Behind the Noodle Curtain

Beauty and grace in film about Thai rice farmers

A scene from Thai film Agrarian Utopia, which screened at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival Nov. 14.

Two recent Thai films that I’ve seen, Nymph and Agrarian Utopia, really played with my head. I’ve been sitting here at home in Canada for seven months now hearing nothing but Big City noises: Trains, car horns, heavy gravel trucks, unmufflered heavy cruiser motorbikes, drunken voices, car alarms, clank of streetcars, diesel buses and the sounds to really tell me I’m in a western consumerist society, the waste-picking pigeons and gulls. Almost no natural sounds. In the theatres, when I was  immersed in the soundscape of these two films, I was transported  back to my home away from home. It was almost relaxing and comforting to hear the multi-layered bird, insect, animal and plant noises.

The Nymph soundtrack was brilliant, but it was peppered with some synthetic music and creature-like sounds. Agrarian Utopia, which screened at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival this weekend, was a non-stop symphony of the beauty of nature. I could ride on that rhythm all day.

Those sounds were a natural foreground as well as background to the story of two families of rice farmers in what only could be Isaan. One family is the hired labour of the other family. Both families are bending under the weight of insurmountable farm loans, the kind that could only be paid back if they win a lottery. The financial burden is the driving force behind the political angles of the story. We get a peak at some political rallies and round-the-night-time campfire talk about how greedy (now former premier) Thaksin politicians and bureaucracies are. There’s even anti-Thaksin speeches. And a few kicks at (current premier) Aphisit in opposition.

The rest is the beauty of human endeavour.

My word skills couldn’t come anywhere near to conveying the sublime images director  Uruophong Raksasad (who attended the festival) has conjured from the camera lens. We watch all of the activities on a rice farm, hunting and fishing, living off the land, “interesting” meals, bedtime chatter,  rice bagging, transport and selling, kids at play, the grace with which good-hearted farm workers carry out their tasks and listen to the families talk about their dire situation. Stunning.  Powerful. Truthful. Intimate. Colourful. Detailed. Heart-aching beauty.

As a counterpoint to the farmers’ burden is a side story (really?) of a neighbour, working his farm all alone, who doesn’t use chemicals,  fertilizer, loans, or anything else that could harm the land or his future. He’s a good humoured character so don’t expect to get teacherish lecture from an earnest, new-wave Thai environmentalist. He is a former professor, and he works his farm  in the most natural, albeit slower, way possible. His neighbours call him a fool. But the labourer  goes to him in a last ditch effort to stay in  farm country to ask him a few questions. The last scene of the movie tells you what he chose.

It’s interesting to note, I think, that there’s not a single girl or young woman in the film.  In Thai country culture, typically, young women from the farms are often the ones  who go to the big city (namely Bangkok) to get a job and help support the family. That could be in a shop, factory or go go bar. The lack of young women kind of highlights that condition so the lack of same may be deliberate.  Another reflection of the male-dominated culture is the fact that the wifely women in the film hardly say a word. In male dominated Thai society, the men have important discussions and make the decisions. Deliberate? Don’t know.

When you watch the film, ask yourself this: is it a documentary or drama?

A scene from Taiwanese film Yang-Yang, which was shown at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival.

I also watched the Taiwanese film Yang-Yang. If it weren’t for the electrifying actress Sandrine Pinna (French-Chinese actress), director Cheng Yu-Chieh would have empty reels. The story is about teenager Yang-Yang whose mother ends up marrying Yang-Yang’s track coach. In the deal, Yang-Yang’s friend and track rival ends up being her sister. The sister’s boyfriend takes  a liking to Yang-Yang, and, well you know the rest. The boyfriend, coach, Yang-Yang’s mom and sis are pretty much empty puppets. It seems director Cheng forgot to write a story. The camera almost swallows Yang-Yang in every scene. It’s not surprising that Pinna’s exotic looks, easy nature and formidable acting talent inspire Cheng. But that’s not enough. About 80 minutes into the film and I was thinking about leaving. Moments later, during a pointless scene, a fellow got up near me and left, as did three others. In the space of  four or five minutes, I was the fifth to leave.

I also saw the insane but likeable Malaysian film When the Full Moon Rises by Mamat Khalid. Will get around to this soon.

