Freedom of Movement Issue by Friends Without Borders Foundation

Hello again! The first news in this issue is directly for our members. Recently we just tried to improve our member system so if any of you haven't received the magazine regularly, please contact us and we'll correct our mistake immediately. There are 3 months left for those who are interested in participating our 'Songs Without Borders' project. As the project is mainly open for newly composed Thai songs, we'll be really appreciated if our English speaking friends would help by sending the news to your Thai friends including, of course, the indigenous peoples in Thailand. The next news is from the Non-Violence Network. The 2nd Non-Violence Festival will be organized at the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University 2nd -3rd November. There will be academic seminars, workshops, cultural performances and a local products market. For more information, please contact the Research Center for Peace Building, Mahidol University, 02-8496074. Lastly, there will be a photo Exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x153;Worry and Loveâ&#x20AC;? By Kornkrit Jianpinidnan during 7 September â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7 October 2007 at F Gallery 3 & Hatena 20 Nimmahemin Soi 11, Chiang Mai (a green Japanese restaurant, on the right hand side before the intersection) All are welcomed. See you in November!

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Editorial Team Pim Koetsawang Supattra Choklarp Translator S. Kanchana Kanokchan Pattanapichai Pornsuk Koetsawang English Editors Sabrina Gyovary Venessa Lamb Contributors Sing Suwannakij Natchanon Naepawtae Wasu Sriyapai and other friends Art Editor Wantanee Maneedang Member and Distribution Supattra Choklarp Printer Wanida Press

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. 180 ! . ". ! 50202 # ./ $%& 053-336298 E-mail: borders@chmai2.loxinfo.co.th We are happy to receive comment, suggestions, and articles from all of you. Please contact, FRIENDS WITHOUT BORDERS P.O. Box 180, Chiangmai University P.O., Chiang Mai 50202 Thailand Phone & Fax: 053-336298 E-mail: borders@chmai2.loxinfo.co.th www.friends-without-borders.org

few years ago, on the river bank in Luang Phrabang, my eyes caught a glimpse of middle-aged man who was enjoyably tiptoeing in the sand, greeting and talking to boat owners in Thai, and occasionally stopping to take photos of the scenic view. I'd rarely seen a man of his age and of this simple character traveling alone so enthusiastically. The friendly man greeted me and introduced himself. He said that this was his first time in Laos, and in fact, it was his first time out of the country and even his first time out of Udon Thani province. His application for Thai citizenship was just approved a few days ago, after living here over 40 years and being born in this country. His parents were Vietnamese refugees fleeing the French suppression in 1946. The Thai authorities issued them stateless minority ID cards, which do not guarantee the right to travel or move. He told me that once the ID card was in his hand, he started traveling - all over the northeastern region of Thailand and then crossed to Laos. His next plan was to go to Vietnam to see his roots, although he knows no relatives there. While preparing Friends Without Borders 'Freedom of Movements' issue, I was very delight to hear that some of the displaced Thai friends who told their stories through 'From the Edge of the Margins' in the last two issues came up to Chiang Mai for the 'Thailand Indigenous Peoples' Day'. I knew it wasn't easy for these friends, whose freedom of movement was denied, to join such an honorable event. Most Thai people do not think about this type of freedom; there have been very few claims and demands because we are in such a legal status that allows us to go anywhere we want. Yet, the fact remains that in this country, there are over a million people who are not legally able to leave their restricted areas, either a province or a refugee camp. Many have spent their lives from birth to death only inside the unseen fence. This might be considered normal and justified for some who believe that the state must control the movement of stateless indigenous peoples, migrant workers, and refugees, so that they could not come out to 'create problems' against others. Those who will think twice are able to see that such justifications stem from only the senseless fear of people who are 'different' from us. Moreover, people who experience a life where meeting relatives, joining religious activities, traveling to hospitals, schools, or work outside restricted areas breaks the law are unable to experience a 'normal' life. The magazine manuscript was completed on August the 19th, in a dull political atmosphere. It seems that some unseen powers are trying to lure us with a scene of only two alternatives; we have only the choice of accepting dependence on one of the two groups, or between losing freedom of one form, or another. Yet, we believe free human will be able to see and find a way to walk out of these unnatural and unjustified cages. It's the long road ahead. Let's join the journey.

With faith in human dignity, Pim Koetsawang

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RICKSHAW â&#x20AC;Ś THE ROAD TO FREEDOM n modern times when effective traveling depends on speed, everyone wishes to arrive at their destination as quickly as possible so as to enjoy as many activities as they can. Thus the popular mode of transport has changed. All other enjoyable things along the path, such as life scenes along the road or interactions and interdependence between travelers, are ignored. In the old days, rickshaws used to be an important mode of transport that connected a different society. Rickshaw taxi riders, however, are viewed as hard laborers: inferior to other people. And in these days when everything moves so fast, how can rickshaws remain popular? Many simply view them as a symbol of the past or a sell-able product of exotic, Eastern culture. Some link rickshaws to a cultural promotion campaign or even an energy consumption reduction campaign according to the trend of global warming awareness. These fashion trends come and go while rickshaws still exist as rickshaws. They remain intact for many lives who choose them to be one of their first choices. For rickshaw taxi riders, riding rickshaws is not only an act of transporting a passenger from one place to another. The meaning is more than skin deep. Amidst all the changes, rickshaw taxis waiting at the Chiang Mai Gate Market continue to be alive, thanks to support from sellers and passer-by. "It's a matter of interdependence, just like between water and boats, or tigers and forests" said Uncle Nuan who has earned his living on rickshaw taxi service for more than 20 years. "We help our passengers do other things. We help them carry heavy goods and belongings from the rickshaws to their doors or even inside the houses. These sellers are not only passengers but also our long-time friends." Nuan's opinion fits well with Aunt Yao's story. "I have been using the rickshaw taxi service for years. My house is around the corner. Every morning at around 4-5 o'clock, the rickshaw taxi riders will come to pick me up, and of course load my products to deliver them at the market. The driver will come back to pick me up from the market around noon when the morning market finishes. They always take very good care of all my belongings and goods. Well, the fee might be a bit more costly than the 4-wheeled taxis, but I consider the extra for their very reasonable labor," said Aunt Yao.

