Ashley, Steph and I went to Thailand early and we all went to a small island in the southern part of Thailand. We went to Raliey Beach and stayed in the jungle and went rock climbing, snokeling, swimming, hiking and kayaking all over the island. It was amazing. We went snokeling at night and swam with the photoplankton.
On the 15th, we made our way back to Bangkok and met up with everyone in our group. A few things about that small trip have really stuck out in my mind. First of all, even though many of the Thai's don't speak English, the little English they know is about peace, no war and the hope of a bright future with Obama.
After our short trip to the islands, we made our way back to Bangkok. Our first day in Bangkok was spent with the Asia Foundation and CPRC. Learning about the boarder conflict between Cambodia and Thailand was very interesting because I didn't know it was such a big issue between the two countries. I related the Thai/Cambodia boarder conflict to the Germany/France conflict decades ago. It is really difficult to understand why they can't work closer to try and come to some kind of agreement but I also understand that giving up land for Thailand is admitting they were wrong.
The child protection agency was really wonderful. Joe explained everything in such great detail and really helped us understand trafficking of children, women and men. I had not known that men were trafficked as much as women in Thailand and that Thailand changed its trafficking law to include men in the law. I really appreciated the information that I was given and it has really helped me understand the culture and conflicts in Thailand and Asia much better! Later on I'll post more about the Weekend Market and the leaning Buddha!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Pre-departure Class at MIIS
Prior to our long-anticipated arrival in Bangkok, we all arrived at MIIS to take a two day pre-departure class. Over the winter break we were required to read two books, one about Battambang, an area we will be visiting in Cambodia and another containing the stories of four individuals and their memories of the Khmer Rouge time in Cambodia. In addition to reading these two books, we also read a number of newspaper articles and scholarly journal articles regarding a number of different conflicts. One particular article that we discussed at length was one dealing with the issues of face and honor in Cambodia. Our discussions were very enlightening in helping to understand some of the underlying issues of different conflicts. Another topic that our class expressed great interest in was that of trauma and healing. Dr. Poethig visited our class and lectured on Cambodia history and provided us with the opportunity to inquire about issues of our interest, such as possible explanations for why Cambodias don't discuss the Khmer Rouge era. We are off to visit the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok Thailand, but I promise to write more about our pre-departure soon.
2 (Christine W.)
Thai Border Conflict
I’m winding down in the Evergreen Laurel Hotel, reflecting on my first day in Bangkok in a jetlagged fog. For our first outing of the day we visited the Asia Foundation, an non-profit NGO that works with the Asia-Pacific region countries to improve governance, civil society, empowerment for women, and the economy. As I pounded multiple cups of coffee to keep the jetlag at bay, our group listened to two representatives who spoke about a border conflict in the southern provinces of Thailand, which are populated by Muslim Malays.
Although Thailand is bordered by many different ethnic groups, and the ethnic Thais are actually the minority in Thailand, the Muslim Malays feel particularly underrepresented by the centralized Thai government. The Malays have struggled to preserve their cultural identity in Thailand, and they have a long history in Thailand, which I cannot summon the energy to explain just now. The conflict between the Malays and Thai society accelerated in 2000 when the former Prime Minister of Thailand gave the police control over these provinces in order to crack down on drugs. The police were given the authority to kill accused drug dealers, many of which were young Malay men. Since this time, an underground Malay insurgency has grown, and young educated Malay men are being recruited into the insurgency.
Asia Foundation link: http://asiafoundation.org/about/
Reflection
Cultural identity, and identity in general, are often strong themes in conflict resolution, particularly in an international context. I know that understanding the background of each identity group implicated in a conflict is crucial to a strong analysis of that conflict, but I get so overwhelmed when I think of how embedded religion, politics, and history are in protracted conflicts. I feel it is absolutely impossible to make any kind of recommendation unless a conflict resolver spends a significant amount of time with each group. For example, in the case of the Cambodian genocide, it I feel it is natural to sympathize with a victim when they describe their circumstances during the trauma. For me, during their narratives, the Khmers Rouges become ruthless torturers who lust after power, and the fact that many of them have not apologized for the atrocities they committed is horrifying. Yet when I examine the history of the former members of the Khmer Rouge, I find that many of them were 15-16 years old when they were indoctrinated in a way that spoke to their cultural upbringing, and had they obeyed to refuse orders from the higher cadres they would have lost their lives. As one of the (male) members of our group suggested during our two days of briefings prior to this trip, there is little difference between a 16-year-old boy and a sociopath. How can a former member of the Khmer Rouge, who was strongly influenced during a time when they were emotionally underdeveloped, take full responsibility of the atrocities they committed when they too were victimized and alienated from the notion of morality? Black and white answers just do not exist, and this is when I consider adding Baileys to my coffee.
