Duang Prateep Foundation Monthly News for April 2001

 

March the 2^st 1991 was the day when the chemical storage facility at the Bangkok Port exploded. The resulting fire destroyed the Ko Lao community of Klong Toey slum, which was located adjacent to the chemical storage facility. Four people died at the time of the blaze and over thirty have died since as a result of health problems resulting from the fire. The Law Society of Thailand is supporting two victims in their claims for compensation for the ill-health they have suffered because of the blaze. The court case has been dragging on for many years but a conclusion is expected soon. To commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the fire, a religious ceremony and a seminar took place last month.

There is further information about the 1991 chemical fire later in this newsletter.

UK Ambassador visits DPF

Last month the United Kingdom Ambassador, Mr. Lloyd Barnaby Smith visited the Duang Prateep Foundation together with Mrs. Barnaby Smith and UK Embassy staff member Ms. Orathai Sanithvong Na Ayuthaya. Mr. Barnaby Smith was welcomed to the DPF by Secretary General Prateep Ungsongtham Hata and fellow executive committee members Ms. Prakhong Ungsongtham and Dr. Thawat Anantothai.

The visitors saw dance and musical performances by children from the Duang Prateep Kindergarten and the Special Education Project for the Hearing Impaired. They saw a photo exhibition and a video about the DPF. They also talked with youngsters from the New Life Project for Boys at Chumphon, who were visiting Bangkok, and talked to senior pupils at the Duang Prateep Kindergarten who were attending an end of school-year camp.

Mr. Lloyd Barnaby Smith also made a financial donation on behalf of the British Embassy. The money will be used to provide follow-up assistance for youngsters who previously attended the New Life Project.

The attached photo <ambassador.jpg> shows H. E. Mr. Lloyd Barnaby Smith with Mrs. Barnaby Smith and Ms. Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, along with some of the children who provided the entertainment.

Also last month Ms. Prateep Ungsongtham Hata with representatives of other non-government organisations attended a contract signing ceremony at the Japanese Embassy. The event, which was hosted by the ambassador Mr. Nobotushi Akao, was to sign contracts for the distribution of funds under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects scheme under the control of the Japanese Embassy. The donation from the Embassy of Japan is for the New Life Project for Girls at Kanchanaburi and will be used for the improvement of electricity supply to the project, the purchase of educational materials and toys and the purchase of a van to transport children to and from school.

New Executive Committee

The annual general meeting of the Duang Prateep Foundation took place in March, attended by trustees, community representatives and DPF staff. The new executive committee, which will meet monthly is Ms. Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, Ms. Prakhong Ungsongtham, Dr. Sant Hatirat, Dr. Orapan Methadilokkul and Dr. Thawat Anantothai.

Trip to New Life Project

Last month Prateep Ungsongtham Hata took a group of 50 people on a weekend trip to the New Life Project at Chumphon. The party was made up of senators, representatives of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, other non-government organisations, representatives of Klong Toey communities and DPF staff.

The group left Bangkok early Saturday morning and returned late Sunday night. During their stay at the project the group had formal discussion sessions with the youngsters at the project, they had a night time party with the youngsters providing entertainment for their guests and they had many opportunities for informal contacts. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board donated funds to the project.

The attached file <nlp.jpg> shows an exchange of gifts between residents at the Chumphon New Life project and their visitors.

End of school year

The school year ended in March, schools are now closed for the long holiday until the middle of May. For children in their third year of kindergarten, the end of the school year is the time to say goodbye to kindergarten and think about primary school. The kindergartens affiliated to the Duang Prateep Foundation arranged farewell events for their graduating pupils. The 80 students who have now left the Duang Prateep Kindergarten celebrated the end of the school year with a party and an over night camp at the school.

Also last month the Coffee Society in Bangkok hosted a party for sixty-four children who participate in the DPF educational sponsorship programme. The children were given a great time at the society with plenty of food and a magic show for entertainment.

The attached file <party.jpg> shows children at the Duang Prateep Kindergarten celebrating the end of their school year.