Rickshaw taxi riders, generally own their rickshaws, and live as part of the local community. They are someone people can rely on. Uncle Mongkol, a 50-year old who rides his rickshaw around Chiang Mai Gate, always helps his neighbors in Pa Daed District. "Sometimes, when old people who live by themselves own are sick, I take them to the hospital. I also talk with the doctors and look after their medication." "We don't have a luxurious life but it's sustainable. We earn enough to live. Changing from rickshaw to a Tuk Tuk or motorcycle taxi? No way! It is too costly for rental and fuel. Most importantly, riding rickshaws may be tiring but I feel good. I don't have to work hard just to earn enough to cover the costs." Uncle Chai, another rickshaw owner, explained the reasons of his choice before Pao, the youngest rickshaw taxi driver who has only 7-8 years experiences of this career said, "Some people think that riding a rickshaw is too hard. They think that it's not a cool job to do. But in fact, we have more freedom in our lives. We may have to wake up early but our day finishes early, around noon or early afternoon. We decide the price. I can ask for the price I am happy with and the customers can negotiate. Then I can choose whether I want to take it or not, going or not going. There is no arranged queue, no price cutting. Everything all depends on us." "If they will promote rickshaw taxis - people would care more, of course, that would be great," said Uncle Chai. "But I understand that, in these days, there are other alternatives which are easier and faster like owned cars and 4-wheeled taxis. A rickshaw taxi might not be available on main roads that many people travel, too. I think it is better that the passengers have a choice. Once I heard the government said it would launch a conservation program or campaign to promote rickshaw taxis as alternatives but then nothing concrete happened. So I think I'd better concentrate on my daily life and work and be satisfied with it. As simple as that!" In these modern times, it is easy to travel anywhere. We don't have to ask anyone to use their hard labor to take us to the destination. But how can we be sure that we have greater freedom provided by the speed of machines? Do we really believe in the rules of the new world, that faster means better, more valuable, and more free ?

Patthaka Ratta

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DANCERS OF CHANCES Swede - whose Asian look belied her nationality (she later told me that her parents were resettled Korean refugees) - whom I met on the ferry from Okinawa to Taiwan told me this: "I chatted with a friend online the other day. She said she's 'still in London' though I never knew before that she went there. It's the first time in a long while that I again became conscious of this strange feeling: we are worlds apart, living in different time of the day, perhaps different days, but in the cyber-world, it's timeless and spaceless: the real time is the only time we spent with these words, flat images and windows. Through typed characters, she talked to me about her life there in her own ways, and it seemed to me that she had not changed much. She was talking about going back to Hanoi. Even with this full freedom to move, it seems as if we always carry our 'selves' around: wherever we go, although the surface of everything changes, after a while we will encounter the same problems, as if we are forever locked inside that no-space/time state, and cyberspace is just a reflection of usâ&#x20AC;Ś". On another occasion, I read about this from somewhere: "â&#x20AC;ŚIbn Khaldoun could in the 14th Century sing the praise of Nomadism, which brings people 'closer to being good than settled peoples because theyâ&#x20AC;Ś are more removed from all the evil habits that have infected the hearts of the settlers'. However, in modern times, it has been seen as disregard of territory and boundarydrawing efforts, and not having any fixed address is considered as unpredictable, dangerous, and ultimately an 'underclass'. Yet, in the fluid stage of modernity, the settled majority is ruled by the nomadic and exterritorial eliteâ&#x20AC;Ś Traveling light is now an asset of power." Without any clear conclusion, all these made me think of another occasion when a friend said that he missed his grandfather because he "â&#x20AC;Śoften thought of the conversations we had some years before he died. I was young then but I enjoyed traveling through his stories and submerging myself into the images that I created along the storyline, by using the stock of memory-pictures in my limited, young mind - listening, half-awake, half-dreaming. He told me that he almost decided to go to Singapore instead of the Northeast Thailand. Bangkok was dangerous then for Chinese migrants as there were crackdowns against the migrants by the near-police state at the time. Listening to this, I was shocked, almost angry, to the idea that just one flip of decision - if he chose Singapore - life would be very different for my grandfather, and he wouldn't have met my grandmother in the northeast, and then there would be no me. My existence is just a sheer coincidence - a result of migration, forced or otherwise, of history and politics, of tiny decisions, of feelings and emotions, of love and hatred, hidden in the dusty corners of memories of generations, of the endless movements of Life - almost irrelevant and utterly indifferent to me. We are travelers of coincidences, dancers of chances, beyond any rule."