Canada takes more active interest in Southeast Asian issues

Canada’s new Ambassador to Thailand, Ron Hoffmann, seems to have distinguished himself in previous postings. He was deputy head of mission for Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan. Then in mid-2008 he was named Ambassador.  Probably the toughest assignment in Canada’s Foreign Affairs portfolio. 

According to media reports and the Foreign Affairs ministry website, Hoffmann helped carry out a new program  in Afghanistan to turn the tide away from a military focus toward a significant civilian one in which schools, bridges and dams, plus many other things, were improved to make the daily lives of Afghans liveable and survivable, and not insignificantly, put the citizens on the coalition’s side. Well, maybe the Canadians’ side anyway.

However,  nine months later, June 2009, he was replaced in war-torn Afghanistan and named Canada’s chief representative to Thailand, with responsibility  for Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar (Burma). Although you wouldn’t know it from the Government of Canada Foreign Affairs web site. I couldn’t find his name anywhere on the Canadian Embassy in Thailand site or in any recent press releases. No biography, no open letter to Canadian expats and tourists. Canada has been quite active in several projects in Thailand, from helping to fund the rebuilding of a temple on Phuket, at Kamala Beach, to a portable school setup to help migrants on the Thai-Burmese border and the protesting of new Myanmar military regime charges against Nobel Laureate Aung San Su Kyi.

There must be something more to the move to appoint Hoffmann than merely bureaucratic or political intrigue. A new long, frank interview with Hoffmann on the Irrawaddy online news site provided some hint as to the direction Canada is taking, namely renewing an interest in the affairs of Southeast Asia. Seems to be a popular interest. The Barack Obama administration has recently focused its attentions in the area, with the U.S. president saying he wants to meet ASEAN politicians this month in Singapore. Apparently a U.S. president directly meeting the 10 ASEAN first ministers will be a first -- although Myanmar will not be participating at the moment. The pursuit is a free trade agreement with Southeast Asian nations, which makes North America rather late to the start line as many other Asian and Pacific powerhouses have already signed, sealed and delivered  FTA deals.

The Irrawaddy asked some good questions, revealing a rather knowledgeable point of view of Canada’s positions. And Hoffmann replied in kind. He said:

"I also think that the new US administration has come to a reluctant but important conclusion that the tough line [imposing sanctions] taken by principled countries has ultimately made little real difference. Canada will be examining closely the US decision to apply a more multi-faceted approach."

It’s refreshing that Canada is taking a more active role in Southeast Asia, amplified by the fact that is has appointed an Ambassador seasoned by the severe challenge of Afghanistan. Of course, every country gets involved in a particular issue partly because of its own self-interest, usually propelled by the desire to increase bilateral trade. It’s been ever thus.

Another issue is the challenge of Chinese influence. It’s not hard to miss the Chinese who are trying to lock up resources and transportation channels for its goods all over SEA, in direct competition to the West.  The threat of greater Chinese influence is one thing that’ll always get presidents and prime ministers out of bed early in the morning.

Caveat: Best you read other sources for the real story of diplomacy and trade in today’s world. I hardly qualify as an expert. Here are some references for the things I wrote about:

LINKS:

• Irrawaddy online news site interviews Canada’s Ambassador to Thailand
• Former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan Ron Hoffmann’s thoughts at the end of 2008 on Afghanistan
• Ron Hoffmann’s appointment to Afghanistan (Only stayed from Sept. 2008 to June 2009)
• Ron Hoffmann’s appointment as Canadian Ambassador to Thailand
• Canada’s embassy to Thailand web site
• Story in Canwest News Service (which has wrong start date for Hoffmann appointment in Afghanistan)
• Canada appoints first ambassador to ASEAN
• Canadians help temple rebuilding on Phuket
• Portable school site in Tambon Prakasa Mai to help Isaan, Khmer, Burmese and Mon migrant construction workers get some education

Rural Thai people know how to survive. Do you?

Maybe we shouldn't feel so sorry for the horribly impoverished Thai folks. Who's going to survive if/when we're challenged for our very survival? It isn't going to be us softy westerners, brought up in world of privilege and plenty. And who live in a castle of cards (cf., financial meltdown because of worthless financial instruments and lax securities laws and co-operative regulators).