Our second meeting was with a local NGO, which works to protect children from child abuse and human trafficking. Increasingly there is a demand for virgin girls as young as 14, and younger, in the sex trade. Thailand has thus far been very progressive about passing laws against trafficking women and connecting with other countries to put a stop to trafficking, but men are also increasingly trafficked for labor. This was another wonderful meeting, but I don’t have the emotional energy to blog too much about it just now. I might go to the red light district tomorrow, and if that is the case, I’m sure I will have more to say on the matter.
Food!
On a lighter note, the food here has been the stuff that dreams are made of. The hotel offers a beautiful breakfast spread with some of the sweetest fresh fruit you can imagine. It doesn’t get much better than eating ripe papaya and scrambled eggs on a sultry 70 something degree day in January. If I get the bird flu, it will have been worth the eggs. For lunch we went to Cabbages and Condoms, a local restaurant that aims to educate people about safe sex. This can be a taboo subject in Thailand, so the restaurant has a back room where people can discreetly discuss sex with educators. We ordered what seemed like nearly everything on the menu so that everyone could try various Thai dishes. My favorite was a whole steamed fish with lemon-flavored juices. It was the most tender delight you can imagine. The seafood here is exceptional, and I have yet to try something I don’t like. Seasoning is taken seriously, and they don’t pussy foot around when it comes to bold flavors. It is a good thing the hotel has a spa, and that they offered a kickboxing class tonight. Sarah, Brandon and I decided to try the class from 6-7 pm before dinner. Kickboxing is a far cry from ballet, but the instructor was pretty fantastic, and it was a good workout nonetheless that reduced some of my guilt for all of the gorging I intend to continue. Hope all is well with everyone!
Cabbages and Condoms link: http://www.pda.or.th/restaurant/
Christine
I’m winding down in the Evergreen Laurel Hotel, reflecting on my first day in Bangkok in a jetlagged fog. For our first outing of the day we visited the Asia Foundation, an non-profit NGO that works with the Asia-Pacific region countries to improve governance, civil society, empowerment for women, and the economy. As I pounded multiple cups of coffee to keep the jetlag at bay, our group listened to two representatives who spoke about a border conflict in the southern provinces of Thailand, which are populated by Muslim Malays.
Although Thailand is bordered by many different ethnic groups, and the ethnic Thais are actually the minority in Thailand, the Muslim Malays feel particularly underrepresented by the centralized Thai government. The Malays have struggled to preserve their cultural identity in Thailand, and they have a long history in Thailand, which I cannot summon the energy to explain just now. The conflict between the Malays and Thai society accelerated in 2000 when the former Prime Minister of Thailand gave the police control over these provinces in order to crack down on drugs. The police were given the authority to kill accused drug dealers, many of which were young Malay men. Since this time, an underground Malay insurgency has grown, and young educated Malay men are being recruited into the insurgency.