7 KOREA HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH CENTER

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TOO LONG OF A WAY TO REACH! e are too far away to reach each other. For other people in the world, this statement may refer to geographical barriers or a lack of public transportation. However, Korean people of both North and South Korea do not see distanceas an obstacle. It is only about 200 kilometerss from Seoul, Republic of Korea to Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea but North and South Koreans cannot visit each other without both governments' permission. Freedom of movement is a basic human right, equal to the right to correspondence and communication. Yet Koreans are totally deprived of these fundamental rights due to both their governments' mutual suspicion - a tragic result of the Superpowers' political game. In 1945, right after independence from Japanese rule, the former Soviet Union and the US tried to dominate, or possess, this land. A borderline was drawn to divide the Korean peninsula, as a solution. Until today, the US has maintained its influence in the South while the former Soviet Union supported the North. The drawn borderline divided Korean families. Individuals live in one country with their relatives in the other. A son cannot visit his mother, and a daughter cannot visit her father. A family's gathering to celebrate their grandparents' birthday is impossible, as is a small congratulations card or a telephone call. Of course, one may witness a televised reunion of divided Korean families, but it was a very special event organized by both governments that lasted for merely a couple days. The division of the Korean peninsula does not mean only the births of two states, but also the births of enemies. Both North and South Korean governments defined each other as foes and constantly suspect their own citizens as spies. Communication and visits are prohibited. To send a short caring note is a serious crime; an act of providing beneficial information to the enemy. To help relatives or North Korean refugees is even worse. That is an act of infiltration - a threat to national security. It is not a high mountain or a wide, raging river, but both countries' national security laws that have restricted freedom of movement and communication of the citizens of both Korean; two countries with people of the same race, language, history of struggle, culture and art. With regard to national security, two hundred kilometers have become an impossible distance.

** The writer is a member of the steering committee of the Korea Human Rights Research Center

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THE CONDITIONS OF FRIENDSHIP t was a tiny river where only a few footsteps could make their way across. The water ran up north. People flew across the bridge, carrying goods and money that were exchanged between the two sides of the river. Only a few minutes were left before the whistle signaling the closure of the checkpoint would be heard. A few hungry dogs slowly ran across the borderline - without a border pass. Dim sunlight turned the hurried crowd into dark shadows - as small as ants compared to the giant tourism billboard on the other side of the bridge side. Then, the whistle was blown, and no one dared continue crossing the Mae Sai-Thachilek border. In the silence, a loud splash was heard from the opposite side of the river. All kinds of refuse, including bottles and plastic bags, touched the Sai River. Bang! And all became silent again.

Words from a phone conversation were recorded on a crumpled piece of paper, folded into a small piece to be kept in a trouser pocket. "I haven't seen your face for years. I'd like to go visit you sometime. I thought I'd like to visit my cousin in Suphanburi, or go back to see my mum. But I didn't do any of these. Or in other words, I couldn't do either. "Now I'm okay - better than 10 years ago when we got to know each other. Sometimes I thought about the friends at the construction site. All of us, Laotian, Khmer, Mon, Burman, and Isan workers, were cheated of our wages. Those from Isan left the place to find other jobs but the rest of us had no where to go. How could we leave, right? If I was seen in the front street, I might be arrested by the police. "Now I have a work permit and a good employer. I also can speak Thai much better than before. It's not difficult for us Mon to learn Thai because we have been living together since history, right? I guess in ancient time, all peoples might speak the same language. My Karen friends said so too." Upon the script of Soe's words, there appeared a blurred picture of the 20 Muslim Rohingya workers from Burma who were arrested in Ranong. The people, despite their settlement on the Bangladesh-Burma long before the borderline was drawn, are denied citizenship by the Burma's government and have to constantly find a way out. As Bangladesh wasn't willing to accept more than the hundred thousand Rohingyas they have already taken, the people turned to Thailand, with an aim to head further to Malaysia. The scene of an immigration bus arriving in Mae Sot overlaid the words. Twenty Rohingya were deported but found no way to get back home from there. The group was restrained and returned to the south to be deported from Prachuab Khirikhan. "You know I've become an interpreter for workers who faced problems too. There were people who were sold to a big ship - locked-up in there, floating on the sea for a few years with no wages; beaten and kicked instead. They fled when the ship was on shore and got assistance to file a lawsuit. I helped interpret for them. The employer negotiated to pay only 20,000 baht compensation for each. Well, they were forced to be in a ship surrounded by the sea like a prison wall; they were inhumanly treated while working hard for three

years. As if they can be compensated with only 20,000 baht!? "I know how it feels to be sold. I remembered when they put me in the back of a pick-up truck, I felt so excited. I was so glad to be able to get out of Burma, and travel freely. But then I became to understand that the 'freedom' was a lie; I didn't go to the place I wanted to; only where they wanted me to go. I reached many provinces in Thailand, but none of them were my choice. Even when I was arrested, do you remember? In the cell, where the flood reached half of my shin, I comforted myself by thinking that maybe that was a good chance to go back home. But then I found I was sent up to Mae Sot, instead of Sangklaburi. I've never known Mae Sot or Myawaddy and had no idea how to get to my hometown from there. Well, sometimes we liked to make a joke about these kinds of experiences - we said we have been everywhere that we have never dreamt of." The damp smell in the temporary cell that kept the crowed migrant workers including Soe was combined with the musty smell of the crowed cell in Nong Kai, where over 50 Hmong asylum seekers from Laos, including small babies, have been detained since last year. A coil of barb-wired was stretched to make a fence. These people inside the fence could be a bit luckier than the first group in cell as deportation - back to persecution - was not promised so soon. Over 7,000 Hmongs are allowed in a refugee camp in Phetchabun, which is very well-guarded; no new arrivals are allowed. Yet, their claims for fear of life-threatening danger were not well heard. "I used to tell you, remember? I'll return to Burma once the country has freedom. You asked me what I meant by 'freedom'. At the time I concerned most with my livelihood because over there I couldn't work and eat as I had wanted. But now I can think of another thing. You see, here in Thailand I can work to feed myself, but I'm not so sure I have freedom. There are many basic things I want to do and I can't. No matter how much money I earn, I can't go visit you or other friends, because this work permit allows me to exist only in this one province. Also, if I could go anywhere like other people, like Thai people, I could help many more workers than I can now. The whispers of the Shan, Kachin, Lahu and other ethnic workers from Burma in Chiang Mai became louder. The 8 PM curfew for all migrants sounded scary. Yesterday Seng's, Hnum's, Kham's mobile phones, as well as Sai Sai's secondhand motorbikes were confiscated by the police, according to the new rules here. "Will you come to the Mon New Year event next year? I'd like to see you. I really meant that. I'm not used to telephoning much, but here in Thailand I have to use a phone instead of seeing people in person. In fact, I don't feel comfortable asking you to come visit me. If I could, I'll be willing to go, no matter how far it is, to see a friend. Sometimes I feel so small because I can't control my life. I mean, the ability to befriend someone, to continue the friendship, and to meet face

