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Kites Flying Some Important Messages
The kite festival in Buriram province in the Northeast of Thailand starts at the beginning of the dry season in November, as the cool winds sweep across the plateau. Kites of many shapes and sizes are displayed and flown, and children join in competitions to make prize-winning kites. At such festival times, kites with a serious social message are also prominent. The images below show a couple of these kites, and the messages they carry.
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Although intravenous drug users are considered to be at a high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS in Thailand, the spread of HIV/AIDS through the heterosexual community has also been alarmingly fast. Early on, the high incidence of use of sex workers among Thai men was recognised to be a major reason behind this rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in the heterosexual communities. The major emphasis of HIV/AIDS education has been on avoiding contact with prostitutes, and on staying faithful to one's spouse. Sadly, however, education about HIV/AIDS has focused little on the ways in which it can be contracted, and the association with so-called "bad women" and "bad living" has lead to the ostracisation of many families known to be infected. |
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Drug abuse is becoming a major issue of concern throughout Thailand. As with many countries in the world, there are economic patterns in the drug use of the young. Solvent abuse is a problem among the poor young, while amphetamine abuse is increasingly a concern for school children and university students desperate to make the grade. Amphetamines (or "ya ba" - the crazy drug) are undergoing a major crack-down, but to date there doesn't seem to have been much success in limiting their use. They are also the drug of choice for the seriously over-worked, truck and taxi drivers, factory workers, agricultural workers and so forth. Certain localities are particularly notorious for the omnipresence of amphetamines, one friend of mine even reported that where she grew up, agri-business owners put amphetamines into the drinks they provided their workers. � |
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Recent stories in The Nation and the Bangkok Post have covered problems of society's rejection of mothers who are HIV positive and of their children. To read more about HIV/AIDS and drug-related issues in Thailand, try these links to these two newspapers: http://www.bangkokpost.net/ (for current and recent issues) http://www.bkkpost.samart.co.th/ (for a search of articles in the Bangkok Post) http://209.50.230.79/ (for current and recent issues of The Nation) http://203.146.51.4/NationNews/IsNews/query.asp (for a search of articles in The Nation) |
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Thailand is a country of contrasting drought and flood, particularly in Northeast Thailand. When it floods, last year's water shortage is old news. When there is drought, every tap seems to carry the message to conserve. Recent reports by the World Wildlife Fund indicate that water consumption per capita in Thailand is above that of some countries in Western Europe (See http://panda.org/livingplanet/ ). This is almost certainly a function of poorly-maintained infrastructure in the cities (losing as much as 40% of piped water through cracks and leaks), rapid growth in urban and industrial centres, and wasteful water use practices. |
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We often think of the tropics and sub-tropics as lush and humid places. Thailand's waterfalls and rivers can be splendid torrents during the rainy season, but while Thailand has a high annual rainfall, it is also highly seasonal. The winds of the cool and hot seasons suck up the moisture from the land, and in the Northeast, consecutive years of drought still leave rural communities with no drinking and washing water, and no chance of a good harvest of rice For more pictures and stories on rivers and what they meant during one hot summer in the South of Thailand take a look at this next page on our photo gallery. |
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