Internet training

Last month two hundred youngsters from Klong Toey slum were presented with certificates by the Duem Nam Jai Hai Samikhrom Foundation for completing an internet training programme. All of the young internet enthusiasts, who were aged from ten upwards, attended four two hour long sessions on internet use. The training took place at the DPF under the auspices of the Duem Nam Jai Hai Samikhrom Foundation. The certificate presentation ceremony was presided over by DPF General Secretary Prateep Ungsongtham Hata and Mr. Poosana Premanoch from the Duem Nam Jai Hai Samikhrom Foundation.

Training programme for kindergarten teachers

Before starting their holidays, teachers at kindergartens affiliated to the Duang Prateep Foundation and the Sikkha Asia Foundation attended a two-day seminar on literacy programmes for children. Over 60 teachers from 16 kindergartens attended the event, which was organised by the Minoshi Group from Japan. The two representatives from the Minoshi Group were in Bangkok for two weeks, during which time they visited many of the children’s centres under the auspices of the DPF and Sikkha Asia. The Minoshi Group also donated books for use with kindergarten pupils. In the past the Minoshi Group has invited teachers from the Duang Prateep Foundation and the Sikkha Asia Foundation to attend training programmes in Japan, but this is the first time that they have come to Bangkok to lead a seminar.

Jam making skills taught to housewives

Three representatives of the Susaban group from Osaka, led by Mr. and Mrs. Okui visited the Duang Prateep Foundation last month to host a two day training session on jam making and cake making. Twenty housewives attended the event. The group practised making jams from papaya and mango, two fruits which are readily available in Thailand but are not usually made into jam. The Susaban Group has been working with the Duang Prateep Foundation for some ten years. The group's main work is campaigning for rights for minority groups in Japan.

DPF joins with youth groups to launch basketball leagues

Last month the Duang Prateep Foundation joined with youth groups in Klong Toey Slum to launch basketball leagues. The leagues are taking place in three age groups, with participation from eight communities and three schools in the Klong Toey area. The matches are being played on an outdoors concrete basketball court at the Flat Twelve area of Klong Toey slum. Prateep Ungsongtham Hata presided at the opening ceremony for the league.

The importance of sport in the fight against drugs is being stressed by the United Nations this year. The theme for this year's International Day against Drug Abuse, on the 26^th of June, is 'Sports against Drugs'.

Also, last month a group of fifteen disabled slum dwellers attended the 6^th Thai-Japan Sports Festival for the Disabled. The group from Klong Toey joined over one thousand other disabled athletes in competing in several sports.

Former New Life student leaves for Japan study

Wasan Ruamrit who was formerly at the Duang Prateep Foundation’s New Life Project for Boys in Chumphon, left last month for a one year language study programme in Japan. Wasan first went to the New Life Project five years ago and after rehabilitation from drugs he has been on the staff of the New Life Project, working recently in Bangkok. Several of Wasan's friends, who were formerly at the New Life Project turned up at Bangkok airport to see him before his departure to Japan. Wasan’s education in Japan is being supported by Japanese sponsors.

JANIC - UNDP meeting

Last month Ms. Rotjana Phraesrithong represented the Duang Prateep Foundation at a meeting jointly organised by the Japanese NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) and the United Nations Development Program. The six-day meeting was aimed at laying a foundation for NGOs Capacity and Network Building for Poverty Reduction. The event brought together about two hundred participants from sixteen, mostly Asian countries. Ms. Rotjana was the sole Thai representative and she spoke about the goal of primary education for all.

Canal side improvements

Canal side slum dwellers in the Klong Toey area have been improving their environment with financial backing from the Danish Co-operation for Environment and Development (DANCED) and guidance from the Development Section of the Duang Prateep Foundation. Last month a boat trip was organised along the canals so that community representatives and others could see the effects of the improvements. The work has been carried out in part to disprove the argument that slum-dwellers are responsible for the deteriorating state of Bangkok's canals.

