Lahu New Year at Pong Hai

We were invited  to join Lahu  New Year ceremony  in Pong Hai village. It was  a little sad that we could not join them due to our tight schedule at work.

We look at a photo of Lahu New Year ceremony at Pong Hai in 2006.  It brings back a memory of  happiness and  the beauty of Lahu culture, Ja Kue dancing and Lahu music. 

We are happy our IDPs friends keep their traditional practices. Hope we will be able to visit them soon.

INTERSECTION AHEAD !

On November 26, 2012 the journey of stateless students came into a turning point. The Ministry of Interior annouced its order to issue Thai citizenship for stateless people who lived in or entered  to Thailand within  18 January  1995.

Many of the stateless students who were born in Thailand are under the qualifications  stated in the order. We were happy for this great opportunity.

We set up a forum with our network to prepare for the application processes. We discussed, how to apply, when should we go, what should we take together with the application, who will be our references, and how to keep the record  of our applications. Many things in detail to discuss to ensure they can access to the application processes  effectively.

It is not difficult to prepare evidences, documents and references for the application. We hope to get good and effective services officers.  We hope to come back and meet each other again next week to learn and share the experiences of the applications at our hometowns.

Our journey comes to the intersection and many challengings are waiting. After we pass this step we will be able to work for the others who have the problems of being stateless we onced experienced.

Intersection ahead !

Human rights and laws enforcement

Along the journey with the IDPs and stateless students, we learnt that it was hard to work on  human rights.  The realization of human rights relies on relationship of the rights holder and duty bearers  which  always lead to double standards.

Meeting with a  policy maker and a law professor on stateless students gave us new idea and challenge.  We learnt that it may not be effective to work on human rights advocacy through education, researches, networking, etc. It might be good to work on capacity buildings and  empower people but we also needed to work on laws enforcements through various mechanisms.

There are many mechanisms to support the accessibility of human rights at local,  national and international levels.  Then the stateless students may have to work harder. Besides learning of nationallity laws and regulations, set up a working group and a stateless club, we need to utilize the machanisms to be ducumented as Thai. 

Human rights and laws enforcement..... How to access to the effective mechanisms !

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Young Power .....

Usually the voices of stateless people are unheard and their plights are unseen. The stateless students then decided  to speak out their needs and start taking actions to solve the problems.

Learning of nationality laws and regulations from "A  mobile classroom for stateless people" make them confident to declare their basic human rights under the Thai Constitution and laws. They wanted to move forward to be documented as Thai citizen.

They formed up a club entitled " Kon Run Mai Sai Jai Sun Chat"(New generation care for nationalty). They set up the structure, objectives and operational plan of the club. It was good to see the young people sharings and smilings during the day.  We know there will be many lessons for these young people to learn and many challenges to face after this first step thay take.

The young power looks very great and beautiful to us...... "We are proud of you and we will  support you whenever you need us...." we told them

Rice...the way of life

I see  beautiful golden rice fields along the road to my work.  It is good  to see the rice field  from the beginning until the time of harvesting. It is also very good to breath and smell the rice while walking along the field.

Harvesting time has come and the farmers will earn after their hard working in the field.  Some farmers already select seedstock for next year crop. They walk through the rice field to find the best ear of rice from different locations in the filed. Then they dry the seedstocks under the sun. They have different ways to dry the seedstocks which is very intersting to see.

Rice plays very important role to the way of life of Thai people. We have rice as the main course and many of our traditions and ceremonies linked to the belief on rice.

Rice...the way of life

Rights holders ... Duty holders !

Consequence of the stateless students workshop at NLC. Some students learnt that they are qualified under particular laws and regulations to be documented as Thai. This is a happy news for all of us.

They went to the officers with required documents as evidences to apply their citizenships, but they faced many challanges. No information, suggestions and certain dates were informed to them about  when their applications will be proved.

Some of  them could not hand in the applications. They only got a piece of paper stated  the appointments of application in next year or the year after. The officers did not wrtie down the date of issued in the appointment paper.

Some who were lucky to hand in applications faced another challenge.  It  legally states that the officers must complete the process  within 105 days to inform the applicants of the results. But the stateless students mentioned that they have been waiting for  some 150 days, 365 days and more.  They went to ask the officers about the results of their applications, the answer was "WAIT".

Each  second  is  very meaningful for the stateless students to live their lives. It means the enjoyment of basic human rights. Why make it so complex and difficult ?

 The mandate of  duty holders are to protect, respect and fulfill  human rights of the rights holder. On the other hand they also  have the same mandate for themselves. Rights holders and duty holders are all human being !

" ...All human being are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood..."

Stateless students...

We  went to Nato Learning Centre by a college truck to join a workshop for stateless students at Nato Learning Centre on Monday 22 October, 2012.  There were forty two students with different backgrounds of being stateless at the workshop.

