by Wolfe on behalf of M

FROM: The Activist Underground Network

Today, Jan 28, 3PM, Hooh Yoh Akha Village Ampur Mae Faluang, Chiangrai Province Thailand.

Two women Human Rights Observers were ARRESTED by THAI army personell and transported to the Haen Taek Police Station.

Ms. Amber Lee Solomon 24, of Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario, Canada Passport Number VM182834

Ms. Billeigh Waaha, 25, of Melbourne, Australia Passport Number L4014938

These two women have taken up a posting in the Akha village of Hooh Yoh, Haen Taek, Ampur Mae Faluang, Chiangrai Province, Thailand for several days to document the seizure of the entire farm land of Hooh Yoh Village Cluster, amounting to the land of 1019 people, 250 families. Staying with an Akha family they daily photographed the project that was being built on Akha land, the government "helping" the Akha by taking all their land.

We urgently need you to contact your Thai Embassy and demand an explanation.

We need people to assist us in organizing protests to the Thai government, that Human Rights Observers will not be harassed in this way.

This is urgent. We don't need action next week, we need it now, these two women are now in jail.

Call the embassy nearest you, email them, demand an explanation and the IMMEDIATE UNCONDITIONAL RELEASE OF THESE WOMEN.

Lahu, Chinese, and Lisu families area effected as well by this land seizure. Two months ago 8 Akha men and women were arrested. Four of them women, two women were more than eight months pregnant. They were arrested for trying to farm their land anyway. Forestry and Third Army were the project organizers and those who carried out the arrests then. These eight villagers were fined 15,000 baht, about $400 US dollars and spent more than 20 days in a small cell together. After their release they were told to pay 135,000 baht more each, about $4000. They went into hiding as they could not pay.

The Thai government, which makes millions advertising the hill tribe, treks, air fares, taxis, hotels, and a host of pandering tourism, gives nothing back to these people and steadily relocates them and puts them in prison.

What ever the reason, and there is always a reason, the Akha are abused. The only good Akha is a DEAD AKHA the Thai government thinks. And so it is, we have filed 46 cases of murder and torture, with the UN via a 1503 filing, and this is just the events of two years, events we HEARD about.

***** Write, protest, call, demand the Thai government release these women and issue an apology.

Contact for more details.

Matthew McDaniel?

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Posted By: Wolfe vancouver.indymedia.org

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Thai Embassy Contacts:

Chancery : Royal Thai Embassy 1024 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 401 Washington, D.C. 20007 Tel : (202) 944-3600 Fax : (202) 944-3611 URL : http://www.thaiembdc.org E-mail : thai.wsn@thaiembdc.org

Consular Office : Royal Thai Embassy 1024 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Suite 101 Washington, D.C. 20007 Tel : (202) 944-3600 ext. 760, 762, 764, 765, 766,767, 797 Fax : (202) 944-3641 E-mail : consular@thaiembdc.org

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1. H.E. Mr. Sakthip Krairiksh 202-298-4780 Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 2. Mr. Chirachai Punkrasin 202-298-4783 Minister / Deputy Chief of Mission 3. Miss Malinee Punka 202-333-1329 Minister-Counsellor 4. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi 202-298-4784 Minister-Counsellor 5. Lt. Chombhala Chareonying 202-298-4785 Minister-Counsellor 6. Mrs. Teerada Kerdsuwan 202-298-4787 First Secretary (Economic) 7. Mr. Sorasak Samonkraisorakit 202-298-4788 First Secretary (Economic) 8. Mr. Natapanu Nopakun 202-298-4789 First Secretary (Political) 9. Miss Anintita Vatcharasiritham 202-298-4786 Secondary Secretary (Political) 10. Miss Siriporn Supanimitwisetkul 202-298-4790 Secondary Secretary (Information) 11. Mr. Veerasakdi Prem-Aree 202-298-4797 Second Secretary (Consular) 12. Mr. Totsapol Rongwaree 202-298-4793 Second Secretary 13. Mr. Satien Kodkanta 202-298-4793 Third Secretary 14. Mrs. Oraphan Vorabuth 202-298-4796 Third Secretary 15. Mrs. Supaporn Maneenoi 202-298-4795 Third Secretary

Source: http://ontario.indymedia.ca/twiki/bin/view/Toronto/AkhaEMERGENCYALERTCanadianAustralianObserve

[photo taken from Fort Rodney in Pigeon Island National Park, St. Lucia]

Decide for yourself!

When I was looking into international development opportunities, I came across an ad very much like the following, posted on Taking It Global's Opportunities page (http://www.takingitglobal.org/opps/sfgdir.html?moid=258):

"IICD offers 6-19 month programs to Africa and Latin America. Be a part of another culture while working in community development projects. There is a program fee and training in the USA.

