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Please Pass This Message To All List Servs You Know.
<p>This is an urgent message to advert ongoing genocide of the Akha Hill
Tribe by governments and missionries.
<p>EXTREMELY URGENT COUNTDOWN, FORCED MOVE OF HUAI MAAK AKHA VILLAGE
<p>99-01-22
<br>Thai Army
<p>Dear Friends:
<p>This is the current situation with the Forced Move of Huuh Mah Akha
(Huai Maak) Village in Northern Thailand.
<br>To remind, this is an Akha village of nearly 200 people, having lived
and buried their dead at this location for 78 years and longer, one of
the oldest undisturbed villages in Thailand, since so many others have
been forced to move over the years.
<p>But we think it is time to stop this policy.
<p>This policy to force the villages to move however approved by people
like the US Government in their paranoia about drugs fails to take into
consideration that it is a part of the role of genocide and considers not
one right of the Akha people.
<p>Thai authorities continue to insist that the village wants to be moved,
yet can not produce a single Akha of this point of view. Since there
are a score of villages that have been moved, and all these villages were
opposed to the move, it is hardly likely that they ever could find
an Akha to agree with this move either.
<p>Keep in mind that very few of the Akha are given a national ID card,
and the bulk of the rest who have blue cards are not allowed to travel
beyond their district, and predominantly do not have any rights of any
kind, including land. If someone were to claim that they do have
rights, we would like to ask how these would be enforced, why these stop
short of being able to get a passport and travel at will?
<p>Two days ago I was rousted from my sleep, having been driving all night
from villages including Huai Maak, by four soldiers of the Thai Army.
They were angry, they photographed my truck, photographed me, demanded
to know who I was and what I was doing, that they had some kind of big
problem. The one man from forestry stated that Forestry also had
some big problem, that it was all about the internet and my email to Petroleum
Authority of Thailand. I asked him if he had gotten such an email.
He said one was received. I asked him what the problem was.
He could not reply specifically. I asked him why he did not answer
the email? He could not answer this either. I asked him why the forestry
and PTT were planting all this pine and damaging the environment, he could
not answer that either. Finally he asked if I could go with them
to meet an Army officer at 2pm. I said I could. But when I
went to meet him and drive down to Haen Taek to do that, he said that there
was no meeting, that there would be a meeting at forestry at 9 AM on Monday
the 24th of January 2000 in Chiangrai, at the head office, to explain why
the Akha Village Huai Maak was being forcibly relocated. Could I
be there? Yes I could. Their proclivity to get people out of bed
with guns and then cancel their appointments was not nice. The soldiers
when they came to the Akha house were angry and demanded my passport.
I stated that I had no idea who they were and needed their names.
They refused. I then stated that as far as I had been informed, passport
control and the issuing of visas and travel permission inside Thailand
was the jurisdiction of Immigration, and since they could not tell me who
they were, I assumed they were not from Immigration and therefore would
not be giving them my passport.
<p>Two people, one from Britain, one from Australia, have been staying
on and off in the Akha village Huai Maak. It is of great concern
that the Army insists they are going to move this village on the 30th,
but that by now the 22nd, there has really been no dialogue about the issue
despite the fact that many people have contacted Thai authorities and asked
for that dialogue.
<p>No person who can show that they are in charge has been identified or
stood up to address the issue.
<p>We will have to see what happens on Monday.
<p>We can assume that since the village doesn’t want to move and since
the Army is telling them to move, instead of the boy scouts, that there
is real probability that intimidating force will be used to make the Akha
comply, abandon their homes and decades of investment in the land as well
as their sacred cemetary in the jungle where they have buried their dead
for so many generations. This disgrace of the Thai government and
associated "Hill Tribe Cultural Development" people will be redressed by
formal legal filings with the UN if it goes forward classified under genocide.
Since there are very few social services now to the Akha in general and
since the location that they are being told that they will be forced to
move to is unsafe and a health hazard, and since the children and adults
who have seen this location are already frightened by it, we can assume
that the forced relocation of this village will have immediate and long
term mortality effects on the health of these Akha and Lisaw concerned.
