Little David Honduras Stands Firm Against Goliath

"No one can make me resign if I do not violate the laws of the country. If there is any invasion ... 7.5 million Hondurans will be ready to defend our territory and our laws and our homeland and our government."

-Michelleti, Interim President of Honduras

The world is witnessing a familiar story: DAVID vs GOLIATH.

Honduras stands firm against the pressures and threats of the world. The U.N., O.A.S., and much of the mainstream media calls Zeleya's ouster an undemocratic military coup. But Honduras' interim President, the congress, all major parties (included Zelaya's own party), the Supreme Court, the electoral council, the attorney general, the military, the majority of people, along with Catholic and evangelical leaders disagree.

You already know how the mainstream media has characterized this: as a 'coup' of the state, undemocratic, and 'illegal.' Actually, reporting has been appalling (as many Hondurans will aver); no reporters are going to the country. For example: Tens of thousands of protesters wearing white have come out all over the country in favor of Zelaya's arrest as democratic, but not one report about these peaceful marches has been fully covered outside Honduran press.

The majority of people in these marches as well as the current leaders claim Zelaya's arrest was sanctioned and ordered by the main governing bodies of the country: the supreme court, the constitution, and the congress; and that Zelaya's arrest has safeguarding democratic order and process. The military was simply following the orders of these governing bodies. In fact, every governing body in Honduras remains intact - except that Zelaya is out. If this is a 'coup,' then it certainly has none of the characteristics of a classic coup: it has not disrupted democratic order or the governing bodies, or the constitution, at all. On the contrary, Zelaya's arrest has served to safeguard democratic order from a leader who repeatedly defied the Honduran law and constitution.

I am from the Bay Islands of Honduras, and I want to share with you the majority of Hondura perspective on this, because the media has been biased and lopsided, and further, has misrepresented basic facts and this has led to wrongful and premature condemnation.

The majority of Hondurans are proud their country is standing up for its laws and constitution. Zelaya popular support has dropped somewhere between 25-30% in the opinion polls (see Reuters, AP, La Prensa.hn, etc. although it wasn't much better before). Zelaya attempted what was perceived as a power grab. Chavez coached Zelaya on how to try to get around what congress, the supreme court, etc. would not let him do - extend the term limit - so he forced an 'opinion' vote. This vote was deemed illegal by the governing bodies. The congress voted unanimously, and even had the O.A.S. observe and legitimate the decision. Because Zelaya would not cease in seeking what was branded an illegal vote ("la cuarta urna") by all governing bodies, Zelaya put himself squarely outside the law and the constitution. He was warned repeatedly to stop, but he continued to act above the law. Finally, the supreme court demanded his arrest, backed by the attorney general and congress, and the military obeyed.

What would America do if Bush (or Obama) tried to run a referendum to build support for a third term to presumably give himself more power, a referendum deemed illegal by the Constitution and the Supreme Court, against the Federal Election Committee and the Attorney General? On top of going against Congress and the majority of voters, even his own party? And you find out it was financed all along by Chavez? This is exactly what happened in Honduras.

How can the world justify telling Honduras what their law should be? saying it is 'illegal'? that By whose standards? They ARE abiding by THEIR laws. The US has a constitution that its leaders respect. Even Bush, for all his unpopular decisions, had to respect the decisions of congress and seek their support. For example, if Bush had gone to war with Iraq without congress, he would have committed an illegal act. So with Zelaya. How can you have a democracy without following the constitution or the rule of law? Is democracy that shallow? Even if Zelaya is 're-instituted,' as the international community seems to desire, since he has no institutional support, he will be unable, practically, to govern. What message about democratic process will that give to the world, to take back a president who was taken out of office for defying the laws of the land? We already know from our history lessons what happens when you force-impose a president nobody wants. Remember the mess in Haiti? When the international community forced Aristide back into power, the country deteriorated into chaos. Aristide, same as Zelaya, had no support with governing institutions or the majority of people.