Our programs last six to nineteen months. They offer you a chance to learn and grow through studies, team work, training of practical skills, international travel, work in community development projects and much more. The program will challenge you to work hard, to solve problems, to overcome shortcomings and to contribute to development on many levels.

At IICD we start training new teams of volunteers every three month. The programs focus on different regions of the world, offering opportunities for work in various types of development projects. However, all programs share a common structure with a preparation period, an international period and a follow up period. The preparation and the follow up periods are carried out at the IICD in Michigan or in Massachusetts. You can read about the preparation and the follow up periods on pages 10 and 11 of this brochure.

IICD is a unique program. It is not just about being an international volunteer. Though working abroad is a great experience, our preparation and follow up periods hold many other challenges and opportunities. The preparation period provides you with skills needed for your work abroad as well as for life in general; in the follow up period you play an important role as an educator about the developing world in your own country. We can think of no better investment of your time and your energy than to take on the IICD challenge. We invite you to read on and look forward to having you as a Development Instructor at IICD!!"

Sounds pretty great, doesn't it? About a year ago, it looked like exactly what I was looking for... An opportunity to learn, grow, and help out doing community work abroad, with a supposedly well-intentioned and reputable organization. It just so happened that I mentioned the name of the organisation to a friend who had heard otherwise. He advised I be careful. When I did a bit of investigating, I was quite surprised by how much data has been collected that shows that TVIND (also known as Humana, Humana People to People, Development Aid From People To People, DAPP, Ajuda de Desenvolvimento de Povo para Povo, ADDP, UFF, Alandhjaelp Fra Folk Til Folk, Institute For International Co-Operation And Development, IICD, Planet Aid, College For International Co-Operation And Development, CICD, One World Institute, One World Volunteer Institute, Det Noedvendige Seminar, The Necerssary Teacher Teaching College, DNS, Den Rejsende Folkehoejskole, The Traveling Pholk High School, DRH, Boernehjaelpeprogrammet, NetUp, DRHSS, Hope, Holland House, and associated with the "Planet Aid" clothing deposit boxes [noticeable by their yellow color and globe emblem] seen in urban areas) is , at worst, a cult, or at best, not quite as advertised.

Let's just say I feel pretty lucky to have landed my current position through the IISD (the International Institute for Sustainable Development) rather than going with the IICD - only a letter off, but with a lot less scary stories.

Consider yourself forewarned...

Some sources to check out for yourself:

http://www.tvindalert.com/about/cult.htm

http://www.freedomofmind.com/resourcecenter/groups/t/tvind/

http://www.rickross.com/groups/tvind.html

they’re selling protection for the one that’s in this skin crawling under the weather withering with the ozone leather or is it better a meta-for pleather this thinning layer we are wearing through earth air water fire willed like a debt to the sun or daughter i just couldn’t in good conscience bear with me it’s hard to tell the future/s well we’ve all heard the lore envisioned before the wanting stares lit up by the glare of infrared magazines and telescreens numbing the census succumbing immense us once too wise to sound bite-sized the right size to fit inside the box blares from every living room not to grow but overshadow whispering sighs and silencing beats rhythm that flows beneath our feet on softwood floors constructed as yours from under which they’re stealing our senses revealing the fences erected undetected within this radiant fluorescence they’re selling perfection/s/in/essence.

Ever think working at the United Nations would be glamourous? Well, after days of going nutty trying to put together the reference section of the GEO for Youth Capacity Building Manual (which should have been done before Luis took off for Dubai, leaving unsuspecting lil' me to tie up any loose ends), I can definitely say: It's not!! (At least not all the time…)

All the stupid little bibliographical errors are taking forever to fix, and it’s hard not to get frustrated when omniscient sources like Google and Kakuko continually shrug their shoulders and shake their heads (ok, with Google, that's metaphorical, but you get what I mean...). After 5 years immersed in the world of academic Psychology, you'd think this sort of thing would come easy. But the UN apparently has no official referencing style, and there are inconsistencies even within, not to mention between their own documents. It may also have something to do with the fact that I see very little intrinsic value, either for my own satisfaction or the betterment of the world, in doing this sort of thing. For example, I have conducted seemingly infinite searches in a yet futile attempt to confirm the year in which W.F. Lawrence wrote "A crisis in the making: responses of Amazonian forests to land use and climate change" in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. We had 2000 cited, but internet sources are divided between 1997 and 1998.