to face doesn't depend on me. It depends on the other person. If you don't come to see me, I have no way to see you. For this, I'd like to apologize to you too because it's like I give you such a big burden. I understand that well; it's like that between me and my mum too. If I don't go see my mum, she has no way to come here. I have to make all the decisions regarding my relation with her. "Well, actually I can say I've got used to it now. The nature of friendship for people like me is like this. When we get to know and say goodbye to someone, we have to understand that it could be the last time to see each other. And we can do nothing else but miss them, not forget about them, and let the story end on that day - no further stories." Dan might be on the plane on his way to resettle in the third country, and our friendship may need to be kept in the memory box permanently; it was born on the first day of his being in exile in Thailand, ten years ago. The last picture recorded of him was five years ago, when the gate of Tham Hin refugee camp in Rachaburi was closed to outsiders. Dan's eyes were red and hollowed when he said, maybe they want us to feel as though it's unbearable to be here, so that we will leaveâ&#x20AC;Ś. At the same time that Dan is probably flying, over 200 Karens have fled from cruel war to the border at Mae Sarieng, only to face an unseen barrier and be turned back to join the other 300 Karen who are camping near the borderline, waiting for the door to safety to open. "Lately I've been thinking about going back to live in Ye, Mon state. I may be able to do some good things there. See if they will arrest me or kill me! Many things I've learnt here could be beneficial for people back home, right? This is also why I want to see you once again. If I really can go back, it will be difficult to return here, and there is no way I can invite you to visit me at home, the same as I cannot visit you in Chiang Mai. But as I said, I'm probably used to it already. Sometimes I have to remind myself that although we don't have freedom to go anywhere, we are still free people - free to think and be friends with anyone. The words stop at the end of the paper. At the back of the piece there was a short note of news, it said that three Karenni refugees who tried to cross back to Karenni state were captured and executed by Burma's army. The tiny and narrow river flew fast after the heavy rain. A few hungry dogs were running back and forth the border gate with no fear of human rules. The last bit of sunlight was about to leave the day and create a stretching, giant shadow of the dogs on the bridge's, compared to the big tourism billboard. All kinds of refuse were still mercilessly being thrown into the Sai river. They fell on the edge of the margin and flowed along the current, moored on the Thai side with no sound, with no one to care, be suspicious or fear. There was no sign of borderline protectors and human rules. July 2007

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THE TWO-THOUSAND-YEAR PASSAGE ome say that the ultimate desire of people is freedom. Many believe that humanity becomes powerful because human beings know the freedom of movement. Some insist that arbitrary detention ruins human dignity. But why, after thousands of years of civilization, there remain stories where human dignity is threatened? Or in fact, situations exist where freedom and human beings cannot live together? Or actually, human beings never truly know freedom? Is it possible that freedom has never existed? With this assumption above, it seems like I am quite hopeless with the future of humanity. On the contrary, deep inside me, I still believe that we, human beings, will find ways to live together peacefully. There will be ways for us to create a peaceful society where people care for one another - without weapons, tools, conditions and rules to abuse and suppress one another. Well, think about this. Since the very beginning of civilization over 2,000 years ago, we have created different schools of thought and social systems. Why, when our society has been developing for over 2,000 years, are we in such big mess, from the very grassroots up to global level? Have you ever heard how Thai students, as well as Japanese and others, committed suicide just because they failed exams or failed to get into the desired university? Who would ever think such issue could cause one to cut their life short? We have created social norms, practices, rules, and values which are illusions and do not encourage people to see the true value of being human. We, parents and teachers, cage the thoughts of the younger ones by promoting values of competition - to be No.1 and winners of all time. Let's look at a bigger picture, I doubt why I have to go through complex procedures just when I want to witness the beauty of the Burmese's Shwedagon, explore the beauty of the Laotian's Luang Prabang or cherish the Khmer's amazing Angor Wat. Why we have to create a borderline as a barrier although we never really see where it is. Even worse, such a line does not only keep outsiders out of the country, it also cage the insiders within the boundary. At another level- we accept we are living in the globalization era. We are living in the liberalism era and most countries adopt a form of liberated capitalism. It is believed that market competition will create fair trade bring greater benefits to human beings. But remember the economic crisis in Southeast Asia in 1997? There were different explanations about the causes; exceeding investment by Thai investors, too many foreign loans, too much liberalization, etc. The fact that the Thai baht was heavily attacked by foreign funds and created such a domino financial crisis was mostly ignored because it seemed that people accept, living in the liberated capitalism system, we have to be open to such a possibility and try to minimize risks on our own. This shows that the liberated economy system is truly powerful in the world. Money and capital flow freely without borders. It can go in and make profits in any corner in the world without limits. The negative impacts, such as people becoming unemployed after companies went bankrupt, which also affect their families and society at large, are ignored because everyone seems to accept these consequences are possible. This is what has happened and continues to exist. We might be perplexed with many incidents that happened as a result of human action, the action of human beings who value freedom. We have traveled on this passage for more than 2,000 years. How long will it take until I see what I have expected?