And think of the irony: Obama was slow to condemn Iran, but reactionary against Honduras? I cannot understand. Even if you can understand the caution with Iran, doesn't Honduran law and democracy and will also deserve the same caution?

David may be up against Goliath - a Goliath of international condemnation and threats. But in David's slingshot there is a deadly pebble: the will of the Honduran people. With his tiny pebble David can bring down this Goliath.

... With time, that is, to sway public opinion. Let's hope Honduras is not invaded before it gets to shoot the sling.

At the very least, people should be informed of the majority perspective before making a judgment on this fragile democracy. Honduras needs to hold out long enough for the facts to come to light, and the international community softens its tone with informed positions.

-aj.Daeng

Please keep Honduras in your thoughts and prayers.

~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~-

Below are resources for further information. I will update this as I can.

A compilation of reports, updates, resources. (last updated August 31)

Letter to the Citizen's of the World from the Foreign Minister of Honduras.

Huan Soontaree: Lanna Food & Music

One of my favorite places to soak in sensuous Lanna Thai culture in Chiang Mai is to enjoy the atmosphere, food and music at Huan Soontaree's restaurant. Huan is local gam muang language for house and Soontaree's, with its big, open-aired spacing and colorful hanging embroidery, is truly an ode to local folklore, decor, cuisine, and music. Khun Soontaree Veechanont is a well-known musician specializing in Lanna folk singing. Opening acts start early evening, and Soontaree regularly goes on around 830-9pm to intone difficult nasal notes in gam muang to an applauding, mostly Thai audience. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of Lanna style music in general, but when Soontaree sings, I just can't get enough! I've even bought several of her albums and always end up singing along with her.

You may also want to enjoy the Lanna puppet show if you're seated downstairs. I prefer to head upstairs since it has better acoustics and an eye level view of the performers. And the show by no means takes away from the quality of the food which is very tasty: the stuffed serpent fish, tom ka guy and penang tofu are just a few excellent dishes.

Khun Soontaree is not only famous for her musical talent, but also for her engagement in Thai politics. The current political crisis is on all of our minds these days, and as I write this, Bangkok's airports are closed due to protests. She speaks out regularly against ousted Prime Minister Thaksin, dangerous political posturing in Chiang Mai, his very supportive home town. She gives a speech in this picture on her wall (above) in front of a caricature of Thaksin devouring the Thai flag. Her old restaurant which was closer to the center of town was actually bombed a few years ago, may be one of the reasons why she moved to this new more remote location up the Ping river.

Whatever your political stance, you can still enjoy her friendly house. If you're as lucky as I have been, you'll be around a night her daughter comes to town. Like her mother, Lanna Commins is also a musician, and has several albums out of fusion folk and pop. Hearing them sing together is quite a treat. We chat with Lanna and Khun Soontaree below (to my left and right).
I leave you with my favorite Soontaree song. I don't speak gam muang, but there's something in there about a Chiang Mai girl and her everyday adventures eating khao soi in the mountains of Doi Pui :) Sabai Sabai ...

[Listening may require Quicktime plug-in and settings]

~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~- ~~-

Red Tips Location - Driving directions: Huan Soontaree is located on the west bank of the ping river, north of town. Get on the super highway toward the Ping river. If headed eastward stay left before the bridge to go north up the river (westward go over and under the bridge); go about 5-6km, it will be on your right. Drivers know where it is, just make sure to have them stay or come back and get you later. Phone: Call 053 872 707 if you want to make sure she's on that night.

Political Crisis in Thailand, What Will Happen? (No Worries, aj.D is Safe)

Let me say a word to those of you who are following the news and are worried about me in Thailand. I'm watching closely, but from the comfort of pro-Samak/Thaksin Chiang Mai in the North. Meanwhile, 500 kilometers away, Bangkok is under a state of emergency. (Never mind that they found a bomb in the anti-Samak PAD office in Chiang Mai. It didn't detonate.) I've learned enough about Thai politics to know this is part of the system of a fledgling democracy working itself out of corruption, etc. It's part of the process (now on the 19th constitution, as many coup d'états).

