Tortured by tradition
Give our young more than we've received
* Published: 24/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
*Bangkok Post
She's 12 years old. She has three older brothers. They are now 27, 18 and 15 years old. It started with the middle brother. He was the first to rape her. The oldest brother eventually found out. He didn't put a stop to it. He too raped her. One day, by chance, the youngest brother saw her being raped. So he too raped her.
It went on for three years, which means she was first raped when she was nine years old. Two weeks ago, she went to see a doctor because of a viral infection. The doctor found out the truth. The authorities were informed. The brothers were arrested. The story became news.
Last week, officials went to visit the girl at her home. She was not there. Her ''guardians'' had kicked her out of the house. This was because she told on her brothers; because she has brought shame to the family.
This latter story was published only in Thai Rath newspaper, confined to a few precious inches. The reporter happened to stumble upon the story while following Social Development and Human Security Minister Issara Somchai when he tried visiting the girl.
The reporter used the term ''guardians'', not ''parents''.
The report also said that the girl's teacher has since put her in a children's home, where she would be safer, especially since her 15-year-old brother has been released on bail.
This story surfaced when the entire Kingdom's attention was focused on three girls who danced topless in Silom during Songkran celebrations. Authorities expressed outrage, commenters plastered their consternation all over web boards and venom spewed forth from officials and well known figures.
All of this was for the three topless girls. As for the unfortunate 12-year-old, her tragedy was no longer worthy of the front page; her tears weren't worthy of the talk shows.
Sure, we cried foul when we first heard of the rapes. But perhaps the more despicable crime that few are talking about is the crime of her ''guardians''. Further within the realm of despicability is the fact that we so conveniently forgot about her, while instead obsessing over three pairs of teenage breasts.
Three years of rape _ how could the ''guardians'' not know? Three years of rape, and they put the blame on a 12-year-old girl. They kicked her out of the house.
Our society likes to throw around the words ''culture'' and ''tradition'' as if they are ping-pong balls at a Patpong go-go bar. ''They've corrupted our culture,'' they scream. ''They've shamed our tradition,'' they scold.
Not so. Songkran was corrupted the day we decided to turn it into a money-making business. It was shamed the day we thought it should become a tourist attraction. Both of which, I don't think are big deals.
Are culture and tradition always so good? This I will tell you: The blame the ''guardians'' put on the 12-year-old girl, raped for three years by her three brothers, also comes down to culture and tradition.
She shouldn't have brought shame to the family. She shouldn't have caused the loss of face. A good Thai daughter must keep skeletons in the closet - see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. Instead, she must suffer in silence under all the evil. It's called filial duty.
Ask someone who works for a women's rights group. Talk with anyone who works for a children's rights group. They will tell you the horror stories of culture and tradition.
Daughters forced into prostitution, because filial duty dictates that they obey their parents and help the family.
Daughters forced into having sex with stepfathers, because filial duty dictates that they are slaves to the provider of the household. So show your gratitude.
Daughters who become pregnant, whether by rape or consensual sex, but get kicked out of the house because they have brought shame to the family.
Study history and you will find out that if you fancy a girl, all you have to do is kidnap and rape her, and her family would be obliged to offer you their daughter's hand in marriage. This is to save face and family honour.
And don't for one second think that such beliefs and practices don't persist, or that they're not accepted by many in our society today. After all, this is a matter of culture and tradition.
In 2010, the Pavena Hongsakula Foundation reported 7,855 cases of abuse, the highest number in 11 years. That is some 22 instances of abuse per day, almost one an hour. Here is a rundown of some of the reported cases.
Of rape and molestation, there were 635 cases, the highest number in 11 years. The youngest victim was three years old and the oldest was 60. Most of the perpetrators were relatives, stepfathers being the main culprits.
Of torture and imprisonment, there were 558 cases, the highest number in 11 years. The youngest victim was three days old and the oldest was 68 years old.
Of forced prostitution, there were 172 cases, the highest number in 11 years. The youngest victim was eight years old and the oldest was 40.
Bear in mind that these are only the cases that have been reported to the Pavena Hongsakula Foundation. There are many other foundations with their own documented horror stories.
To this day, society's focus is still on the topless dancing girls.
News reports on Friday said the Metropolitan Police Bureau has ordered a clampdown on girls dancing topless in public and the distribution of video clips showing such acts. Has anyone ordered a ''clampdown'' on the ''guardians'' of the 12-year-old girl?
The cabinet has been given 457 billion baht for 75 new planes for Thai Airways. How much has been given to save our children?
The cabinet has given the army 882 million baht for 13,331 guns and 4.3 billion baht for around 100 Ukrainian armoured personnel carriers. How much has been given to save our children?