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FLAME OF MY THOUGHTS How many lives, at birth, have found themselves in a cage, with their rights restricted to chose only from select choices? If this fact was known to all human seeds, they would choose to be sown only in free land. Isn't it difficult to comprehend why the stateless, as a result of racial discrimination, have been boxed in, restricted? Equally incomprehensible is why, when an ID card is not in one's hand, are a person's natural rights consequently denied? Our friends have not immigrated here for qualities of attractiveness or extravagance. Human rights violations have pushed them to come and sell their labor; one by one; from one generation to the next. Here, you - my friends - have poverty as your chief, freedom as your inspiration and faith as your immunization. Though the rice being eaten is comparable to vomit, this life is a better than the one in the place where human rights are intentionally ignored.

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May my faith be with all the human seeds that grow, liberated, in foreign lands. May my love be with my friends, the travelers - the peace-loving, marginalized people who left the jungle for cities in neighboring Thailand.

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THAILAND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' DAY DECLARATION We, comprising of representatives from the Indigenous Peoples Network in Thailand, the new-Thai group, the displaced Thai group, the Moken, the Moklen, the Urak Lawoi, and non-governmental organizations organized Thailand's Indigenous Peoples Day in order to present the problems and demands regarding indigenous peoples' rights, according to the universal human rights principles. We are here, in front of the ThreeKings Monument, Chiang Mai, to present our declaration. We declare that the land, nature, rivers, the sea, and mountains are our spirits and way of lives. Our language, culture and ethnic diversity are our just rights and liberties. The nation state that was formed after our existence on our land must respect and not violate the indigenous peoples' human dignity. We declare that indigenous peoples in Thailand and in this world are brothers and sisters of humanity. We are friends of all peoples in this world; we are not your enemies. We are not to be detested or be scared by all you visitors; in fact, we have been exploited. We have been invaded by the state and capitalism, in the name of development. We declare that the rights, liberties and human dignity of every indigenous person are our intention. It is our mission to advocate for equal and just treatment and respect. In order that such rights, liberties and human dignities will be truly enjoyed by all, We declare the 9th of August of each year to be Thailand's Indigenous Peoples Day, and the establishment of the Indigenous Peoples Network of Thailand, That will walk forward to create peace and harmony in the global indigenous society, and advocate for the rights, liberties and human dignity of the indigenous peoples in Thailand and around the world to be truly enjoyed. With respect and faith in the way of life and human dignity of all peoples, Declaration read at the Three Kings Monument, liberated Lanna, Chiang Mai on 9 August 2007 The Indigenous Peoples Network in Thailand

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WHEN NATURE WALKS trong sun reflected on sweat on determined faces in the indigenous peoples march flowing along main streets of Chiang Mai on August 9, the World Indigenous Peoples' Day. Prue Odochao, who, two years ago, carried his hope all the way from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on his two feet, was at the end of the procession. Driving his old pickup truck with a megaphone in his right hand, he explained to people on both sides of the streets the intention of the march. The procession reached the Three Kings monument and Uncle Jorni, Prue's father, went up stage and presented the Declaration on the Thailand Indigenous Peoples' Day. Prue and I then sat down under a tree and started our talk.

"Teachers taught me that the hilltribes destroyed the forests and I believed so. But later I learnt that our way of life is actually a very natural life of conservation. We live up in the mountains, deep in the forest. Our right to traditional livelihood is restricted. The laws regarding forestry and land made us live in fear. We couldn't sleep. We couldn't eat. We were arrested and detained. We were terrified even of the sound of an airplane, a car or a motorcycle. It wasn't only me. The entire village was. (laughs) Then I started to ask myself questions, 'Why fear? Why didn't we have enough rice?' These are not NATURAL conditions. Mother nature provides us a comfortable life but the problems are human-made. Then I learnt to understand my rights and universally accepted human rights. I learnt that Thailand is committed to various treaties that require equal treatment to all peoples regardless of ethnicity and race. I learnt that according to international practice, people who live before a law is enacted do have rights. We have been living here before any forestry bills, so we have to fight. Justice is with us! "The struggle isn't as easy as I used to think. It has taken a long time till today. I'm a hilltribe with an ID card so I can travel. I went throughout the country and exchanged our problems with other grassroots groups. We disseminated information, campaigned and demonstrated to stop forced relocation of the indigenous peoples out of the forests and proposed the People's Community Forest Bill. "The campaign walk from Chiang Mai to Bangkok was inspired by a Dhamma walk we participated a long time ago. We heard that a government's version of a community forest bill might be picked up. We know that the Thaksin government cut the people off; they didn't discuss anything with us. Demonstrations were even attacked by dogs and gangster released by the authorities. We then thought a walk should be the safest way. Villagers walking out of the forests could be called a "Natural walk". Any attack against us wouldn't be justified. We planned to arrive in Bangkok during the time when two bills, ours and the government's, would be discussed in the parliament. This time our movement used a cool approach, rather than the hot one like before. If we went with an obsession with the bill, we will get nothing. I suggested that this walk should empower us as individuals too. "There were tens of agreements, like rules, for example, to ensure that we would walk peacefully. No smoking and making noises during the walk. Some even prayed while walking. About 20 people walked all the way to Bangkok. Another 50-100 people joined the walk from time to time until the end. We distributed leaflets, explained our causes, and asked for supported signatures for our People's Community Forest Bill. Sometimes I had to leave the group to campaign somewhere nearby. We tried to pass through communities so that we could reach as many people as possible. We met other people's movements; those suffered from dams, affected from rock grinding plants in Phitsanulok, farmers with debts, etc. Some groups cooked food for us. Some performed traditional dance to cheer us up. Some gave us traditional massage. Monks on the way prayed and preached us. Prue carried a traditional Karen basket on his back all the way. Inside it there was his sacred stuff he vowed to carry to Bangkok. Whenever he had to leave the group, Prue would come back to the point he left and started the walk there in order to complete the mission. However, when the group arrived in Phitsanulok, the participants were worried they might not reach Bangkok on the expected time and would miss the other people movements that planned to join them to support the bargaining power. Finally, the procession decided to travel by cars occasionally. "At the time I thought if we had to do that, it's like a lean grain of rice; it's not a full one. How could I tell people back home that I completed the mission? Between life and law, which one is more important? Life, isn't it? We don't know how laws will be in the future and no politicians can be relied on. Policies can be changed but our life and soul are certain and real. So, I chose to continue my walk. I believe my action would fill in the missing part and make this mission really complete. I then bought a map and headed to another route passing through Nakhon Sawan. "At first, it's quite dark walking alone. (laughs) I mostly slept at temples, or even on the roadside. There were so many unexpected supports along the way. On the first day, a lady and her daughter bought me two serving of congee. It's the first time I had congee in my life! Another time I was resting because my feet were swollen and the basket hurt my shoulders. People saw the leaflets on the basket saying "Walk from