What are my political pundit peeps predicting? If Thailand follows its previous pattern, and there is more bloodshed, there will be another coup. What is the point of taking out a corrupt Prime Minister 2 years ago only to replace him with a so-called 'puppet'? The story defies western ideas because it is an unlikely loose alliance of a 'pro-democracy' movement and something that starts with 'm' and ends with 'y'. Those who know how revered it is know what I mean. This article has a more exhaustive take on possible future scenarios. The article concludes:
"There is no obvious way out of this impasse, and none of the above scenarios is a clear recipe for lasting peace. Thailand is polarized into two sides - those who ardently support Mr Thaksin and his allies, and those who detest them and refuse to countenance the idea of them in power. Until a compromise is reached, the rift in Thai society is likely to continue."
If not, then perhaps another coup, or a 'people's coup,' as many call it? or another government? some minor compromise? ... and the cycle goes on, and on.

How does this effect me directly, might you ask? Well so far, the family that owns my local vegetarian restaurant closed up for a few weeks to join the protests in Bangkok. Other than that, not much!

An interesting time to be in Thailand. I will keep you posted.

(Speaking of politics, I'm watching closely the US election ... between the Hillary-Obama rift, and not picking her for VP, along with the Palin choice, which I could see coming, well, let's see where things go ...)

Laos Highway up to the Border with China

Is that aj.D doing an interview in a hut in the middle of Laos? Why, yes. Let me tell you, it's hard to resist an invitation to go to the friendly and relaxed Laos when much of the transportation is paid for. A few weeks ago a friend and colleague ask me to go to Laos to help research the economic and social impact of the newly completed highway from China to the Mekong River across from Chiang Khong, Thailand. Other than to look pretty (ha ha), my job was to help with phrasing questions that would not scare people away from talking about sensitive topics. The others in our six person team had more essential roles and we had a Chinese and a Lao student who could help with language as well.

We started off the trip with a night in low key Chiang Rai, and went straight to the Night Bazaar, which I totally love. The next day we awoke to start our journey all the way to the Chinese border. Thanks to Pornsak getting us our own van we made it to Chiang Khong in no time through a scenic route I hadn't been on before. This was my second time to Chiang Khong, and I have to say I really enjoy being on the Mekong. The sign in the pic let us know we were at the GATE TO INDO - CHINA. From there we took a taxi boat across the mighty Mekong River to Hui Xai (or Bokeo).
Above is a view of the boats from the Thai side sporting the Thai flag, and below a view from the Lao side.
From Hui Xai Pornsak arranged a nice van to take us all the way up, stopping along the way to do interviews or explore things that were relevant to the research. It was really interesting to go on this kind of travel for me. It was great to talk to people about what was going on, and to see the Laos countryside, which is a riot of green--for the most part.
Unfortunately however, one of main impacts of the road was environmental. The construction of the highway was quite destructive to the surrounding area; mountains were blasted and basically all the trees near the highway were burned or cut down, as you can see from the picture. The Laos government basically gave the Chinese and Thai a free pass to do whatever they wanted. But the execution of the road reflects a flayed 'building'/'construction' mentality: build now, clean up later (if you clean up at all!). Sadly, in just a few months, the road is already deteriorating because of erosion and blasting. Who will fork out the money for the upkeep?

Clearly the road was not benefiting the Lao, at least not yet. And sadly most people along the road still have no power. Clearly the road was made to satisfy two immediate needs: for Thailand to get natural resources out of Loas, and for China to do the same, plus bring goods to sell to Thailand. In this regard, Laos is a mere truck stop. But they don't (or can't) charge very much tax for Thais and Chinese stopping in either. That said the road is more a potential for greater development, since there is basically no cars or trucks or anything else on the road! China especially is thinking big, way ahead into the future when trade might increase. Anyway, for now, the road is mainly enjoyed as a play ground for children and domestic animals. Let's see, among the animals we almost ran over were: ducks, chickens, a buffalo, cats, goats, and dogs (one poor thing got hit bad).
This is a picture from a Hui Xai market selling goods from China.

