maeh's Lam BonAlthough the path to knock on the Lahu's kitchen door was obstructed by the heavy
rain that ruined the road, the crisis changed into opportunity as I then had a chance to spend a night in another small village at the foot of the mountain. Being inhabited by northern Thais and other ethnic groups, Mae Maeh is a peaceful community of cultural diversity and of equal participation in natural resource management.
I sat watching the 'mother' of this house cooking and talking with the 'father'. This open space kitchen allowed us to have a good, long conversation. 'Lam Bon' cooking needs space for a small campfire in order to grill the bamboo stalk that is stuffed with the ingredients. The nice smell from the grill was very good for my appetite. The scene of a Lam Bon campfire reminded me of the good old days when my grandfather was alive, cooking for the whole family by the fire like this. It's a gathering -eating and talking - of a family in an open kitchen.
Today my kitchen is a small room in a house, with pots and pans suitable to different kind of dishes. However, my daily habit is to open a plastic bag, put the food on a plastic plate and touch a microwave button. I see now; that's why I'm so confused with the relationship between 'kitchen and house' most of the time.
IngredientsYoung Bon leaves, boiled pork skin, bamboo stalk (choose big ones like those for Khao Lam), Tamarind juice, spring onions and parsley, shallots, garlic, dried chili, lemon grass, salt, shrimp paste, and banana leaves, Fresh leaves, sticky rice, and fried pork skin for eating with chili dip
Instructions- Wash the Bon leaves and steam them, - Pound shallots, garlic, chili, lemongrass, salt and shrimp paste well together- Add the steamed leaves and tamarind juice, stir well, and add the boiled pork skin, stir again,- Wash the bamboo stalks and stuff them with the prepared ingredients. Close the top with banana leaves and grilled well,- When it's done, cut the stalk into half. Eat with sticky rice, fried pork skin and fresh vegetables.
Note: It's best to eat the Lam Bon with sticky rice grilled in a bamboo stalk. Cooking this menu is great for the coming cold season.
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áÅÐÍ×è¹ æ[email protected]
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In the past 50 years, capitalist-type development has been promoted and expanded to the entire globe. Thus, Thailand began to adopt National Economic and Social Development Plans that focused on boosting its economy by promoting industrial and service sectors. This type of development heavily affects urban sectors, as services and industry are mostly located in towns and cities. Labor migration from rural to urban areas has caused the high increase in urban population, especially in Bangkok, while the state has not yet prepared for such rapid growth.
The arising problems were inadequately dealt with and unequal opportunity existed with regard to housing, sanitation and infrastructure. Moreover, during this economic boom, land and property businesses were popular; land became highly valuable for profit making rather than for housing. Roads and expressways were constructed to serve the purpose. The result is the mass eviction of the urban poor community everywhere, including those that were under the National Housing Department's care.
The attitude that saw the urban poor as trouble, rather than as the affected by the distortion of social structure, pushed the situation into crisis. The state's effort to improve sanitation and the construction of small apartments for the poor could only address the problem in short term. The structural problem was left untouched and would remain as long as the economically powerful still value the poor' s need for housing less than they value the elite's satisfaction.
During the past 20 years, many people's movements against unjust eviction have been formed. A few non-governmental organizations turned to work with the slum dwellers to find ways to solve housing problems. And when the 'eviction trend' came back in 1998, according to 'Sus-tainable Urban Development' in the 9th National Economic and Social Development Plan, the networks started to campaign for the type of urban development with people's participation. A Four-Region Slum Network was formed by nine small networks including the Community Development Center, Under-Bridge Community Network, Southern and Western Railway-side Community Network, Community Network for Development, Canal-side Network, Prawes Community Network, Southern Region Slum Network, Chiang Mai Urban Community Network, and Ubon Ratchathani Slum Network. The group not only conducted various types of projects in communities, it also advocated for housing rights. They were successful in pushing the government to solve some of the conflicts of evictions, and demanded a national law and a national committee to solve slum people's problems in long term.
The expansion of city without control, planning and good mapping, along with allowing the rich Thai and well-off foreigners to own their 2nd - 3rd - 10th holiday houses while the poor are evicted and moved to new shelters is not different from an expansion of a luxurious balcony while trash and dust are hidden under a carpet. This complicates a sensitive problem; it will not end easily as long as the decision makers and Thai society are not able to under-stand that all humans, as the people who contribute to the country's development and economy, have dignity and the right to adequate housing.
Note: The article was written based information from an article by Chum Chon Tai Foundation in www.chumchonthai.or.th For more information, please contact: [email protected]
The Four-Region Slum Network
â´Â Ô ÍÒà¸Íà l The Other
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I used to be a civil servant, working in the development field with people in the North, especially Nan and Mae Hong Son. The chance to coordinate research with other agencies has allowed me to experience the way of life of the highlanders. At present I'm retired and have come back to live in my hometown. I'm interested in, love, and understand human rights. I read your magazine and honestly admire your aims, policies, articles, columns, illustrations and the artwork. I'd like to subscribe to it and to help distribute it in my area. If you have any old issues left, I'd like to get them in order to learn more. With respect, S.P., Trang
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As a member of the Mekong school, I've had the opportunity to understand the human rights situation in the Mekong sub-region from friends, and to open my eyes to the lives of our friends from Burma through your magazine. I also had the opportunity to live for a short time with Karen families along the Salween River. They have a vehement vitality despite so many threats. It was an unforgettable moment in my life, so I'd like to write this poem for them. I strongly believe in your efforts to promote all human rights for all; and wish you all the best. Respectfully yours, T.L, Vietnam.
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We've published your poem in this issue's Those Words. We're happy to be a forum for the passing of love from Vietnamese friends to the people of Burma. We are One.
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Now I'm working for a bilingual radio program in the South. Sometimes I read your magazine on the air. Sorry I didn't ask your permission first. My friends here like it very much. There are over 30 Thai and international NGOs around and next month there'll be a big conference. I'd be glad to help distribute your magazine. Also, as we've got a library regularly visited by workers, I'd like to subscribe to the magazine and get some back issues too. T.M., Pang-Nga.
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Thanks for helping us send our message to the audience of your radio program. Of course, we are very happy that you do so. Apart from your subscription, we'll send a few more copies for your library too.
WANIDA PRESS
Korean Solidarity Group for 'Friends Without Borders'www.10USD.net
Special thanks tothe Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
Special support from the Houminer family
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Friends Without Borders invites you to share an article or a poem. If you are interested in sharing stories or opinions relating to human rights, marginalized peoples, ethnic nationalities, refugees or migrant workers, please send a manuscript that has never been published before under the theme 'Youth/Young People' (deadline on 31/12/06) and 'Elderly' (deadline on 1/03/07) to P.O.Box 180, CMU, Chiang Mai 50202, or email to [email protected]. The manuscript must be in English or Thai and not longer than 2 ? A4 page (Times 12). The writer's real name, address, phone number and email must be attached. Please let us know if you would like your story to be published under a pen name. The editor reserves the right to edit the select pieces. There will be a small gift and a little honorarium for the writers whose stories are selected.
burnt house, Pasaung Burma, jan 06 Photo from Free Burma Rangers/TBBC