[usaneisfiecup]

Peterg: If you want a real tragedy look to Darfur where world attention is lagging and resources are drifting away. When you have retiring CEO's receiving upto half a billion dollars what hope is there for the impoverished? Absolutely!! The disparity makes me sick!

[jokilewqs]

In Thailand, survey reveals gulf in living standards between ethnic groups
By Robert Few

RATCHABURI, Thailand, 12 June 2006 – “Has your child taken a poo today?” “Yes, behind the house, but the dogs have eaten it all.”

This exchange between a government official and a woman from the Karen ethnic group in western Thailand may seem comical, but it occurred as part of a very serious project: a survey of child rights and basic needs in 60,000 households in Thailand.

One of those households is a flimsy wooden shack with no toilet or running water, where Noy Meer and son Gongsak, 3, are answering questions about clean water, sanitation – and dogs. Mother and child live in poverty, on a handful of dollars a month and on the fringe of mainstream society.

While the questions are asked, little Gongsak, dressed only in a filthy t-shirt, plays in the dirt with one of his dogs. Another local boy, clearly of school age but whose parents have never sent him to school since they migrated here from Myanmar, sits on the shack’s rickety wooden steps watching the interview.

A picture of how children live

Between them, the two boys are perfect examples of what this UNICEF-sponsored survey is trying to reveal: the gulf between the living conditions of most Thais and the deprivation of children in remote and isolated areas – particularly the children of ethnic minorities like Gongsak and migrants like his playmate.

“If the government is to produce policies that address the real needs of children in Thailand, we have to get a better idea of the situation at the local level,” explained UNICEF Representative in Thailand Inese Zalitis.

“In particular, children who are not registered or who live in very remote areas are often left out of official statistics,” said Ms. Zalitis. “So national figures for school attendance or child mortality, for example, can give too rosy a picture, leading to problems being ignored.”

The project, formally known as a multiple indicator cluster survey, is the first of its kind ever carried out in Thailand and one of the largest, in terms of households covered, undertaken by UNICEF anywhere in the world.

When the data from the survey are analyzed, they will provide the clearest picture ever of how children live in Thailand. In addition to water and sanitation, questions cover educational access, HIV/AIDS, vaccinations, nutrition and other issues that affect children’s survival and development.

Results will help target resources

Even at this preliminary stage, disparities are becoming clear. And it’s not just a gulf in terms of living standards, but also in knowledge and child-care skills.

“Most of the ethnic Thais know the basics about HIV/AIDS, although they are not too sure of things like whether a mother can pass it on to her child,” said Sumontha Kamkaen of the National Statistics Office, a UNICEF partner on the survey project. “But few of the Karen even know what HIV/AIDS is.”

Early results also show that most ethnic Thais know how important it is to protect their children against childhood diseases – but few Karen seem to know that their children could be crippled or killed by preventable illnesses, or that immunization is available.

The results of the survey should be the first step in bridging this gulf in knowledge and standards. With clear data from the local level, UNICEF will be able to advocate for the targeting of resources.

At the end of the interview with Gongsak’s mother, at the very least, she had been reminded of the importance of taking Gongsak to school and getting him immunized. But the larger benefits will come later – when the data generated by this survey lead to policies that will improve the lives of all Thai children.

- http://www.unicef.org

[AccusaJalsBub]

Lots of interesting and provacative comments in this thread. Here in Minnesota, we have (I believe) the second largest population of Hmong refugees in the United States, virtually all of whom were from families originally in refugee camps in Thailand. It so happens that our local paper's front page story today addresses this issue. See the story if you're interested, where it says that about four percent of our city school kids are from Hmong families.

I've heard people for years complaining about the drain on the welfare system and even other derogatory and racist comments about the influx of these people over the years. The fact is that the Hmong here have revitalized some rundown areas of the city, and have contributed to our economy greatly. It's generally a success story, and I have to say that I hear people complaining much less about the Hmong immigrants today than in the past.

Many of these Hmong families escaped from Laos in the mid to late 1970s, and I have personally talked with people who swam across the Mekhong River in the middle of the night with bamboo tied to their bodies. There are cases where mothers drowned their own children, lest their crying would give away their position and draw rifle fire from the soldiers. It's worth remembering that the political reason we have Hmong refugees here in the USA is because of the sacrifices made to opppose the Communist factions.