Yes, maybe all those companies employing millions of people around the world give everyone a way to earn money and a way to survive. You'll notice though it's a pretty rickety platform. So what happens when the platform collapses? What can you do to survive? Few people have any worthwhile life skills such as carpentry, farming or animal husbandry. The Thai people do though and maybe they're suffering a little bit more in the economic downturn but they will survive, says blogger Talen over at Thailand, Land of Smiles.

It's a  post that tickles the fear centre of the brain but maybe you won't buy the message. But do you want to face the most basic difficulties, i.e., growing food and making shelter, without any knowledge?  I think some of those "crazies"  in Canada who are growing their own vegetables and raising their own animals might not be quite so crazy and, if you pin them down, they might admit just a little bit of that  fear of the possibility that things might get worse.

Up to you. And me.

LINKS:

Thailand, Land of Smiles: Cold economic realities . . . for some

Retired in Thailand and Loving It has many posts on Thai food gathering

Photos of Burmese refugees near Mae Sot, Thailand at Stickman

I've never before seen pictures of the Burmese child refugee situation near Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burma border. And from such an unlikely source, namely Stickman's web site. It could also be, I have to admit, that I never sought out such reports. Anyway, it was a (un)happy accident to be able learn a little more about the mysterious goings-on in Burma (Myanmar), where the military has been ruling with a gun butt and bullets, and pillaging villages since simply declaring it won't accept the results of a democratic election in 1990.

One of Stick's regular correspondents sought to find out what is really going on there and spent a week visiting the refugee camps at Mae La, talking to aid workers and photographing the conditions and people. He makes some interesting observations: the Burmese military seem bent on eradicating the Karen people and any other tribes, and the Thai and NGO aid groups (even the Thai military) are trying their hardest to help them out, many of them being very young children with no parents or guardians -- very likely having died in the military onslaught.

The conditions in the camps are as you might expect when there's little or no money and resources to apply to the situation. BKKSteve gives a very thorough account of what he found there and provides many photos. He promises several reports, including one on Mae Sot, which he found much to his liking.

LINKS:

• Photos of Burmese refugees and camps near Mae Sot, Thailand
• Long thread at Thaivisa.com on Myanmar news
• U.S. senator procures release from Burmese jail of U.S. man who put  Aung San Suu Kyi in further jeopardy.
• Extensive reports and files on Aung San Suu Kyi case and Burma military dictatorship at The Guardian newspaper.
• 64 words for ASSK on her 64th birthday
• Here are some photos of Mae Sot at TravelPod

BBC report: Pathologist rubs Thai establishment wrong way

You have probably heard of the famous Thai pathologist who did many of the IDs of the tsunami victims in 2004 and received much criticism by national police. That's nothing new for the brave doctor, having  often contradicted police findings in various murders and other crimes. Well, the BBC has talked to Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan and visited her at her office and at various crime scenes.

One interesting discovery is that, as you can imagine, she's not very popular with authorities and cooks at her office rather than go to streetside food stalls for her own protection. She also works with the military, again for her own protection. She's had many death threats for upsetting the establishment. A brave and skilled doctor and investigator for Thailand. This story was published about three weeks ago and I only came across a link at Stickman's site, as I was catching up with his weekly columns.

The story seems somehow incomplete but it's worth reading nevertheless.

Desperate times in Bangkok, reports one Thailand blogger

The business scene in Bangkok when I Ieft in April didn't look too promising. Bars were empty of tourists, the streets were empty of same. Granted, it was the hot season. But you could see the signs in the weeks leading up to that period. There were many nights at the Londoner bar at soi 33 Sukhumvit in which customers were few and far between. It's a big place, but it was almost empty on Monday nights when pints were only 99 baht or Tuesday nights when meals were 50% off, and even some Thursday and Friday nights, it seemed the customer count was very low. Others with more Londoner Pilsners under their belts than me concurred.

There's a bar I used to frequent in Washington Square. I'd been around when the bartender counted the tips for the nightly draw for the girls. Some were walking away with only 40 baht, others 100 or a bit more. I was told the hostesses were used to 200 to as much as 300-plus baht from the nightly drink tips. 