Chiang Dao to Bangkok for People's Community Forest Bill" and asked me lots of questions. Then kids came and fired questions to me, bought me soy milk, snacks and drink. (laughs) Another day in a gas station, a well-off man invited me for a meal. I went to the food court and ordered rice and curry but the seller did not serve me. Then that man shouted loudly, "Hey, serve the man. I'll pay for it." You know, tears filled my eyes then. I gave the man a leaflet and get his signature to support the bill. "It took 49 days for me to reach Bangkok; about 10 days behind the group. When I arrived, a TV program came interviewing me and took me to a very crowded place to campaign. I felt as if I was floating in the sea. Then I thought of another group that also wanted to join us, but because they were indigenous peoples without ID cards, they were not allowed by law to travel out of their area. Come on! Stateless people face problems too. They are Thais born in Thailand but they cannot walk freely like us. This is really hurtful. We walked and we were tired, but they must be more tired than us because they couldn't walk. This has to change! "Let's think. The fact that the stateless people, migrant workers, and refugees in closed camps are restricted their freedoms of movement means they can't even tell the society about their problems. It's as if their mouths were shut. It's like a sick person was hidden from others to know the symptoms. We are in the same planet, but with barriers. Those who create barriers build a big barrier in their own mind and thought, and how can they lead the world into peace? Nature never has a wall. Water runs freely from the north to the south. Policy makers who do not see others do not see themselves either. "If we let injustices remain, there will be halo effects because it's the same unjust social system. You see, at first when we protested, others disagreed. But later, everybody staged protests; teachers, factory owners, EGAT employees, etc. Even the political party: the one that never listen to us, now stages protests. I think those whose freedom of movement should be restricted are those who are corrupted, those who cheat the poor like us. (laughs) We only want to live peacefully and naturally. "Now the world is not so developed so national security remains an important issue. The power holders have barriers in their mind, so a borderline is so important to them. In fact, there are no borderlines on earth. There are no borderlines in our soul or spirit. Those people do not understand Dharma; they don't understand that the others have mothers like they do, too. I think only those that lack knowledge dare to be selfish; they don't know they'll only find a dead-end. (laughs) My people are affected a lot from this term 'national security'. We are assimilated to be Thais. I was taken out of my village and put into a school that taught me to feel ashamed to be a Karen and to live like a Karen. The fact is, however, we only do have different culture by nature. And then some people said, because you are different from us, you are dangerous to us. Does this make sense? They don't trust us just because they don't learn to understand the truth of the world. "A human walks to live. We travel to think, find out the fear inside of us and search for the inner desires. Monks do walk for meditation. Jesus walked to find out some truths. I walk for my home. I walk for the truth of a home; raising cattle, growing rice, talking to my families neighbors, fishing in the rivers, listening to the tales and poems, etc. These are human beings' basic needs. "I came down the mountains today, on the Indigenous Peoples' Day, because I am one of the indigenous peoples. I hope that if we can put the Indigenous People's Day on Thai calendar, we will win more recognition from people. We are not here to request or ask anything from you; we are here to press the claim on our right. (laughs) The indigenous peoples lived long before the birth of any nation states. Our walk will be long, I know. Now the political atmosphere isn't good for any movement. When we had a national capitalist like Thaksin, small capitalists appeared in local community. Now with military rule, a village headman, knowing they will be appointed to be here forever started to become dictators. This creates halo effect. It destroyed the community's way of life, which means it will destroy the country as a whole. I am looking for a chance to do something" **************************

Prue Odochao a 36-year old Karen from Samoeng District, Chiang Mai, joined an indigenous peoples' rights movement since he was 22. Prue was a member of the Northern Farmers Network and once was elected as its chairman, while still earning a living by sustainable farming. Currently he lives with his wife and two children and is looking for opportunity to walk further.