Now, there are some excellent points made by FaranginPhetch and Peterg about charity, what each of us as an individual might do. While there are undoubtedly many organizations and many ways to help people in Thailand, I'd like to mention one with which I have had personal contact and I believe in strongly. It's the Students' Education Trust. Basically, empowering needy people with an education is the ultimate answer to ending the cycles of poverty, ignorance, and abuse.

So, got ten euros? ten quid? ten dollars? Maybe a little more? Want to make a difference? You can.

[boltondd]

But if I am in someone else country I never really critisize their govt. If I don't like it I leave because the people must be happy with it or they would/should do something about it.

I am a fuly vested US citizen with all the inalienable rights accorded by the constitution and the bill of rights! I abide by the law, I vote, and I complain to my representatives when I think something is wrong!

The people in Gitmo are actually POWs I think as they were taken in a war of sorts that is ongoing and I have never seen POWs returned to their country to pick up arms again. Used to be I think that if you were captured, you could swear to remain neutral and be released, but that was a more honorable time and dealing with civilized people.

Then it would still be illegal as the Geneva Convention, to which the US is a signatory, would apply. The only reason Gitmo exists is so that US law can be circumvented. Also you will find that a good many of the prisoners there were not picked up in any war theatre, they were kidnapped off the streets.

And Gitmo is not exactly a prisoner of war camp by any definition.

By the way, I am not saying they don't deserve everything they get, I am only saying that the rule of law is being circumvented by the Government, which is not a good sign for a democracy.

[boltondd]

Well Peter, I do not know your situation, but you seem to have left the country of your birth to go there so you must like it, and you can bad mouth it with no fear of repercussion, so must have something going for it.

FIP, I am ashamed of you, I thought you were above the crowd who always say "well if you don't like it why don't you go home!".

Critising aspects of a place, especially the ruling crowd, has nothing to do with the country or it's citizens. If you go back and check the other threads you will find that I have great respect for the US and it's people. It's a beautifull country and you couldn't find friendlier people anywhere.

But, being such a large country, the people tend not to take to much notice of what is going on outside of it's borders unless they are hit in the face with it. The news organisations here also tend to be pretty parochial compared with other national news organisations so a good many Americans don't even know where a place is, let alone knowing what's going on within it's borders.

A prime example of this was the coverage given by CBS to the death of two of it's employers and the injuring of another in Iraq. It was quite amazing and carried on through the funerals. Given the level of carnage in the world, this rated a 30 second spot within a one half hour broadcast. I am not trivialising the incident but in the greater realm of things it was just another couple of deaths in Iraq. It's also one of the reasons why BBC World News is getting more and more popular here.

Getting back to democracy, is it democratic when a government spies on it's own people totally ignoring the constitution, goes to war on the flimsiest of pretexts, keeps people confined for years without the due process of law (even it's own citizens), etc.

Let's not be naive!

[boltondd]

Sorry FIP but that's a load of bull!

You really think the US is a democracy? Over the last 15/20 years the 2 political parties have arranged it (gerrymandering) so that most congressional and senate seats are safe. Take what they did in Texas, the voting districts have been so distorted that there is very little chance of a recumbent losing!

Most people are so dissolutioned that it would take an earthquake to get them back in the electoral process.

Then you have the government itself so tied into the butts of the political contributors that they do evertything but the one thing they are elected for, to serve the people.

Then you have the UK government doing exactly the same thing. Grazing on the backs of the electorate and getting stinking rich at the same time.

These governments are no better than any of the 2nd or 3rd world countries, they just have more sophisticated processes!

[!!Aaroncheg]

aliens?! you're talking about children. human beings. and that's the only criterion I know when it comes to education and basic health care. I don't think the bill would run to impossible billions over here. in a way, the lack of care will prove more expensive in the long run. I'm talking about basic necessities, not luxuries.
Thais usually have more compassion than most of us. but in this case, they also need some shift in perspective and attitude, as many of them tend to look down on neighbouring countries and nationalities.

[bWxNFI3c]

Does anyone know if the raw data from the UNICEF survey will be available online? If not the raw data, will there be an accessible summary/overview of the findings. I attempted to find this answer on the UNICEF site, but was unsuccessful.