Red Shirt Yellow Shirt

Political Situation in Thailand
You could say the political situation in Thailand is a little tense at the moment.  There have been some recent events that have been worrisome to some people, especially the parents of the students traveling with us to Thailand.  So far most of the disruption has been centered in Bangkok near governmental buildings.  Thankfullly, our YouthLINC group will not be in that area of the country.  We will see what unfolds by the time we are scheduled to leave.

A very brief run down of what is going on -
The current political disruption has been cause by demonstrations of two opposing political parties.  The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) usually dresses in yellow, called "the yellow shirts", which is the royal color of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  The yellow shirts are supporters of the current Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva.  The National United Front of Democracy (UDD) dresses in red, widley known as "the red shirts", and are supporters of the deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The red shirts are demanding that current Prime Minister Abhisit dissolve Parliament and call new elections.  Their demonstrations are part of a long-running battle between the poor and rural supporters of Prime Minister Thaksin and the ruling elite they say orchestrated the 2006 military coup that removed him from power.  The red shirts claim that Prime Minister Abhisit and his political party illegitimately took power in Decemeber 2008 after the military pressured Parliament to vote for him.  Thailand has experienced 18 military coups in it's history.  Even after the 1992 transition to a democracy from military rule, the Thai Army has remained a very strong political force.   

Both sides have experienced their fair share of corruption.  Thaksin was ousted amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power.  He fled the country last year before a court convicted him of abuse of power and sentenced him to serve two years in prison.  On the other side, Thailand's election commission has accused the current Prime Minister Abhisit and the Democratic Party of accepting an $8 million campaign donation from a private company and of mishandling the funds the commission allocated to the party.  The election commission is now also recommending that the party be dissolved and new elections help.

The current demonstrations have been going on for about a month with sit-ins and rallies staged near Prime Minister Abhisit's office and other governmental buildings.  Since April 2010, thousands of red shirt demonstrators have occupied a central commercial district, blocking intersections and forcing businesses to close their doors.  The demonstrations remained peaceful until this past week when the military tried to remove the people and it turned violent.  23 people have been killed and hundreds more injured.  The Prime Minister has put the Thai Army in charge of handling the protesters now and keeping peace.  King Bhumibol commands enormous popular respect and moral authority which he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened national stability. However, he is currently experiencing health problems and has been unable to address the current political climate.

The country is bracing for what will happen next but hopefully things can come to a peaceful conclusion.     
   

Travel Plans

Our flights to Thailand are officially booked and paid for! The travel time to Thailand is about double the flight time to Europe so this should be an adventure.  It will be necessary for me to stock up in every single item that will possibly make my flights happy and relaxing.  At this point I'm thinking only medications are going to do the trick :) (just kidding, kinda) Our flights are as follows....!

1. Depart Salt Lake City     June 9, 2010 at 9:40pm
2. Arrive San Francisco      June 9, 2010 at 10:46pm
3. Depart San Francisco     June 10, 2010 at 1:35am
4. Arrive Taipei, Taiwan     June 11, 2010 at 6:00am (day trip planned for this very long layover)
5. Depart Taipei, Taiwan    June 11, 2010 at 8:25pm
6. Arrive Phuket, Thailand  June 11, 2010 at 11:50pm

Total flight time = 19 hours and 56 minutes (and that is just air time)
Total miles = 8,968
Needless to say, the itinerary looks intimidating....Hello sky miles!

Tentative Travel Plans

Our trip home will be a little different.  When we leave Phuket, Shae and I will be leaving the YouthLINC group and the plan is to head to the Ko Phi Phi islands for some rest and relaxation after our 2 1/2 weeks of working.  The main island, Ko Phi Phi Don, is a very touristy spot but exceptionally beautiful and easy to get to from Phuket.  (Ko means island in the Thai language and there are hundreds of them.)  We will be there just after the busy season so it shouldn't be too crowed or overly expensive.  The sister island, Ko Phi Phi Ley, is the uninhabited smaller island which was the location for the movie The Beach (gives you and idea of how beautiful it is). It's not possible to stay on Ko Phi Phi Ley but there are may day trips to the island which we will most likely take advantage of.  I am hoping to get some snorkeling in, a hike or two to some view points and a cave I have heard about, and of course, plenty of beach time and Thai food.  

From the islands we want to head up north to Chiang Mai by airplane.  It is the original capital of the country before it was moved to Bangkok.  That area of Thailand is a cultural hot spot featuring hundreds of temples, old villages and ruins.  Shea and I have talked about trying to find a yoga class to take while we are there.  I have also read that Thai massage is a big deal around this area so perhaps we will have to find some time for that :).  The food is said to be amazing and the history is deeply routed.  Every Sunday the city shuts down Ratchadamnoen Road and have a huge market that almost runs from
one side of the city to the other.  They call it the "Sunday walking street."   We will be there on a Sunday so we are planning on stopping by.  We will spend a couple of days Chiang Mai and then take an overnight train to Bangkok.

Since our flight home is leaving out of Bangkok our original plan was to end the trip with a few days in Bangkok to see the modern side of Thailand.  However, because the political climate in Thailand is a little tense at the moment we are now  planning on staying only one night in Bangkok.  Everything could change by then but a big city isn't on our "interests" list anyways so one day should be plenty.  According to most travel guides I have read it is very possible to get what you want out of Bangkok in one day.  We will arrive in Bangkok on the overnight train early in the morning and have that day to see the sights and then leave for home early the next morning.    