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It's late. Tonight sleep would not come. I keep thinking of someone who left us over three months ago. I haven't heard any news, but she is always in my thoughts. I have known Wanee Mukopaw from our work against human trafficking in Mae La refugee camp. Human trafficking problems there are tremendous because those restricted to stay behind the barbed-wire naturally dream of the world beyond. People would rather work to feed their families instead of waiting around for charity. Human trafficking feeds on this weak point of human nature. These people disguise themselves as "helping-hands" to find jobs for the refugees, who unknowingly find themselves up for sale. Wanee believed that the way to solve this problem was to educate the refugees of the danger of this trafficking process, and their responsibility to protect everyone in the camp. And this little woman then turned into my role model and inspiration. I turned into another son of hers. I love her like my own mother. At work, we constantly encounter problems that need solving from issues regarding the influence of the brokers in the camp down to disagreements of different minds working together. Most importantly, it is impossible to tell the people to follow the rules and stay within boundaries. That is going against human nature. Determined to improve her peoples' well-being, Wanee never accepted defeat. Her children kept asking her to take a break, but a soul like hers was not made to be stagnant. ...Oh, just this little stress can't slow me down.. Wanee said. She had been through all kinds of hardships. Wanee was charismatic, even in the tattered clothing of a refugee. When she was young she was the village's beauty and one of the very few with an education. Her family married her off to a Karen soldier, for fear that she would fall for the Burmese that the family despised. But her life was not a happy one. With the Burmese army invasion Wanee had to flee with her children. All she could do was forage for food one day at a time, she herself ended up starving, one day at a time. ...We cooked rice in a sardine can and that is for the whole family.. Wanee began life in the refugee came at Mae Kong Kha, Mae Hong Son, with her husband and four children. Her two younger children were born later in Thailand. The violence of war forever changed her and her husband's lives, they were filled with painful details; she faced each and every detail courageously. She decided to go to work in the rice fields, weeding in exchange for rice or a few baht to buy food for the children. Back then, the restriction of refugees to work outside camp was not seriously enforced. After she moved all the children to Mae La camp, returning to the old camp was not a possibility. The Thai government did not accept that we were legal refugees by Thai law. We were only illegal immigrants, could only stay behind the barbed wire fence. If we headed off we would only get arrested. Maybe even get hurt. They only viewed us as a burden... In her new home, Wanee worked as a teacher in a Muslim school. I saw her reading by candle light till late every night. She read all kinds of books, also the Bible. She believed in God's love. Until the beginning of this year, when all hopes were dim, her young children made their decisions to go for resettlement in Norway. As much as she hated to see the family separated, Wanee knew not to hold them back; their future would be much brighter than if they were to stay around. So much Wanee had to leave behind with her decision to migrate across the barbed-wiresd to her third country; her ambitions of her work here for her people, even her older married daughter had to stay behind. I still remember watching Wanee in her cottage silently gazing outside. She must have been full of worries. How could she live in a strange country like Norway? Fear, joy, and hope all a jumble in her heart. Then the day arrived. Wanee stood waiting for the international organization bus in front of Mae La camp, excited and anxious. She got on the bus with her five children, her eldest daughter having to stay behind. She stood watching Wanee, a question shone clear in her eyes; will we ever see one another again? The bus pulled away slowly, Wanee took one last look at the gigantic camp. This was the first time she saw the camp from the outside, for once from the view of an outsider. Her last glance at her eldest daughter blurred with tears and shattered heart. The bus gained speed and disappeared from my view. It has been three months. I wonder about Wanee's new life. I could do nothing but pray for her. Her old cottage looks strange when I walk by, no one is there in the kitchen. No one is there to call out hello to me. One day, an unfamiliar phone number appeared on my phone. ...It is Wanee Mukopaw calling from Norway! Her voice was raindrops on parched earth. ...I am learning Norwegian. Do you know that over here we can travel anywhere we want? Don't have to hide from the police. I am going to work with a women's rights group here. I'll live here until it is ok to go back; I still plan to go backâ&#x20AC;Ś Her voice was filled with the excitement of a prisoner just released from a long jail term. Wanee Mukopaw's voice was enough to revive my motivation to continue our fight. I am prepared to walk with her, although our paths may not cross again.

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It was thundering and I was lying down waving my tail listlessly for the new Act concerning movie ratings and censorship. It sounded good but sadly the authorized decisions fell solely in the hands of government officials and those who were selected by them (just like many other decisions made in Thailand)! Then, this letter arrived out of the rain and that meant I could ask the editor's permission to take a short break to clear my head, and shared with you his tail wagging letter instead.

Dear Mulan, By now, you might have known that the movie "Persepolis", which is a clearly a type of "Wag My Tail" movie, was banned from the Bangkok Film Festival. The Iranian Embassy had asked the event organizer to pull it out, the same as they had tried in other countries before. This is withstanding the impressive message of this movie that is, "I love Iran" Some "power-holders" do have a strange way of thinking, don't you agree? These authorities didn't know how their narrow-minded perception was the very best weapon to ruin their beloved country's image. Actually, I have a very impressive experience with Iran when visiting Shiraz, the city with the stunning ancient castle, Persepolis. The Persian civilization, rooted for several thousands years, has provided Iran with a great depth of culture. The Persians are also very friendly and incredibly warm people. My Iranian friend invited me to his home and called all other friends to meet me. Moreover, each of his friends even brought me a small gift as a treat. This is their culture; it comes naturally. Like people of other religions, the Muslims here have their own way of life. The rules concerning relations between men and women could be obviously noticed. Foreigners like us might find it strange to see all women cover their faces and bodies and stay separately from men in all public transports. Women's rights seemed to be a controversial issue for people here. But on the other hand, Iran has quite a number of prominent female movie directors such as Niki Karimi who participated in the World Film Festival in Bangkok two years ago, and Marjane Satrapi, the director of Persepolis, which just received Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Mulan, you know that Marjane is an Iranian in exile in France, right? Persepolis is based on her true story that she put into a best-selling comic book earlier. The movie brought us the pictures of how the military treated the people of Iran during and after the Islamic revolution there; you could see only men in public places as all women covered their whole bodies with dark big robes. But, ironically, the film showed that these women actually wear Prada, Gucci or any brand name products inside the robes! Persepolis told the story of the nine-year-old Marjane who survived political crisis since 1978 when the monarchy was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Komini's leadership, and was then followed by the Iraq-Iran