There is no land to farm at this location, and animals relied on for income
and nutrition in the diet will immediately decline as they have in other
villages. Many domestic farm animals will not do as well at hotter
low altitudes than the higher cool altitudes the Akha now prudently live
in.
<p>Excuses that the Akha have no rights since the Wa nation pushes drugs
through their ranks is foolish.
<br>At Huai Maak Akha the villagers do not smoke opium, are fully employed,
have rich diets, and have no financial reason to be engaged in either expanding
their existing farming areas which are very well managed, or deal in the
methamphetamine trade.
<p>While the Akha are being blamed for all the drug problems, which in
turn is put on this village, the Thais do a fantastic trade in all kinds
of wares with the Wa, basically laundering huge amounts of Thai baht to
build a fantastic center on the Burmese side, so fantastic that the Wa
now want to relocate 90,000 of their people there from all over Burma and
even China.
<p>No effort is made to ascertain that the money to buy all these Thai
building materials, and so forth, is not coming from the drug trade with
Thailand. And since it is being paid in Baht, one must ask where the Wa
are getting all this baht? Are they printing it?
<p>If it is being paid for in say US dollars, what country is converting
all the baht into US dollars?
<br>Whose financial institutions? India? Bangledesh? China? One would
think that not all of their money is going into buiding materials and vehicles,
so what are they storing the rest as? Gold?
<p>Yet the Akha, the poorest of the poor, are threatened that they will
be forced to move because of what ever suspicion they are under of using
drugs.
<p>There will be this big meeting in Chiangrai, many people attending if
the Thais do not cancel it.
<p>Please continue to press the Thai government for direct answers as to
how they can justify this village relocation into destitution, labor class,
and poverty, of a culturally wealthy and healthy people.
<p>My ability to gather financial resources for this ongoing battle has
been seriously hampered due to all the time being spent on this, and at
the same time my costs to maintain this presence in the mountains has put
an incredible drain on finances. The truck is quite battered, seriously
lagging in repairs and the bills are going unpaid.
<p>If you can send any kind of donation to help with this work please do
so to the credit card access below or to the addresses or bank accounts
listed.
<p>I would once again like to thank Sven in Sweden for the donation of
an iMac. It has been of incredible use and allowed a number of activistis
to begin using computer resources to help in the fight for the Akha.
We very much need another two if anyone can step forward to help us strengthen
our ability to deliver our messages to concerned parties around the world
about the needs of the Akha if they are going to have any chance to be
heard and voice their appeal to the international community.
<p>I will be forwarding more updates this week as the 30th draws closer,
it is not my attempt to flood your mail boxes, but this is a very serious
matter for a whole lot of men, women and children, including elderly and
pregnant women as well.
<p>Please make use of the contacts below, and protest this forced move.
<p>Matthew
<p>THAI EMBASSY CONTACTS ABROAD;
<br>DIRECTORIES;
<br><a href="http://www.embassyworld.com/cgi-local/search.cgi?guest=Thailand&host=&count=0&menu=1">http://www.embassyworld.com/cgi-local/search.cgi?guest=Thailand&host=&count=0&menu=1</a>
<br><a href="http://www.waw.be/rte-be/english/embeur.htm">http://www.waw.be/rte-be/english/embeur.htm</a>
<p>AUSTRALIA