Asia Foundation link: http://asiafoundation.org/about/
Reflection
Cultural identity, and identity in general, are often strong themes in conflict resolution, particularly in an international context. I know that understanding the background of each identity group implicated in a conflict is crucial to a strong analysis of that conflict, but I get so overwhelmed when I think of how embedded religion, politics, and history are in protracted conflicts. I feel it is absolutely impossible to make any kind of recommendation unless a conflict resolver spends a significant amount of time with each group. For example, in the case of the Cambodian genocide, it I feel it is natural to sympathize with a victim when they describe their circumstances during the trauma. For me, during their narratives, the Khmers Rouges become ruthless torturers who lust after power, and the fact that many of them have not apologized for the atrocities they committed is horrifying. Yet when I examine the history of the former members of the Khmer Rouge, I find that many of them were 15-16 years old when they were indoctrinated in a way that spoke to their cultural upbringing, and had they obeyed to refuse orders from the higher cadres they would have lost their lives. As one of the (male) members of our group suggested during our two days of briefings prior to this trip, there is little difference between a 16-year-old boy and a sociopath. How can a former member of the Khmer Rouge, who was strongly influenced during a time when they were emotionally underdeveloped, take full responsibility of the atrocities they committed when they too were victimized and alienated from the notion of morality? Black and white answers just do not exist, and this is when I consider adding Baileys to my coffee.
Our second meeting was with a local NGO, which works to protect children from child abuse and human trafficking. Increasingly there is a demand for virgin girls as young as 14, and younger, in the sex trade. Thailand has thus far been very progressive about passing laws against trafficking women and connecting with other countries to put a stop to trafficking, but men are also increasingly trafficked for labor. This was another wonderful meeting, but I don’t have the emotional energy to blog too much about it just now. I might go to the red light district tomorrow, and if that is the case, I’m sure I will have more to say on the matter.
Food!
On a lighter note, the food here has been the stuff that dreams are made of. The hotel offers a beautiful breakfast spread with some of the sweetest fresh fruit you can imagine. It doesn’t get much better than eating ripe papaya and scrambled eggs on a sultry 70 something degree day in January. If I get the bird flu, it will have been worth the eggs. For lunch we went to Cabbages and Condoms, a local restaurant that aims to educate people about safe sex. This can be a taboo subject in Thailand, so the restaurant has a back room where people can discreetly discuss sex with educators. We ordered what seemed like nearly everything on the menu so that everyone could try various Thai dishes. My favorite was a whole steamed fish with lemon-flavored juices. It was the most tender delight you can imagine. The seafood here is exceptional, and I have yet to try something I don’t like. Seasoning is taken seriously, and they don’t pussy foot around when it comes to bold flavors. It is a good thing the hotel has a spa, and that they offered a kickboxing class tonight. Sarah, Brandon and I decided to try the class from 6-7 pm before dinner. Kickboxing is a far cry from ballet, but the instructor was pretty fantastic, and it was a good workout nonetheless that reduced some of my guilt for all of the gorging I intend to continue. Hope all is well with everyone!
Cabbages and Condoms link: http://www.pda.or.th/restaurant/
Christine
Day 1 Bangkok
So I've never been much of a blogger, but I think this is a great way to be able to share the little observations you don't get in Lonely Planet guide books or the Discovery channel. Faith, Ashley and I arrived early and actually have spent the past three days in Railay, a small island near Phuket to bask in the sun, snorkel and swim with phyto-plankton...it was amazing, but it was a comfy, aloof tourist bubble that is now beginning to erode since we've arrived in Bangkok. Obviously, tourism is a huge industry here in beautiful Thailand but I think if you truly want to understand the culture you're in you must talk with the locals, eat at places off the map (try new, exotic foods), and basically put yourself outside your comfort zone. If it weren't for the fact Faith, Ashley and I came down with a bit of food poisoning, let me tell you, I would be eating everything in sight. I think some of the best food I've had so far came from a small market in Phuket while we were waiting for a cab to the ferry. We had lotus leafs filled with coconut rice, topped with mango and some sticky rice balls..very good! But enough of food...let's get to the main reason our class is here, which is to observe and evaluate the peace-building process in post conflict societies. This is something I am just beginning to comprehend, seeing as I am a nonproliferation major, but it is something I consider equally important in trying to make the world a better place. Today, we met up with Tom Parks of the Asia Foundation and he and his co-worker gave us a wonderful overview of what Thailand has gone through and it's current political state. The Asia Foundation is a perfect example of where foreign aid goes and I am proud to say the US State Dept. is actively involved in providing the funding to stopping human trafficking, helping victims of violence, promoting education and awareness and basically doing all the dirty, hands-on work that individual governments do not include specifically in their foreign policy agenda. This is crucial work that I have great respect for, especially the individuals who work with children who have been trafficked. One of the things that struck me the most was the idea that some of these poor children do not even consider themselves victims...they see these rehabilitation centers and shelters that they are transferred to after the trafficking as a form of prison, thinking they have done something wrong. Being an American, the idea of not knowing your rights is shocking to me, but one of the centers we visited today talked about how they work with these children to empower them. However, he mentioned translation was a big obstacle, aside from just getting these individuals to open-up about their exeriences. Not all children speak Thai and how do you translate emotions they don't even know they have the right to be feeling...? I won't write too much more, so that there's room for other people's reflections but I just wanted to leave you with that thought. The whole experience so far has been incredible and besides the tourist guilt, it makes me very grateful to have the life and privileges I do and hopefully you will feel the same after reading. So stay tuned!