It must be even worse now after Thailand managed to shoot itself in both feet over the winter and spring. Since the airport seizure in November, there have been numerous negative events: refugees being set adrift in the ocean without food and water, murders of foreigners in the streets and hotels, the David Carradine incident and police trying and failing to deflect the cause, a tourist being jailed and humiliated for lifting a bar mat (not saying who was at fault here), not to mention the riots in April, ruinous breach of security at the ASEAN summit and former PM directing demonstrations from offshore. 

All have added up to a very, very, very negative image of the country. Add in the world economic sickness and you've got a recipe for plunging tourist visits. It must be really bad, too. An expat   Thailand blog, Bangkok Blogger, recounts several stories of  families desperate enough to willingly sell their daughters to make ends meet. Best let him tell it. Because all the events happened to him. 

A very good related story about the plummeting tourist industry  appears at FrogBlog Thaidings. It was from this blog item that I followed a link to the report of encounters with desperate families.

 

Send birthday greeting to Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma

On June 19, 2009, the imprisoned democracy leader and Nobel Peace Prize holder Aung San Suu Kyi will be 64. She's been jailed or put under house arrest for 13 years and probably suffered a whole lot more for a whole lot longer as she and her brave followers fought for recognition of democratic principles and national elections.

There's an internet movement to send her birthday greetings before June 19 and make an issue of her detention and upcoming trial for another alleged incident. Her life has just got worse after a rather boneheaded move by a supposedly well meaning fellow who swam to her home via a nearby lake and was caught in her house, making her life even more painful. She, of course, was blamed for the incident and will  face another military junta approved show trial.

You can visit the site and follow the directions to send a 64-word message. I did. I was moved to show my support more for the fact that the Burmese people have suffered enough under the military regime, especially during the typhoon during which, as you remember, the generals refused almost all foreign aid and let probably tens of thousands of people die. We may never know the real toll.

Up to you.

Brilliant reader story on Stickman -- Thai girls not so innocent

[Update: clarifications]

I've been reading Stickman again recently. It's kind of refreshing to go back to Stick's pages. He's a late-30s-early-40s New Zealander who's lived, partied and taught in Thailand for about 7 or 8 years, I believe. He writes a weekly column on local topics and issues, and rounds up the latest bar news and rumours. It's a very popular site as is his weekly column. He has fans and detractors. I'm a fan.

For a long time, while teaching, he had to filter out any bad language and soften the night life reports and reader submissions. He's recently quit teaching (on a high note, he reports) and I think it shows. The columns and reports have more life, as it were. Maybe it feels fresh to him too since he can take the gloves off, so to speak.

I just had to take up this subject because of the brilliant reader submission he published May 5, 2009. Fantasy and Reality by "Mega" (pen name). I think any newbies to Thailand MUST read this report and maybe, maybe, save yourself some heartaches and vast amounts of money. 

For the western mind, it would appear to have a searingly cynical streak throughout. But if you read it, understand what he's trying to say and commit it to memory, then the cynicism should eventually wash away and leave you with a greater appreciation for fantasy worlds. After all, think of how many Disney Worlds, Wonderlands and other such distractions do the same thing. Only this male fantasy world involves an entire country. 

I will have some remarks later, along the lines of, this guy is writing from his own perspective, which is not the only one. Yet a lot of the details and observations are bang on. First, do read the lengthy submission, which is written beautifully and has the pace of a hugely satisfying short story. 

Warning 1: To those suffering from extreme  political correctness and/or a western superiority complex, this may do you some good. Warning 2: The language is colourful. 

The piece is written in the framework of teacher and student. Here's a taste:

From Fantasy and Reality, Stickman, May 5, 2009

"Is there anything straight up in this country [Thailand]?"

"Not often. The truth is though that we, more often than not, end up the same way. That's just the way it is. You adapt to living in the environment you're in. If you don't, you'll get chewed up and spat out. That's why a lot of us that stay here for a long time can't go back to where we're from. We get used to living a life of sensory overload. The fantasy world of living life on the edge. The reality is it's got a lot to do with the beauty of these women here, they're almost addictive. The problem is, learning to control the situation so you can enjoy it but not have it spiral out of control."