Our facilitator analyzed  the students documents and backgrounds case by case to see how to process the nationality. It was good that backgrounds and documents of some students are helpful to process for Thai nationality under some particular laws, regulations and carbinet resolutions.

Some have to provide more documents, evidences and prepare family trees in order to analyze their cases more clearly. Some have to proof by DNA test which will cost some money. It used to be very expensive to do DNA test but fortunately  there is a source of funding support from an NGOs available. Also the tests  now can be done in Chiangrai  which will help reduce the cost of travel to Chiagmai.

It was sad that some students  were not qualified under any laws. The facilitaor suggested that it may be easier for them to go back and process the citizenship of their home country, as Thailnd does not have any policies for them. It may also be better for them to get jobs and work under ASEAN too. But they did not agree, they resisted that they are Thai.

One girl asked me what should she do when Thailand does not accept her and her home country does not either. She was real stateless as she has no  personal ducument, except a student ID of the college. Her parents also asked her to stop studying after her certificate. They cannot support her for higher education as it also hard for them to earn under the stateless conditions.

Some students submitted their applications for Thai nationalty. They shared that the process take  a  very long time with some difficulties to communicate with the officers. Most officers are not friendly and do not recognize their duties to service people equally. Some mentioned the corruption in the system and process which make it more difficult for them. They still do not get the resutlts from the officers.

Besides sharing  the experiences of nationality processing and accessing to the  basic human rights, we share some updated information of laws and regulations  which may be helpful for them. They were happy to know that recently there is a cabinet resolution  which  allowed the stateless students to travel within the provinces of their residents.

These students are from different ethnic groups and  but they have common problems. It was good to see them discussed and  planned to form up a working group to work together on their problems.

If we only look beyond the laws,  we would see that the stateless students are human being with human dignities and should enjoy their human rights fully, equally and with no discriminations.

I belief once they access to basic rights and education opportunities, they will be important  human resources  to help developing our society in the future.

Unseen plight

Huai Wad is developing well  under  development projects and people earn well from corn plantation, our friend  told us yesterday. Seemed a good news for us.

But then he asked us a question  "Do you think new houses, better road and facilities, new trucks, new TV and more  money to earn really reflect the happiness of  Huai Wad? "

 Hmmmm.. ! !!!!!!!!

Then we said  that money and materials  cannot reflect the happiness of Huai Wad people.  Idealism! one friend complained !!!!!!!!

We asked her "Will you be happy sitting in a comfortable house, eating good food and watching your favourite shows on TV  alone ?  When nobody is sitting, talking  or even sharing the luaghters with you?"

Hmmmmmmmm !!!!!!!

Huai Wad people are  busy themselves with money. They forget their families and  social relationships in the village. More family problems as well as  immoral cases occure in the village. Many of the villagers play gamble even the  young kids. Where is the spirit of love and happiness !

Once the plight of  IDPs at Huai Wad reflected by povery, poor living condition, poor soil and poor rice yield.  At present there is an unseen plight of immorality and loosen of Lahu identity.... that is what we concluded.

We do not know how our Huai Wad friends think and see themselves. They may be happy and satisfy with their new living conditions. They may also see us as outsiders.

However we  wonder how to work on this problem of Huai Wad ...the unseen plight !

The power of nonviolence

Last Sunday we discussed the dynamic of peace and  power of nonviolence in our class of peace and conflict resolution.

A  given situation of a motorcycle gang in a small community. A small gang becomes a big one and being a serious problem of the community. Villagers unhappy with loud noises, fast driving and the fighings among the gangs and outsiders. Then some villagers decided to solve the problems using nonviolence.

The students enjoyed their role play and they achieved the solution well. It was interesting to see them work out together.

 I watched my students plan and work together.  I had many thoughts in my mind. I know that they are communities' leaders who  experience  and implement in many conflict resolutions.

Some of them are the leaders of provincial, regional and national protests , demonstrations  and mobs. Some of them are monks who also take part of the problem solving with their kind hearts.

I am proud of my students, as they have open minds and enjoy learning and sharing together  in the class. We respect each other and we accept our status in class.

I hope the students will be seeds of human rights and non violence parctitioners in their communities.

And... I could not help thinking of  my IDPs friends who can never have a chance to experience the solution of their plight.

Peace and conflict resolution may be more effective among people with similarities than among powerful people and the vulnerable  ones.

Rain and Tear

It rains almost everyday.  As the land was developed with no well plan. Many streets were built up on the water ways.  Problems of flood happen in many places not only the accomodations but also the paddy rice fields and other cultivation areas.

The students just finished their rice planting  as an income generation project yesterday. Today the  rice filed is flooded. All rice seedlings are under water.

I see tears in their  worried eyes...