Geez, okay, now I'm boring myself. The only reason I'm still here is I want to get this done soon so I can get to Capoeira tomorrow night. First class, last night, went well, over all. Slow start: the instructor shows up over half an hour late and speaks neither English nor French, not to mention - get this -very little Spanish!!) But the moves are cool, the stretches deep, and it could be nice to pick up some Portuguese. So far, there are only two of us in the class, and we’re luckily both beginners. Although I’m sure it will take some effort to get good (or even remember the basic routine), my initial fear has totally dissipated and I’m really looking forward to the process! Therefore, I am totally recommending that Shi (and anyone else who is considering trying Capoeira but is scared/nervous/what have you) just get out there and give it a go!

For a good site explaining the Capoeira basics, see:
http://www.wu-wien.ac.at/usr/h96b/h9650297/capoeira.html

Left work early yesterday to get to my first Capoeira class on time. Of course, what with leaving at 4:45pm to make a 5 o’clock class, I still got there late. No matter... Discovered On Arrival that the Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule was recently switched to a Tuesday-Thursday-Friday deal… So, after all the psyching up, it was a bit anti-climactic.

Saving grace: lured by the sound of intense drumming, found my way to the open-air theatre space at the back of La Pyramide (the cultural centre) and watched this amazing group of kids (ok, mostly late teens, early 20s) performing various engrossing cirque-de-soleil type talents: African dancing, lots of drumming, juggling, etc. They are there practicing almost every week day 12-5. Unfortunately, not conducive to one with a Monday to Friday office routine. But at least they’re fun to watch!

P.S. I really, really, really miss my camera!!

So I was admittedly a bit hesitant about the idea of Saturday's party, what with the Pleasantville clan living downstairs. But since it was happening anyways, I was more than happy to bring out the Martha in me for a bit of Nutella spreading and cheese-cutting. After all, I take the serenity prayer to heart (see Pagan version, an interesting variation on the usual “God grant me...” version, below!), and I can do some pretty fine mini-sandwiches. And despite the heavy smoke that filled the living room at a certain point, and the last-minuteness that meant I couldn’t get a hold of most of the people I would have invited, it was actually fun – met some new folks, saw some people I haven’t seen since before Guatemala, went to an anthro afterwards….

Sunday, I woke up late, to an already-clean apartment (Maria & Isaac had apparently done a Taz-like sweep through with Aynsley's help before they rushed out). Took Aynsley to the world-renowned Museum of Anthropology, where, in this uncanny accidental way that seems to be becoming more and more common, I somehow befriended Eneida and Cesar, with whom we went to dinner at La Buena Tierra and hung out for the rest of the evening. Got home to find Beatriz waiting, stating plainly: “No estoy en acuerdo que tengan fiestas aqui” - that she is not in agreement that we have parties in the house. This statement induced an unexpectedly strong reaction in the pit of my stomach.

After all, this is the first time in 3 months we’ve had anything close to a party and, together, the 3 of us are paying a lot of rent - almost double what Eneida pays for her similar 3 bedroom apartment (without a family restricting her actions). Now, it’s partly ok and understandable that we pay a premium, since we don’t have to worry about buying furniture or gas or paying water bills. But, still, if we can’t have some people over to our place once in a while in a city known for being social, there is something seriously wrong. Not to mention the fact that when I probed further to find why she was upset, she used the partial excuse that there were a lot of people using the washroom. Um, given that the inflated price we are paying is supposed to include utilities, and we were both out of town for >2 weeks over the holidays paying the same as normal, shouldn’t that make up for some extra toilet flushing over the course of 4 or so hours? It makes me upset that she is profiting so much from us and won’t even grant us basic tenant rights.

In my opinion, if you’re going to rent out a floor of your home, treat your tenants like the responsible adults they are (unless they give some reason not to) and give them the respect they deserve. Ok, done venting for now. Thanks for listening :)


Pagan Serenity Prayer

God & Goddess grant me:
The power of water, to accept with ease & grace what I cannot change.
The power of fire, for the energy & courage to change the things I can.
The power of Air, for the ability to know the difference.
And the power of Earth, for the strength to continue my path.

http://open-mind.org/Serenity.htm

roommate. Her name is Ainsley (sp?) and she is from Alberta. So far, she seems pretty cool.

BUT, and this is sooo nothing personal, there is something not quite right about our having been given less than 24 hours notice by Betty that the extra bedroom (which we had originally been told was to be used only by her daughters on an occasional basis) was to be occupied by a permanent resident. And that we had no say in the matter.

I have very mixed feelings. On the one hand, it may be nice to have another Canadian around... On the other, it will make it harder to keep home a Spanish-speaking environment. Plus, as we discovered with Danila, co-ordinating shower schedules with three people who leave the house around the same time is way harder than it is with two...