<br>Telephone: (06) 273-1149, 273-2937
<br>Fax:(06) 273-1518
<br>Cable: THAIDUTO CANBERRA Telex:AA62533
<br>E-Mail: Thai@csccs.com.au
<p>WASHINGTON DC
<br>tha.wsn@thaiembdc.org
<br>LOS ANGELES
<br>thai-la@mindspring.com
<br>NEW YORK
<br>thainycg@aol.com
<br>CHICAGO
<br>thaichi@interaccess.com
<p>PRIME MINISTER OF THAILAND'S OFFICE
<br>Prime Minister Mr Chuan Leekpai
<br>govspkmn@mozart.inet.co.th
<p>PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
<br>Director of Mass Communication & Information Centre
<br>Mr Coosak Rongsawat
<br>choosak@wnet.net.th
<br>Director Press Relations Centre
<br>Me Surin Plangprasopchoke
<br>mcic@wnet.net.th
<p>TOURISM AUTHORITY OF THAILAND offices
<br>BANGKOK;
<br>center@tat.or.th
<br>CHIANG RAI;
<br>tatcei@chmai.loxinfo.co.th
<br>AUSTRALIA;
<br>info@thailand.net.au
<br>UNITED STATES;
<br>tatla@ix.netcom.com
<p>Prime Miinister of Thailand
<br>Mr Chuan Leekpai
<br>govspkmn@mozart.inet.co.th
<p>Office of the Prime Minister
<br>The Public Relations Deptartment
<br>Mr Choosak Rongssawat
<br>Head of Information Co-ordinator
<br>office 02 618 2323 ext. 1011
<br>home 02 814 1136
<br>mobile 01 8314913
<br>choosak@wnet.net.th
<p>Information Co-ordinator
<br>Mr Surin Plangprasopchoke
<br>Director Press Relations Centre
<br>office 02 618 2323 ext. 1505
<br>mobile 01 254 0790
<br>mcic@wnet.net.th
<p>Ministry of the Interior
<br>Office of the Permanent Secretary
<br>Mr Chakraphan Yomchinda
<br>Ministry Spokesman
<br>office 02 222 8005
<br>home 02 589 9066
<br>mobile 01 614 9831
<p>Ministry of Defence
<br>Office of the Permanent Secretary
<br>Lt . Gen. Sanan Kajornklan
<br>Special Office of the Permanent Secretary of Defence
<br>office 02 226 2309
<br>home 02 612 3826
<br>mobile 01 9416 888
<p>Deputy Maj. Gen. Pichai Siripibool
<br>office 02 225 6789 - 02 226 3114
<br>home 02 532 1729 - 02 993 7300
<br>mobile 01 837 3257
<p>Supreme Command HQ Royal Thai Army
<br>Head of Information Co-ordinator
<br>Col. Sant Noiboonsuk
<br>Director of Public Relations Division
<br>office 02 281 6482
<br>home 02 503 7511
<p>Royal Thai Army
<br>Col. Samkuan Sangpattaranetr
<br>Army Spokesman
<br>office 02 279 7925 - 02 278 5321
<br>home 02 981 8790
<br>mobile 01 981 8790
<p>Governors Office Chiang Rai
<br>(053) 711 600
<p>Ministry of Defence
<br>3rd Army Chiang Mai
<br>(055) 258 545
<p>Provicial Affairs Development Division
<br>02 221 9121
<p>Ministry of the Interior
<br>Local Affairs
<br>ID Card
<br>02 281 3962
<p>Phitsanulok 3rd Army
<br>Department of Civil Affairs
<br>(055) 244 145
<br>
<p>****************
<br>END
<br>****************
<p>--
<br>
<br>
<p>Matthew McDaniel
<br>The Akha Heritage Foundation
<br>386/3 Sailom Joi Rd
<br>Maesai, Chiangrai, 57130
<br>Thailand
<br>Mobile Phone Number: Sometimes hard to reach while in Mountains.
<br>66-01-881-9288
<p>US Address:
<p>Donations by check or money order may be sent to:
<p>The Akha Heritage Foundation
<br>PO BOX 6073
<br>Salem OR 97304
<br>USA
<p>By Visa Card Secure Site:
<p><a href="https://www.givetocharity.com/cgi-bin/give.pl?CODE=10956">https://www.givetocharity.com/cgi-bin/give.pl?CODE=10956</a>
<p>Donations by direct banking can be transferred to:
<br>(Preferred)
<p>Wells Fargo Bank
<br>Akha Heritage Foundation
<br>Acc. # 0081-889693
<br>Keizer Branch # 1842 04
<br>4990 N. River Road.
<br>Keizer, Oregon, 97303 USA
<br>ABA # 121000248
<p>Or In Thailand:
<p>Matthew Duncan McDaniel
<br>Acc. # 3980240778
<br>Bangkok Bank Ltd.
<br>Maesai Branch
<br>Thailand
<p>Web Site:
<p><a href="http://www.akha.com">http://www.akha.com</a>
<br><a href="mailto:akha@loxinfo.co.th">mailto:akha@loxinfo.co.th</a>
<p>Discussion Groups:
<br>akha@onelist.com
<br>indigenousworld@onelist.com
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