MOTHER

.......It is going to be a "Mother Day" soon.  Many families prepare special events and gifts for mothers.

.......I  met many mothers along my journey with the IDPs. I do respect them and their motherhoods. They all work hard  for the families both in the houses and in plantation areas. Their love and care for their kids are as great as mothers in other parts of the world. They are happy to live their lives and dedicate themselves to their children and families. Even the kids do not have special events and gifts  for mothers in the villages, they recognize their mothers.

....... When I was young I remember that we love and respect our mother everyday. It is a simple thing to do and very meaningful. Even sometimes we were too naughty and made her crazy.

........It was really sad  and lonely after she passed away. Old women always remind me of her and I do miss her.

..........As a mother I usually wonder how my kids think about me !  Do they miss me when I wander to the villages and other places?  Will they think of me when I am not with them ?

........Let's share our best wishes to all mothers of the world....MOTHER....MOTHER....MOTHER. !

Pang Pun Kun Doo: Steps of memory

Pang Pun Kun Doo: Steps of memory
http://muaykae.blogspot.com/

Insufficiency

Education is a mean to shape up and develop man power of the society. Investment in education is a mean to sustainable society. But insufficiency seems to be a challenge at Nato learning centre.

The remote location of the centre is not a good inspiration for teachers. The long and widing road  along hilly areas is risky especially during the rainy season with soil erosion, mud and flood. But smiling faces of the satudents always cheers the teachers up after adventurous trips to the centre.

Students at the centre are descendants of Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Hmong, Shan, and Chinese. They study actively in the classes with many questions and  many ideas to share. The classes are always full of joy and laughters.

When teachers cannot come they do self study and work together with calssmates to complete the assignments in a small library and search information at a few computers with internet access. The seniors students teach the junoir students and they even go and teach small students at elementary schools nearby.

They also have their own farms of their interests; pigs, chicken, fishes, flowers, fruits, vegetables and coffee. The farms are their skill practicing areas as well as sources of their income. They conduct simple researches to improve the production cycle or solve some problems under the advices of their teachers.

The students  live their lives happily under the insufficiency. They utilize and share the limited resources available carefully and never complain of any difficulties at the centre.

Insufficiency may be bitter for many people, but not for the students at Nato Learning Centre.

The People Power

My IDPs friends and I used to wonder how the people power help solving the problems in their villages. It was hard to work things out in slient and could not get recognitions from authorities. Year by year along our journey some friends dropped out of our working as they did feel it was hopless and too tired to go on.

Many of the friends from Migrant Laotians also quitted along the way during our working on  documentation for Thai citizenships process. It was much easier for them to go under the corruption system to get the citizenship. It was regret, but it was their own choice.

People power may take sometimes, long time or forever to get to our goals. Just keep the beief of its power and trying to move on along this endless journey.

Now we have come to another significant step on the issue of Indigenous People. Our networking completed and sent a shadow report of ICERD to the committee in Geneva. It was good to see the fruitful result of people power where many people come together to work on it.

People Power is nothing when we do not belief it's value in creation of changes for the better!

Missing home...

I love  the countryside where I grown up. It is  always lovely to watch the hilly areas around home, the green areas with many trees and colorful with flowers.The sounds of birds singings waking me up in the mornings.

It makes me smile whenever I think of my childhood, sitting at the back of a motobike while my father riding home after school. looking at the sky, and the clouds, imagine myself wandering from one cloud to another. Jumping and dancing  across the gaps between the clouds, and laying  down somewehere look like a bed.

Spending some days in a big city of high technology is not a new experience but feel something missing. Taking MRT to be away from the complexicty of shopping centers. Enjoy myself in a vegetable farm and the charm of the countryside.

My Singaporean friends introduced it as a traditional veggie farm. But I think it is more technology than the farm at home. Similar kinds of veggies but different practices. Farmers here are as kind as farmers at home.

Do not  mind the methods of farming but enjoy being in the places similar to home. A simple place but with a recognition that being with nature is the way of  sustainable living. Technology may be something we enjoy but it will be changing and effecting environment and our livings in many ways.

Got  back to the  city late in the evening, walking along the street, imagine the sun set behind the buildings somewhere. Feeling lonely in the crowd. Missing the beautiful sun set at the end of the rice filed and the shy moon rise up in the sky somewhere near the wood at home. .... Yes, missing home !

 

A water project at Nato

The Natoe Learning Centre(NLC) is an initiative of the Royal Princess.  The centre is located in theTambon  Mae Salong Nai, Mae Fah Luang District, some ninety kilometres from the city of Chiang Rai, near the border with Burma. 

 The learning centre offers certificate and diploma level courses in agriculture to students in the catchment area who would otherwise not have the opportunity to continue with their education after seconadry schools.  The area is mostly inhabited by ethnic hill tribe peoples who are most at risk of exploitation when they venture in to larger centres seeking employment.