-Stephanie H.
-Stephanie H.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Finally! - We are ready to go!
It feels like I have been planning this course for ever! I first began toying with the idea of taking my students on a field trip to a conflict zone (of course not a violent conflict zone!) sometime after my first semester of teaching at MIIS. Nothing compares to having real world experience to supplement classroom discussions and readings. I had almost decided on Nepal when, a consulting trip to Cambodia in the summer of 2008, made me change my mind...Cambodia is simply, a fascinating country from the perspective of a person in the field of conflict resolution - a post genocide society - with many challenges that a variety of actors face in trying to rebuild and bring peace. A perfect case study for studying what peacebuilding entails on the ground.
I leave in a few hours for Bangkok en route to Cambodia. Some of my students are already in Bangkok, having traveled early for some fun before the work begins. In Bangkok we will be meeting different people to better understand the conflict in southern Thailand and the human traficking problem in the country. We will also certainly discuss the current political turmoil in Thailand.
Through this blog, we (13 students and I) hope to share with you our stories, experiences and pictures as individuals and as a group in Thailand and Cambodia.
After months of planning, strategising and an unbelievable amount of time spent on settling issues of logistics, I feel well prepared to start on the ground. We really are very organised but we are also ready to be as flexible as we need to be to adjust to complex and changing realities (We really could do without things like airport closure though....:)) Wish us luck and stay with us for the next two weeks. We promise some great stories and pictures.
I leave in a few hours for Bangkok en route to Cambodia. Some of my students are already in Bangkok, having traveled early for some fun before the work begins. In Bangkok we will be meeting different people to better understand the conflict in southern Thailand and the human traficking problem in the country. We will also certainly discuss the current political turmoil in Thailand.
Through this blog, we (13 students and I) hope to share with you our stories, experiences and pictures as individuals and as a group in Thailand and Cambodia.
After months of planning, strategising and an unbelievable amount of time spent on settling issues of logistics, I feel well prepared to start on the ground. We really are very organised but we are also ready to be as flexible as we need to be to adjust to complex and changing realities (We really could do without things like airport closure though....:)) Wish us luck and stay with us for the next two weeks. We promise some great stories and pictures.
Monday, January 12, 2009
1
Introduction
Before leaving for Cambodia, I had grand aspirations to read up on the period between 1975 and 1979 when the radical communist group called the Khmer Rouge had control of Cambodia and carried out a massive genocide in which around 2,000,000,000 people, nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population, were killed. I wanted to brief my friends and family on my upcoming two-week trip to Cambodia that is part of a Conflict Resolution course at the Monterey Institute. However, in the past month I have used to read about the conflict and prepare for the trip, I’ve learned that merely reading up on that particular period is insufficient to gain any solid insight into the implications of the genocide. I do feel more compassion for the plight of a historian; there are so many lenses through which to view history, and infinite details to cover. Additionally, as I have learned through the memoirs, briefings, documentaries, and films I have poured over in the past month, a society is truly a product of its culture, and the task of summing up a culture as rich and complex as that of Cambodia does not lend itself to simplistic explanations. Therefore I hesitate to launch into any kind of summary of Cambodian history because it will be inevitably incomplete, but for the sake of those who know very little to nothing about the conflict, I’m going to do just that. Since this is a blog, I intend to edit my entries as I learn more about the conflict, and I am hoping that if I leave anything important out that comes to someone’s attention, they will fill in the blank with a comment.