Mr Issara went to see the 12-year-old girl last week to give her 2,000 baht ''to start with''. Hopefully there will be more.
The horror stories involving children are not just limited to those who have been raped, molested, kidnapped and tortured. There are also those we see every day when we walk on the pavements or drive down the streets.
The little four year old begging on the pavement at Siam Square, while privileged children - with their BlackBerries and iPhones, in high heels and pointed shoes, covered head-to-toe in skin-whitening cream - walk by without so much as a glance.
The little eight year old selling garlands at the Asoke intersection as luxury cars zoom by - driven by people who just ignore her existence, or simply shoo her away if they are stopped at the light. Heaven forbid that dirty little prai taint their shiny paint job.
We are a society that is well-practised at pointing the finger and condemning when the supposed ''crime'' is no more than just being different, no more than simply having a different set of personal values. It's a culture of ignorance and intolerance.
Add to that our apathy, our refusal to acknowledge the real evils in society, for fear of losing face, of tainting our image, and we have a tradition that is hell-bent on denying that most basic trait of any society: evolution.
I couldn't find out how much of the country's resources are being devoted to helping our unfortunate children, but why leave it to the government to help? Each and every one of us can do our part. There are agencies that help children who are victims of abuse, providing them with shelter, care and education. We all can find out how we can lend a hand at the Public Welfare Department (02-246-8652, 02-247-9485) or at the Children's Foundation (02-539-4041, 02-538-6227).
Give our children better than we've received.
Make humanity a part of our culture and tradition.
Contact Voranai Vanijaka via email at voranaiv@bangkokpost.co.th
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
'Australia Awards - Development Awards'
Hi Colleagues and friends,
Following a successful pilot in 2010, it is our pleasure to draw your
attention to the 2011 'Australia Awards - Development Awards' (Australian
Government scholarship opportunities) that are currently open to Myanmar
applicants. Please see http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/pdf/burma.pdf for
the details and further questions can be directed to
scholarships.rangoon@dfat.gov.au.
Please feel free to pass this information within your organisation, and to
any exceptional external counterparts who may be interested.
Best regards,
Jillian Ray and Shaanti Sekhon
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
Australian Embassy
88 Strand Road Yangon, Myanmar
Phone:+95 (0) 1 251810 ext 203 I Fax: +95 (0) 1 246159 I Mobile: +95 (0) 9
5414858
Email: jillian.ray@dfat.gov.au
Web: www.ausaid.gov.au
Following a successful pilot in 2010, it is our pleasure to draw your
attention to the 2011 'Australia Awards - Development Awards' (Australian
Government scholarship opportunities) that are currently open to Myanmar
applicants. Please see http://www.ausaid.gov.au/scholar/pdf/burma.pdf for
the details and further questions can be directed to
scholarships.rangoon@dfat.gov.au.
Please feel free to pass this information within your organisation, and to
any exceptional external counterparts who may be interested.
Best regards,
Jillian Ray and Shaanti Sekhon
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID)
Australian Embassy
88 Strand Road Yangon, Myanmar
Phone:+95 (0) 1 251810 ext 203 I Fax: +95 (0) 1 246159 I Mobile: +95 (0) 9
5414858
Email: jillian.ray@dfat.gov.au
Web: www.ausaid.gov.au
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Thai education needs overhaul
14/04/2011 at 12:00 AM
Bangkok Post EDITORIAL
Thai students have over these past several years brought fame to the country and their educational institutions, by their outstanding performance in international competitions. Some of these extraordinary achievements included: Thai vocational students won the Harbin International Collegiate Snow Sculpture Contest championship in January this year and the year before; the King Mongkut's University of Technology (North Bangkok) won the championship prize of the World Robocup Rescue (rescue robot) contest held annually, for three years in a row since 2009; Thai students bagged altogether 27 medals, including 10 golds, in the International Mathematics and Science Olympiad for Primary Schools 2010 held in Bali, Indonesia; and a year earlier, 36 primary and junior high Thai students swept altogether 55 medals at the Asia Inter-Cities Mathematics Olympiad held in the Philippines. The list goes on.
These remarkable achievements in international contests may give an impression that the Thai educational system is quite excellent and the quality of education here is top grade. But that is just an illusion.
A closer look at all the Thai competitors reveals that most of them came from a few prestigious schools in Bangkok, namely the Sathit demonstration schools and they represent the cream of Thai students. Which must be the case for the other competitors from other countries - that is, only the top students are chosen to represent their countries.
What is rather disappointing and worrisome is that there is so much discrepancy between these minority top students and the majority who are at the bottom, with not so many rated in the middle. The recent results of the ordinary national educational tests for senior high school students, or O-net (Ordinary National Education Test), is an eye-opener regarding the Thai educational system and its quality of education, even though it is not used as the official barometer.