Beyond that, there are so many implications regarding privacy and space and other implicit violations that underly the whole situation. This is just another straw on the back of a camel that already puts up with therapy sessions being conducted by its kitchen and Sunday night dance classes in the living room... At very least, if the space is going to be divided by three (plus), I think it's only fair that our rent be lowered.

Or maybe this is just one of those cultural things I have to get used to...

Well, apparently I am once again able to post entries here! Neat!

Now the only issue is to find time to go backwards (into my "hard" journal or photographic memories) and try to fill in all the blanks from before, and to simultaneously forward things... For a while, the office network was all wonky, and they'd blocked us out of a bunch of places. We still don't have access to MSN or TIG or any other messenger-type programs (or similarly communicative forums/web sites), my former gateway to faraway folks. But at least there's e-mail, and, now, this :)

Lately, I’ve been busy being busy in the city. Meaning back to the grind. Which I could do without. Don't get me wrong, I still love the project. But there is just something very difficult about resuming the work routine after 2 weeks of the excitement and novelty and responsibility-free living of travel. Then again, GEO FOR YOUTH IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: A CAPACITY BUILDING MANUAL is almost to the printer (met with the designer earlier today), and I think it's looking pretty cool, and even contains some of my photography, all of which makes me feel good.

On the flipside, I believe, very sadly, my camera is now officially broken, or at least injured. As of Tuesday, the thing-a-ma-jig that moves to cover the lens, which is supposed to open and close when I turn on and off the camera, is neither opening nor closing properly. I know very little about electronics, except that this problem could be very bad and/or expensive, and I don't even know where one would go to get such an issue fixed in this town. Oh well, worse comes to worst, I’m back to the pen/keyboard, I suppose.

Totally unrelated to work (or at least what people think of when you say “work”), I'm thinking of starting Capoeira next week. At least trying it out for a month. Or, at very least, a class... Been feeling the need to do something with my body. I’m a bit scared, though, cuz I DON'T dance, and have no martial arts background, and can't even do a decent cartwheel... but we'll see. Also been reading "The Twelve Wild Swans: A Journey Into Magic, Healing and Action” by Starhawk and Hilary Valentine (http://www.starhawk.org/writings/twelve-swans.html), which directs my thoughts towards Emma, my “fairy god daughter” in British Columbia, (whose daddy just wrote is “growing, crawling and babbling”) and other Pagan connections up North…

Blessed be.

seeing if the network is still being bad...

Very beatiful place, to fill in more later. (Crocs, pellicans, caves, mass suicide (his)stories and religious iconography in mid-cliff altars...) For now, got too-heavy bags to collect, a too-soon bus to catch, and too much work waiting for me tomorrow!

P.S. Young mom breast-feeding shamelessly in the open of the combi, seemed so natural, beatiful, wishing it could be seen that way up north...

Very beatiful, to fill in later. For now...

WAIT, THIS IS THE SAME AS ABOVE. BUT APPARENTLY, ONLY THE EDIT OPTION IS AVAILABLE, NOT THE DELETE! OK, IGNORE THIS FOR NOW! MAYBE I'LL COPY ANOTHER ENTRY IN LATER!

[Couldn't figure out how to delete this entry, so putting up a pic!]

The more I think about it, the more I really dont want to head back to D.F. quite yet.

Life without honking-pollution-bigcitydanger-8to6routine-computersitting-nontravelstress has been quite lovely. Regardless, I will be arriving en La Ciudad de Mexico around 8am Monday morning, I suppose in time to get to work not too ridiculously late...

After literally hours of walking around Tuxtla with Lulu, going to all the sparsely situated bus stations, I just snagged the very last ticket on tomorrows 8pm outa here; the next available was for January 8th - wonder how well the boss-types would have handled that ;) At least this gives me tomorrow to check out some sites around Tuxtla - possibly the zoo (which is very unique in being a nature reserve where all the animals are native to the region and most roam free in large enclosures) or Cañon de Sumidero- and enjoy my last breaths of clean Chiapas air!

The higher-end bus ticket ($100 pesos more expensive than the max Id planned to spend) should at least get me a relatively comfy seat, improving my chances of catching some ZZZzzzs before -ICK- work.

No, really, there dont seem to be bus tickets back to D.F. from Tuxtla until tomorrow night!! Uh oh... Do you think theyll be real upset if I dont come in on Monday? Off to find solutions that dont include pissing off the jefe.

To fill in later.

But, in short, finally left the San Cristobal area and travelled with Amanda, via Ocosingo, to Agua Azul, which turned out to be the least entertaining part of a journey centering around open-backed tarped trucking through the rain of beatiful Chiapas countryside, including a child vomiting and us thinking we were mistakingly being taken to Palenque to sharing our space with a live bagged chicken...