Traffic premiere raises funds for DPF

Last month the Thailand premiere of Steven Soderbergh’s film 'Traffic' was a gala event hosted by the United Nations Drugs Control Programme (UNDCP). All proceeds from the premiere were donated to the Duang Prateep Foundation's New Life Project at Chumphon. Before the premiere, the UNDCP representative for East Asia and the Pacific, Dr. Sandro Calvani, spoke in a newspaper interview about how the themes of Traffic, which is set in the USA and Mexico, are relevant to similar problems plaguing Asia. The premiere in Bangkok came just four days after Traffic won four Oscars at the ceremony in Los Angeles. At the premiere DPF Secretary General Prateep Ungsongtham Hata received a donation from Mr. Kim Hak-Su, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia Pacific (ESCAP).

The attached file <traffic.jpg> shows Ms. Prateep Ungsongtham Hata receiving a donation from Mr. Kim Hak-Su, with Dr. Sandro Calvani watching.

Magsaysay representatives visit Petchaburi projects

Two representatives of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation, led by the Program Officer for the Program for Asia Projects (PAP), Ms. Noralisa Bite, visited the Young Women’s Group at Petchburi last month to inspect the goat raising project which has been supported by the PAP scheme. After some difficulties in the early stage, the programme is now going well. Goat raising is not common in Thailand but the ease with which goats can be raised on poor land makes them an attractive new source of income as the meat becomes a more popular alternative. The project at Petchburi is being organised by the Young Women’s Group and Baan Yang Nam Kat Tai school, with the young people closely involved in caring for the goats.

Party for DPF graduates

The Duang Prateep Foundation arranged a party last month to congratulate several members of staff who had successfully completed graduate and masters degrees. Five DPF staff members were able to celebrate the award of Bachelor degrees and one has received a Master’s degree. The party was also to say goodbye to Wasan Ruangrit before his departure to Japan (see story above) and to wish Happy Birthday to a Japanese volunteer.

News from Thailand

Parents protest at BMA school funding cut back

Welfare assistance for students who attend schools run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will be cut by about 40% from the beginning of the second semester in October. This is a change from the original proposal of the Bangkok governor, which envisaged a 70% cutback in funds and which prompted protests from many parents. The governor has said that the money saved will go to fund maintenance and the construction of school facilities but many are concerned about the effects of the cutbacks on poor families.

NGOs launch chemical crusade

Thailand's environmental movement has marked the 10^th anniversary of the Klong Toey chemical explosion by setting up a network to push for a new government policy on chemical accidents. The inspiration behind the formation of the network is the survivors of the Klong Toey accident. The network is pushing for structural adjustments in three main areas, the medical, the justice and the social welfare systems, in order to create an efficient response mechanism for the victims of chemical accidents. The group reported that it was satisfied with the first contacts with the new government.

At the end of the newsletter, there is a longer article about the tenth anniversary of the Klong Toey chemical explosion.

Squatters want say before eviction from public land

The Urban Housing Rights Network called for the right of squatters to have a say in finding a solution before they are evicted from public land. A representative reported that some communities had already initiated plans to relocate themselves with their own savings. She said that communities should be allowed to decide where they should be relocated, to avoid living far from where they work. She also suggested that government agencies consider land-sharing as a possible solution. It was pointed out that many communities have existed in encroached areas for a long time and contributed to the development of the areas, for example through helping to keep canals clean. The deputy director of slum upgrading at the National Housing Authority agreed that participation by affected communities was an appropriate way to solve housing problems.

'Hole dwellers' relocate

553 families - or 'hole dwellers' as they are known - will be moved from their makeshift homes under 74 Bangkok bridges and flyovers to new settlement areas by the end of this month. Three resettlement areas have been set aside for the relocated families. The event has been described as historic, as the relocation has been carried out with broad participation of all concerned rather than a top-down edict as was the norm in the past. Under-bridge residents have worked hard to make the resettlement a success with community meetings every month and community representatives meeting regularly with state agencies over the last eight years. However, many challenges remain as the families start erecting homes on their new sites. Despite some government assistance the relocation will be a considerable financial burden for most families and there is still concern as to whether the move will prove a success or not.

