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 !