To several critics, including a well-known columnist at Thai Rath daily, the O-net result has been a real shock. About 350,000 senior high students across the country sat the tests in 8 basic subjects, including mathematics, science, Thai and English languages, arts and social science. Out of a score of 100 for each subject, the students scored an average of less than 50 in all the 8 subjects. For instance, the average score was 14.99 for math; 19.22 for English; 42.61 for Thai language and 30.90 for science.
One educator blamed the poor performance on the test papers; he said the papers were prepared by teachers from Sathit demonstration school and most of the questions were too difficult for the students to even understand. Others said many students did not care about the tests, which had no impact on their admission to universities.
Even if the tests were difficult, the below-par performance remains unacceptable. Something is terribly wrong somewhere - be it the educational system, the quality of teachers, or the students themselves, or all of them combined. Which needs to be fixed urgently and earnestly.
One thing that is undeniable and which poses a real problem for the quality of Thai education, is the quality of teachers at most state schools and institutions of higher learning. It was once suggested that the teachers themselves be made to sit the O-net tests to find out if they are even qualified to teach.The O-net results should serve as a wake-up call for the Education Ministry, which must realise the urgent need to overhaul the Thai educational system.
Bangkok Post EDITORIAL
Thai students have over these past several years brought fame to the country and their educational institutions, by their outstanding performance in international competitions. Some of these extraordinary achievements included: Thai vocational students won the Harbin International Collegiate Snow Sculpture Contest championship in January this year and the year before; the King Mongkut's University of Technology (North Bangkok) won the championship prize of the World Robocup Rescue (rescue robot) contest held annually, for three years in a row since 2009; Thai students bagged altogether 27 medals, including 10 golds, in the International Mathematics and Science Olympiad for Primary Schools 2010 held in Bali, Indonesia; and a year earlier, 36 primary and junior high Thai students swept altogether 55 medals at the Asia Inter-Cities Mathematics Olympiad held in the Philippines. The list goes on.
These remarkable achievements in international contests may give an impression that the Thai educational system is quite excellent and the quality of education here is top grade. But that is just an illusion.
A closer look at all the Thai competitors reveals that most of them came from a few prestigious schools in Bangkok, namely the Sathit demonstration schools and they represent the cream of Thai students. Which must be the case for the other competitors from other countries - that is, only the top students are chosen to represent their countries.
What is rather disappointing and worrisome is that there is so much discrepancy between these minority top students and the majority who are at the bottom, with not so many rated in the middle. The recent results of the ordinary national educational tests for senior high school students, or O-net (Ordinary National Education Test), is an eye-opener regarding the Thai educational system and its quality of education, even though it is not used as the official barometer.
To several critics, including a well-known columnist at Thai Rath daily, the O-net result has been a real shock. About 350,000 senior high students across the country sat the tests in 8 basic subjects, including mathematics, science, Thai and English languages, arts and social science. Out of a score of 100 for each subject, the students scored an average of less than 50 in all the 8 subjects. For instance, the average score was 14.99 for math; 19.22 for English; 42.61 for Thai language and 30.90 for science.
One educator blamed the poor performance on the test papers; he said the papers were prepared by teachers from Sathit demonstration school and most of the questions were too difficult for the students to even understand. Others said many students did not care about the tests, which had no impact on their admission to universities.
Even if the tests were difficult, the below-par performance remains unacceptable. Something is terribly wrong somewhere - be it the educational system, the quality of teachers, or the students themselves, or all of them combined. Which needs to be fixed urgently and earnestly.
One thing that is undeniable and which poses a real problem for the quality of Thai education, is the quality of teachers at most state schools and institutions of higher learning. It was once suggested that the teachers themselves be made to sit the O-net tests to find out if they are even qualified to teach.The O-net results should serve as a wake-up call for the Education Ministry, which must realise the urgent need to overhaul the Thai educational system.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Email, Letter, Attached files hte seng n'na Garan gachyan ai Lam
Dear manang ni,
Ya hte makau mi scholarship agencies de sa ai email/ letter formate ni hpe yu yang "very un-organized" byin ai majaw, Email letter, Sending files by email, and Naming attached files hte seng n'na, garan gachyan mayu ai majaw, email kadun mi ka dat ai. An hte shada ka ai shaloi na matu tsun ai n'rai. foreign agencies/officials hte scholarship agencies de ka ai shaloi na matu, shadum mayu na re.