History
The class will focus on the challenges that Cambodia faces today regarding peacebuilding in their society. The country was deeply affected by the period between 1975-79, and studying this conflict is crucial to understand why there are such challenges to peacebuilding. The conflict begins to make sense to me when I begin examining Cambodia’s history in the 1950’s. During this time, French rule of Cambodia ended and Prince Sihanouk gained control of the country. Although I have learned a lot about this prince, what sticks out in my mind about him is that his regime was rather corrupt, and eventually he was replaced by the pro-Western and U.S. backed Lon Nol government. Lon Nol was the Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1966-1969.
In this period, the United States was fighting the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon became president. In 1969, the United States secretly bombed Cambodia in order to eradicate any North Vietnamese forces located there. An estimated 600,000 people died in this incident, and the U.S. continued to bomb Cambodia for the next four years. Here I would like to recommend the film The Killing Fields, which is about the genocide and begins with this bombing. Sometimes the government of Cambodia agreed to these bombings, and sometimes they did not.
The Lon Nol government became very unpopular with the royalist rural population of Cambodia, which was most affected by the bombs. Various political factions gained momentum, one of which was the Khmer Rouge, headed by the communist mastermind, Pol Pot. The former Prince Sihanouk allied with the Khmer Rouge in an attempt to regain power, and gradually the Khmer Rouge gained popularity among the peasant population of Cambodia.
Before leaving for Cambodia, I had grand aspirations to read up on the period between 1975 and 1979 when the radical communist group called the Khmer Rouge had control of Cambodia and carried out a massive genocide in which around 2,000,000,000 people, nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population, were killed. I wanted to brief my friends and family on my upcoming two-week trip to Cambodia that is part of a Conflict Resolution course at the Monterey Institute. However, in the past month I have used to read about the conflict and prepare for the trip, I’ve learned that merely reading up on that particular period is insufficient to gain any solid insight into the implications of the genocide. I do feel more compassion for the plight of a historian; there are so many lenses through which to view history, and infinite details to cover. Additionally, as I have learned through the memoirs, briefings, documentaries, and films I have poured over in the past month, a society is truly a product of its culture, and the task of summing up a culture as rich and complex as that of Cambodia does not lend itself to simplistic explanations. Therefore I hesitate to launch into any kind of summary of Cambodian history because it will be inevitably incomplete, but for the sake of those who know very little to nothing about the conflict, I’m going to do just that. Since this is a blog, I intend to edit my entries as I learn more about the conflict, and I am hoping that if I leave anything important out that comes to someone’s attention, they will fill in the blank with a comment.
History
The class will focus on the challenges that Cambodia faces today regarding peacebuilding in their society. The country was deeply affected by the period between 1975-79, and studying this conflict is crucial to understand why there are such challenges to peacebuilding. The conflict begins to make sense to me when I begin examining Cambodia’s history in the 1950’s. During this time, French rule of Cambodia ended and Prince Sihanouk gained control of the country. Although I have learned a lot about this prince, what sticks out in my mind about him is that his regime was rather corrupt, and eventually he was replaced by the pro-Western and U.S. backed Lon Nol government. Lon Nol was the Prime Minister of Cambodia between 1966-1969.
In this period, the United States was fighting the Vietnam War and Richard Nixon became president. In 1969, the United States secretly bombed Cambodia in order to eradicate any North Vietnamese forces located there. An estimated 600,000 people died in this incident, and the U.S. continued to bomb Cambodia for the next four years. Here I would like to recommend the film The Killing Fields, which is about the genocide and begins with this bombing. Sometimes the government of Cambodia agreed to these bombings, and sometimes they did not.
The Lon Nol government became very unpopular with the royalist rural population of Cambodia, which was most affected by the bombs. Various political factions gained momentum, one of which was the Khmer Rouge, headed by the communist mastermind, Pol Pot. The former Prince Sihanouk allied with the Khmer Rouge in an attempt to regain power, and gradually the Khmer Rouge gained popularity among the peasant population of Cambodia.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
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