We leave in 54 days!

April 10th YouthLINC Meeting Update

Two months and counting....Our Thailand departure is coming up a lot faster that I was anticipating! And it doesn't seem like I am the only one this has crept up on.  Now the intensive planning has started and the YouthLINC group is full steam ahead in the in planning process.  Besides planning our our projects and getting the trip organized we sill need to come up with fund-raising ideas and plan the fund-raising events.  A group of our students is working on putting together a high school dance, a 5K race and a yard sale.  We had our April meeting this past Saturday on April 10, 2010.  (I missed the last 2 because I was in California.)  My cultural exchange committee gave a presentation on the culture of Thailand and discussed some do's and don'ts to remember when we are in the country.  A lot if the information is pretty interesting so I thought I would share some of the facts.

Facts about Thailand: 

• The Kingdom of Thailand was established in the mid-14th century.  Know as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power.
• Population of Thailand: 65,998,436
• Life expectancy: 73.1 years
• Ethnic groups: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
• Religion: Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, Other 0.1%
• Government: Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch - King Bhumibol (Rama IX) has held the throne since 1946
• Prime Minister - Abhisit Vejjajiva is Thailand's 27th Prime Minister 
• Parliament - House of Representatives and Senate

• Time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washing, DC = 14 hours ahead of UTAH!)
• Exchange rate: 34.318 baht per 1 US dollare ($100.00 = 3,431.80 baht)
• Fun fact: The Guinness World's Record Book recognixes Bangkok as the longest cith name in the world.  The traditional name of Bangkok is...Krung Thep Maha Nakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahasathan Amon Phiman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanu Kamprasit.  The lose translation: Great city of the Angles, Venue of the Divine Gems, Great Unconquerable Land, Royal and Enjoyable Capital City of the Nine Nible Gems, Royal Highest Dwelling and Great Palace, Divine Home and Living Place of the come-back-to-flesh Spirits. Try fitting that entire name on an envelope.

 Do's and Don'ts in Thailand

•  The head is sacred and the feet are taboo.  You must not ever touch a Thai person on their head because it is the highest and most scared part of their body.  At the dame time, you must never show the soles of your feet to anyone, or use your feet to point because the feet are the lowest and most filthy part of the body.  
• Before entering a house or building, it is important to take off your shoes.  This goes along with the idea that the feet are dirty.
• Public displays of affection are not encouraged.
• Teachers are revered in Thailand the way doctors are in the United States.  They are highly paid and respected.
• Instead of shaking hands, Thais "wai" to greet people.  The "wai" is a short bow done with hands held fingertipd together close to you chest or face.  The "wai" changes according to who you are greeting.  You never "wai" someone of lower status or age - even if it sounds like the egalitarian thing to do, you'll only embarrass the person you are "wai"-ing. 
• Buddhism is practiced by almost 95% of the Thai culture, so one must take extra special care not to offend the religious sensibilities of the culture.  It is important to wear appropriate dress when entering a temple and, of course, leave your shoe outside.  It is also against the law to be disrespectful toward a religious symbol.  Buddha images are sacred, whatever the size or condition.  Never climb on a Buddha image.
• Show upmost respect for the King and his family.  This goes along with respecting the religion since the Thai people believe the King to be semi-divine and a religious figure.  Respect for the King isn't just polite, it's the law.
• Buddhist monks are not allowed to touch or be touched by a woman or accept anything a woman might offer.  If a woman wants to give something to a monk it must first be given to a man, or put in a piece of cloth. 
• Only fools and people of poor upbringing lose their temper in public.  Loud voices and angry talk can be extremely counterproductive in Thailand.  Thais value "keeping face" for themselves and for others.  Smiling will get you much further than a raised voice.  

Now that our research is over our committee's next order of business is to plan the opening and closing ceremonies.  At the moment it will consist of a few people playing the guitar, playing some games and introductions.  We have two men who can speak the Thai language so that is extremely helpful.  I have a phrase book but it is pretty hard to figure out how things are pronounced on my own!  We are hoping to be allowed to paint a mural at the school and have our closing ceremony centered on presenting that to the students.  We also have a fun fair for the children to finalize and a cultural exchange panel to set up with the people in the community.

The rest of the committees' plans are starting to come together as well.  The construction committee is figuring our plans for the water system we want to build at the school.  Right now the school only has big barrels that collect water as it comes off the roof during the rain storms and a stream about 300 yards away.  The goal is to build sinks near the outhouses and a water filtration system for for the school and kitchen.  The micro-enterprise committee ran into some issues with their plans for starting up an in-country loan program due to certain legal restraints in Thailand so they are focusing more on vocational training and business start up with donations instead of loans.  The health committee gave everyone a break down of the shots we will need and a list of medications we should bring.  They are also planning the health fair for the adult in the community and parents of the school.  The educational committee informed everyone that they should begin developing an English language lesson plan as we will all be teaching at least one English lesson while we are there.  We will also be putting together a "yearbook" with some of the best pictures and video of the trip.  Hopefully I will be able to post some of those things.

It is starting to come together but there is still a lot more left to do.  The hard part is just beginning and we will have to put in some serious effort in order to make these plans happen. Hopefully the the students can come through and pull off some amazing fund-raising events.  It is getting close but I am sure we can make this happen!