Formal Letter/Email Format
foreign agencies/officials hte scholarship agencies de email ka ai shaloi, please don't forget to write your email in "Formal Letter Format." formal letter gara hku ka ra ai gaw nang hte chye ngut chyalu re. classroom n're majaw laga mi detail n'tsun sai. please also be formal. Masha n'mu lu ai communicate galaw ai shaloi the format of your email gaw impression lu la na matu grai ahkyek ai re. Both format and context are important.
Email and Attached file
Email hte attached files sa ai shaloi files 10 or 20 jan sha n'rai yang gaw...One email kaw e relevant files yawng shalawm ai gaw kaja dik re. files ni hpe mung orderly galaw na ahkyek ai. Dai galaw na matu, files size nau kaba taw ai rai yang, kaji kau n'na, sa mai ai.
Size of Attached files
Email services including Gmail ni gaw law malawng one email hta file size in total below 10 MB sha mai sa ai. Dai hta jan jang, "failed dilivery" byin sai. ya hte manang ni universities hte scholarship agencies de files ni sa ai shaloi, attached files size nau kaba na, sa tim n'du hkraw ai hpe mu lu ai.
Solution = Internet seng or computer hkan e "file Resizer" software programs ni nga ai re. dai majaw files ni sa na shaloi one file hpe below 1 MB tawn mu. Kaja dik gaw 100 to 500 KB taw ai gaw kaja dik re. Tinang nchye galaw jang, Internet seng kaw na ni hpe garum hpyi la mai ai.
Naming files
Email kaw attached files shalawm ai shaloi...file name 1,2,3,4 n're sha....relevant or appropriate file name ni shakap na ahkyek ai. "Formal Email Letter" ngu ai professionalism kaw e, ndai file name ni jaw jaw shakap ai mung lawm ai re. Grai galu wa n'rai tim, chye na mai ai hku, shakap ai hpe tsun ai re.
Email gaw face to face masha nmu lu ai hku communicate galaw ai re majaw, Marketing/ Advertisement/ Promotion zawn tinang na email a professionalism gaw ga shaga ai re. especially when we deal with foreigners and officials. Myit dum let akyu jashawn lu na matu le yaw.
I wish you guys have success.
Ya hte makau mi scholarship agencies de sa ai email/ letter formate ni hpe yu yang "very un-organized" byin ai majaw, Email letter, Sending files by email, and Naming attached files hte seng n'na, garan gachyan mayu ai majaw, email kadun mi ka dat ai. An hte shada ka ai shaloi na matu tsun ai n'rai. foreign agencies/officials hte scholarship agencies de ka ai shaloi na matu, shadum mayu na re.
Formal Letter/Email Format
foreign agencies/officials hte scholarship agencies de email ka ai shaloi, please don't forget to write your email in "Formal Letter Format." formal letter gara hku ka ra ai gaw nang hte chye ngut chyalu re. classroom n're majaw laga mi detail n'tsun sai. please also be formal. Masha n'mu lu ai communicate galaw ai shaloi the format of your email gaw impression lu la na matu grai ahkyek ai re. Both format and context are important.
Email and Attached file
Email hte attached files sa ai shaloi files 10 or 20 jan sha n'rai yang gaw...One email kaw e relevant files yawng shalawm ai gaw kaja dik re. files ni hpe mung orderly galaw na ahkyek ai. Dai galaw na matu, files size nau kaba taw ai rai yang, kaji kau n'na, sa mai ai.
Size of Attached files
Email services including Gmail ni gaw law malawng one email hta file size in total below 10 MB sha mai sa ai. Dai hta jan jang, "failed dilivery" byin sai. ya hte manang ni universities hte scholarship agencies de files ni sa ai shaloi, attached files size nau kaba na, sa tim n'du hkraw ai hpe mu lu ai.
Solution = Internet seng or computer hkan e "file Resizer" software programs ni nga ai re. dai majaw files ni sa na shaloi one file hpe below 1 MB tawn mu. Kaja dik gaw 100 to 500 KB taw ai gaw kaja dik re. Tinang nchye galaw jang, Internet seng kaw na ni hpe garum hpyi la mai ai.
Naming files
Email kaw attached files shalawm ai shaloi...file name 1,2,3,4 n're sha....relevant or appropriate file name ni shakap na ahkyek ai. "Formal Email Letter" ngu ai professionalism kaw e, ndai file name ni jaw jaw shakap ai mung lawm ai re. Grai galu wa n'rai tim, chye na mai ai hku, shakap ai hpe tsun ai re.
Email gaw face to face masha nmu lu ai hku communicate galaw ai re majaw, Marketing/ Advertisement/ Promotion zawn tinang na email a professionalism gaw ga shaga ai re. especially when we deal with foreigners and officials. Myit dum let akyu jashawn lu na matu le yaw.
I wish you guys have success.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
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