It is already five years of NLC operation. We have the first batch of certiificate and diploma graduants who greatly success in their jobs and furthur studies. The ones who get jobs send  money back to their parents which is a great impact to the villagers on their perception of education. They send more of their children to Nato, even before that they usually asked their children to quit from school and work with them in the plantation areas of upland rice and corn. Some children were asked to work as labours in the cities as sources of income for the families.

NLC is lack of water due to the earth quake and land slide and one pupming system is not functioned.  So there was some discusions among Nato staff and our team. We surveyed the possibilty to draw hill water system to NLC.

Fortunately there is a village named Pong Hai located at a higher level and near NLC. The villagers there have a high recognition of NLC in education, shape up  and developing their children. They agreed to share their hill water to NLC.We will have to line PVC down from the village to NLC forr some 2.5 kilometers and we have to build sediment tanke at a smakk hilll behind NLC. Another challenge  of our journey !

We have not statrted the water project yet as all materials have to be prepared for the constructions. This hill water system will be  working together among the  villagers, the parents of the students, the students and teachers at NLC and our foundation team.  A small workshop of hill water system and an interesting outdoor classroom for all of us.

Huai Wad 2012

Huai wad village was involuntary relocation from their homeland under the government policies on war of drug and  Tham Pha Tai National Park in 2003. The Lahu at Huai wad faced many difficulties  to live their life in the new place. Poor soil and lack of water and sources of income generation were the main challenges.

Have been working together there for some  10 years. We saw  some babies grown up before our eyes. They were the young kids working actively with us on water projects in 2010. Such a great thing!

We visited Huai Wad in April 2012, feel good to be back with many smiling faces of our Lahu frends again. Some familiar faces disappeared as some passed away and some moved to other villages.  The young kids grown up to be guys and girls.

It was a good and happy time to meet them and discuss with them again after some months of  busy works  which keep us lost contact with them.

Our friends stop growing rice as they can earn more from corn. They buy rice from local people in the villages nearby. They open new land more and more for corn plantation to get more and more money. Many trees were cut down  many new houses were build and there were many new small trucks in the village. Also they built fences around their houses. They stop thinking about set up hill water to the village. The head of the village metioned to us that "The hill water is for hill people, we are now people in town so we better look for electricity and tap water".

The journey of  IDPs oat Huai Wad  is going to a turning point. The future is based on what they priactice and decide today. Still a long way to go and more to learn.

Wiang Klang Moo 21: Another water storage in need



The village of Wiang Klang Moo 21 is composed of some 131 households and some 600 population of Lisu and Kon Muang groups. We did a few surveys in a Lisu village. The existing dam capacity is not enough to provide water to the village especially in dry season.

 

Wiang Klang Moo11: How to increase water storage capacity?

 
Wiang Klang Moo 11 is located in Tambon Mae Kao Tom, Muang District, Chiangrai,Thailand. There 219 households and some 1025 people living in the villages. The population of the village composed of Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Lua, Thai  people from Isaan and local nothern Thai. There is a hill water system in the village but not enough dam to storage water. Sopeople face  lcak of water during the dry season usually begins from February to June. A few survey were done together with the villagers  for an additional dam to store water.

A new chapter of my journey, still a long way to go

Journey with the IDPs in northern Thailand is a long and endless one for me. However I do enjoy what happened along the way. Many changes in the IDPs communities which make their living easier. Many more people as students, researchers,monks, businessmen, lecturers, villagers. lawers, educators, and engineers both in Thiland and Australia joined me along the way. Then we gradually formed a group of volunteers named "Dai Dai Dai " team for our working together. It was very interesting and  enjoyable working in the multi - cultures of  Thai- Australia- Lahu-Akha- Lisu- Kon Muang , etc.

Now  it is not just only a journey with the IDPs as more villages in need of water keep contact  us, also some more topics as  undocumented people, commuity rights  are involved. More networking at local, regional and international are learning and sharing with us.

We then decided to register our foundatin named "The Sustainable Community  Foundation" which aims to  enhance and support 1) the development of highland communities with sustainability 2)  the development of projects on small potable water resources in the communties 3) the development of alternative agriculture and farming system 4) the education service for highland communities 5) the participatory process of community  for research and community studies.

Now the Sustainable Community Foundation is registered legally. Wow ! such a great thing to us. At this transitional period, we realize  more taskes and more chanllenings. So it would be good to involve more younger generation as well as the ethnice highlanders themselves to carry on the taskes together.

I hope to see a group of volunteers to carry on working together and more ethnic highlanders being self -relianced at the end of the journey. Even I am not sure I still be alive to see such beautiful thing.

This  is a new chapter of my journey and still a long way to go!