war. For her safety and well-being, Marjane was sent to Austria and there she grewup a liberated woman. With the love and constant loneliness of being an exiled person, Marjane came back to Iran, trying to settle in her motherland, but it seemed that Iran did not welcome her. Well, even her movie - the love of Iran she wanted to tell the world - is banned, isn't it? Persepolis, the title of the movie and the name of the 2,500-year-old ancient palace in Shiraz I visited. Shiraz is the old Persian Empire's Capital city, and the center of poetry, wine (You know the Shiraz wine, right?), and roses. The Iranians call Shiraz the City of Love - beautiful with trees and flowers. Persepolis, the animated movie, is also a movie of love. No matter what the Iranian government thinks of Marjane, at Cannes the female director dedicated this honorable award to all her beloved Iranian people. The movie ends with love and honest best wishes for Iran. I think a political crisis either in Iran, Thailand, or any country, are no different; most victims are the innocent, ordinary unarmed civilians. Tears ran down my cheeks, thinking how I feel for Thailand. I hope that one day I will be able to tell the world about my love, as sincerely and courageously as she did. However, in the cyber era today no one can really stop those who want to speak out like Marjane. Soon we should be able to watch Persepolis in any digital format. I believe you and Wag My Tail's fans will definitely have a chance to enjoy the very powerful, touching movie, and then you will love the Iranians (even more). Kriengsak Silakong

OK! I will sniff around for it. My tail is always given for freedom of expression and freedom of art. Anyway, I'd like to make it clear here that the exercise of the freedom of art must not violate, insult or promote hatred or racial discrimination like some Thai movies that enjoy making fun of indigenous peoples and gays, are these okay? Well, if not - how are they different from other chauvinistic propaganda during any war-time? Mulan

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" /I " "4 4*) Ingredients A river fish, tomato, galangal, lemongrass, chili, lemon basil leaves, coriander and spring onion, salt, and a bamboo tube

( & ( )6 NGA SA-LA WAY (LAHU'S SPICY FISH SOUP IN BAMBOO TUBE) The arrival of a person or group can cause others to leave. The Lahu community that used to live up at Mae Sai Waterfall had to relocate to the current Ja Lae village in Chiang Rai once the government announced that their settlement area must be reserved for conservation and tourism purposes. But no matter what changes come, the people must go on struggling in their very own way. Even without the kind of coerced moves the Lahu have experienced, they have been great travelers traditionally. Since their ancestors' time, they ventured for hunting and to find land for farming, growing rice and vegetables to cook with the meat they hunted. Today, we had the opportunity to knock on their kitchen door to taste the 'Nga Sa-la Way', a kind of spicy fish soup, uniquely cooked in a bamboo tube for convenience during travel. The precious tube can be carried to and from the fields and bushes and everywhere they go. Instructions â&#x20AC;˘ Clean the fish and cut into nice pieces. â&#x20AC;˘ Cut tomatoes into small pieces and chop all other ingredients. â&#x20AC;˘ Mix the chopped ingredients well with the fish. Add salt. â&#x20AC;˘ Put the mixture in the prepared bamboo tube. Add enough water to fill about a quarter of the tube. â&#x20AC;˘ Grill the bamboo tube for 20-30 minutes. The well-cooked Nga Sa-la Way will be ready to be served with a mountain of steamed rice.

4 % â&#x20AC;˘ % / 4 /1 # , " â&#x20AC;˘ 6 7 /1 # +" , ' $6) ! 4% ! * "# "6 0 â&#x20AC;˘ * " % "* " / ( $ " +" $ % " % - 6 " â&#x20AC;˘ ! " / / 4 - )" "4 4*) ! / ) / B 73 & ) â&#x20AC;˘ ") 4J " "4 4*)4/ * 4J 4 / B 20-30

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! " ) $ $)0- 4 $ 4 . !$ 6 % B- " J +" , # $ - ) "+4 ) % " "@ $% "% 0 -... F & ,% . #) $ " / # # 6 ! . 4/ $ " 6 ! $ $ % / $ / @& . /1 " "+ . " 4 ) $ % $ 6 4 )- " 62 " 6 "+4 ) 9 !- 6 4 $)0 $) @0""D $ " /1 4 4 ) ? ) @ $% 6 . 4/@& % B.. "

!) 60 % B $) $ 0 % .. % 4 $ $ 6 % B. , $ " % # " !$ $ #) $ ) 6 0 - $ % / / F " -. 4 ) % B + % B%) 6 !$ ) % B. #) $ " ) $ " !) 4/- % @& # " $ % While traveling in Thailand I came across your magazine in a small cafe in Chiang Mai. I read every article, making sure I missed nothing. All those words struck my heart, as well as my mind. A government should help and fear its people, not destroy them. We have to stand strong to create change. Although I'm an American citizen, I'm still faced with similar issues. We ignore immigrants, do not offer health care nor allow them to live and work here legally. How can this be? I hope these words reach you, in your struggles. Keep speaking out! Your voices are being heard. I'd love to subscribe to the magazine. Please send more information. Tess/ USA. It's nice to hear your appreciation in our magazine and hope you help voice out so that other people, including other American citizens, will hear too.

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B 8 " 6 8 - " " 46! ! % We invite you to share an article or a poem relating to human rights, marginalized peoples, ethnic nationalities, refugees or migrant workers. Please send a manuscript that hasn't been published and isn't longer than 2 A4 page (Times 12) under the theme 'Hope' (31/10/07) and 'Teachers' (31/12/07)to us by post or email. The writer's real name and contact address must be attached. The editor reserves the right to edit the selected pieces. There will be a small gift and a little honorarium for the writers.

2 ( $ 8 V (% Photo by Hta Haw Koh # *) - / 74 $ 9 % 2550 # $ - ) Indigenous Peoples' Day in Thailand, 9 August 2007

Walt Whitman, American Poet (1819-1892) E " # " (2362-2435)

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FREEDOM-TO WALK FREE AND OWN NO SUPERIOR.