Escape from Bangkok -- a sad day in many ways

[Update:  clarifications]

That headline is a little over dramatic. But I was glad to leave Thailand on Songkran, the Thai water festival that helps people cool off in the hot season and look over the horizon to the rainy season.

I went to Soi Cowboy for the annual water fight this afternoon. What a great time. It was a good thing to do because it made me forget this was my last day in Thailand and forget there was fighting in the streets and people dying.*

But the reality hit me when I returned to the hotel soaking wet and happy and then caught sight of the TV reports. Soldiers were sending volleys of bullets somewhere in the city. Vehicles and buildings were on fire. Then  on the way to the airport military APCs, tanks and trucks greeted me. There were no blockades or checkpoints. Even the airport didn't seem to have any heavy security.  

Not much else to say about the Thai civil war, or maybe I should call it Bangkok civil war, since it's all about two elites securing their grounds.

I will add, I do think most people in Thailand are very, very unhappy about what this is doing to the perceptions of the kingdom around the rest of the globe. Look at the debacle of the ASEAN summit. A   few thousand protesters invaded the conference hotel seemingly without much resistance and made  prime ministers and foreign ministers flee for their lives.

I'll write about the water festival later. I'm writing this from Hong Kong airport (free wi-fi everywhere!!!) but am exhausted from the night life, water festival activities and depressing story taking place still in the city.

*More accurate information from news agencies and Thaivisa.com says one person  died but not from military actions, which apparently were fairly restrained. Local residents tried to complain to the "red shirts" who are said to have killed one person. No details on a second unverified death. So no direct deaths are attributable to soldiers.

**A YouTube video shows former PM Thaksin exhorting his "troops", i.e., red shirts to take action. He lets slip that they are being paid  500 baht a day to "protest."  A popular revolt it is not.

 

A few worthy blogs and web sites on Thailand

In the six or so months I've been writing my blog on travelling Southeast Asia, two things (at least) have happened: I seemed to have got stuck in Thailand (I really must tell my travel "agent" about this!) and I've come across a handful of really good blogs on all things Thai  and cultural issues. You can see some links in the righthand sidebar: Favourite Asian sites. Here's a very, very short list and a few quick notes about them:

A poster at Thaivisa.com today pointed out Thai-blogs.com as a good source of info and background, implying it was thorough, well written and consistently good. I have to agree after perusing a number of posts by blog operators Richard Barrow and Stephen Cleary. There are articles on Thai cooking, barely known travel destinations (there are 76 provinces in Thailand, BTW), school teaching (one author  took up teaching English here 15 years ago and stayed, never meaning to do either), Thai movies, tips for dating a Thai girl and other imponderables of Thai culture, and hundreds more. The pair are obviously good observers of their hosts and also provide some great, at times intimate, photos of the subjects at hand. I'll be revisiting this blog.

Mythaigirl.com is a blog by Andrew Hicks, whose name does not appear in his blog bio but does in a post at surinfarang.com about his website, a pitch to support a school children lunch program and his book, My Thai Girl and I. Very personal stories  mix with posts of photo stories about villages and personalities. They are long entries but interesting from beginning to end.

There are a multitude of blogs and web sites featuring Thailand. I don't think I'd have the time to plumb them all. An interesting media blog, The Bangkok Bugle, is very informative, focusing on news publications from Thailand and around the world and how they cover subjects in the Kingdom, with bonus critical commentary. The blog also has a great links section.

An overall source of good information is thaivisa.com. It has a huge number of sub-forums for many topics (news, Southeast Asia, gays and lesbians, women living in Thailand, motoring, etc.) and regions of the country. Its specialty though is visa info, with several expert members providing uptodate info on regulatory changes as well as personal advice. Visa issues are big in Thailand, which seem to change day to day and border point to border point and embassy to embassy. You could almost call it an industry.

There are many ex-pat online forums for various provinces, especially Isaan or northeastern Thailand where many ex-pats call home. Some of them are: Korat, Surin, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and many more.  They are more local in that the members exchange info on local services, whether someone is looking for a good plumber, architect or place to by thumb tacks. You won't know how valuable the info on those forums are util you need buy a replacement filter for your imported big-bore Japanese motorcycle.

Also check out Best Asia Blogs for a list of Thai-focused blogs.