Aids activists call for generic drug use

Aids activists have urged the government to use its budget for the provision of triple-drug combinations for the purchase of generic drugs. The Government is presently providing 1,500 patients, less than 1% of people suffering because of Aids, with a combination of anti-retro-viral drugs purchased from multinational firms. The drugs are not patented in Thailand and the purchase of similar generic drugs, or the manufacture of drugs by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization could allow the distribution of appropriate medicines to up to 100,000 Aids sufferers.

Aids activists also want AIDS/HIV treatment included in a new 30 baht health scheme launched in April. The scheme, which has first been started in six provinces before being extended to the rest of the country, provides medical treatment for just 30 baht, but Aids treatments are presently excluded from the scheme.

Eleven non-government organisations presented their own draft of a new health insurance law to the Parliament President last month. The NGOs had previously gathered more than 60,000 signatures in support of the draft. The draft provides for free health care as opposed to the 30 baht scheme the new government has introduced. The draft also supports the promotion of a health for all policy, aimed at encouraging Thais to improve their health.

Amphetamines addicts patients not criminals

The new government is moving to treat amphetamines addicts and small-time dealers as patients rather than criminals. The emphasis will switch from punishment to treatment and rehabilitation. Amphetamines addicts are presently punished under the 1979 Narcotics Control Act, which stipulates a minimum jail term of six months. The army will play a role in the new policy, providing rehabilitation at more than 100 centres. Addicts in a less serious condition will three weeks at army camps while those in a more serious condition will have stays of up to eight months. The government also intends to promote support for the masses as a tool to suppress narcotics consumption.

The Public Health Ministry also plans to expand a drug-treatment programme, with the goal of rehabilitating 100,000 addicts by the end of the year. The Deputy Health Minister said that outpatient social-psychiatric therapy had a fifty percent success rate.

The government has also called on residents of big communities to be actively involved in protecting their youngsters from drugs. The Public Health Ministry intends to strengthen local anti-drug efforts in several Bangkok communities, including Klong Toey, and in other large towns. In Klong Toey the Anti Drugs Volunteers Association is already active, 17 slum communities in the Klong Toey area have joined the association.

It has been reported that more than 700 million amphetamine pills flood into Thailand from jungle refineries in neighbouring countries. It is estimated that 6% of the Thai population are addicted to amphetamines.

Abused children face problems beyond abuse

The director of the Children's Development Foundation reported last month that abandoned and neglected children are not only more vulnerable to abuse, they are also more likely to become abusers themselves. The director of the Centre for the Protection of Child Rights said that not enough is being done to integrate abused children into society.

The Child Development Foundation also reported that many children were still malnourished, particularly in the North and Northeast and that the problem appeared to have worsened since the 1997 economic crisis. Last year in 16 villages of Si Sa Ket Province in Northeast Thailand, 104 children aged between one and three were found to be malnourished and nine of them were in a severe condition. The foundation reported that poverty is not always the cause of the problem as family neglect also plays a role.

Environmental Sustainability Index

A recent new Environmental Sustainability Index, carried out by the World Economic Forum in conjunction with American universities, ranked Thailand 74^th out of 122 countries.

Regardless of income levels, only a handful of countries come out worse than Thailand for the destruction of their soil resources, emissions of carbon dioxide and ozone-destroying chloro-fluorocarbons (CFCs), plus threats to birds and other wildlife. Relative to the size of its population and economy, Thailand has fewer scientists and engineers than poorer neighbours such as India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and spends less of its national income on research and development. Thailand's gasoline prices are also among the world's lowest.

Thailand has done well at controlling the rate of growth of its population, and this achievement has implications for many other aspects of sustainability. The private sector appears to have responded to environmental challenges better than might be expected for countries with similar levels of income and development. Relative to the size of its economy, only seven countries have more companies certified under the ISO 14001 environmental standard, yet according to a survey, few Thai business leaders compared to those in other countries believe that complying with environmental standards has a positive influence on

competitiveness.

Many Bangkok residents will be surprised to learn that Thailand ranks as high as 25th for the quality of its air. Environmentalists will doubt the findings that Thailand scores relatively well for stringency and consistency in enforcing environmental regulations.

The report of the study is at: http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/indicators/ESI

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