Finally, we made it to the three year old town of Boten on the Chinese border. We knew some of what to expect, but we were not prepared for what we found. Pressured by Chinese, the Laos government forcibly relocated all the villagers in Boten about 10 kilometers down the road to a 'New' Boten, leaving them with many unfulfilled promises of land to farm. We knew that Chinese investors with many connections had "bought" (leased for 99 years, renewable) several kilometers of land from a Lao official. From interviews we come to find out that the Lao official that sold it has disappeared off the face of planet, and the Chinese are basically running the show. There was not one Lao official, police or border guard anywhere. Ladies and gentleman, this place was quite strange. I would like to call it little Las Chigas. You know? like how Las Vegas first started, with one little casino that expanded. And with the same lack of regulation that Las Vegas began with. It's both illegal for Chinese and the Lao citizens to gamble, but hey! this place runs by it's own rules, obviously. We even saw several cars with Beijing license plates! It must be worth the trip if you get to gamble, eh? That, my friends, is a giant road trip.
The picture above gives a feel for the town: on the left is the huge casino, and the rest of the town is makeshift stores and food stalls. Below you can see the huge jail-like massage and brothel houses (the cream, orange, and white concrete buildings).
In little Las Chigas no one spoke anything but Chinese, all the shpokeepers were Chinese, and more, they took no currency but Chinese yuan. Yikes! All but one of us (thank goodness!) had yuan; we had baht, dollars, Lao kip, and euros ... all useless. Where the heck were we?! It seemed evident to us that in this strange and lawless place we see the workings of an unofficial colonialism that is emerging in parts of the Chinese border with Laos and Burma. (I may do a similar trip to Burma in the near future).

It goes without saying that there's not a whole lot to do in this town besides gambling, going for a 'massage' and other kinds of 'services.' And all of us have rarely been stared at so much: what the hell where we doing there if we didn't want any of these things, and further, why did we have to come this far out in the middle of nowhere to get it? We were out of there the next day.
One thing we did get to do was eat amazing and authentic Chinese food! Lucky for us, JN ordered some great fish and noodle dishes, Yunnanese style. It was the best Chinese food I have ever had, by far. So good! To pic shows the two fish dishes and noodles we had with some tasty and spicy dipping sauces. Yumm!

The trip was unconventional for a trip to Laos in my book (no temples!? no hiking or outdoors!? These things dominated my first trip to Laos with Silivren and Bjørnstjerne). Yet it turned out to be extremely fascinating, and it really helped me to understand the greater Mekong region better. The most fun was interviewing people, of course. We really got to know a little about the Lao way of live, and welcomed the general friendliness that Lao people are known for. Sabaidee!

Phu Chi Fa and Siam Gate: One Foot in Thailand the Other in Laos

"Phu Chi Fa" is this dramatic cliff on the border with Thailand and Laos in the Chiang Rai area. As we saw when we went up, there is no clear border demarcation. The Lao and the Thai have been arguing about this area for some time. The Lao insist they should have some share of the revenue brought in by visitors. Clearly, Thais don't agree with this. But the border remains extremely porous; when you walk up there, one step down the ridge of the mountain or cliff and you're in Laos. So there's a good amount of movement into Thailand, particularly of the Hmong who are pretty much being hunted down by the Laos government while Thailand turns a blind eye and sends them back. With all the craziness in Burma this atrocity gets completely overshadowed. You can see various villages from the cliff--and a Laos army base too.

Below is a picture of "Siam Gate." Unlike Phu Chi Fa, this is not a known spot at all. It is an entry way the Lao used especially during the Vietnam war to get into Thailand. Nowadays, you can just walk right into Laos! Pornsak and J did it a few weeks before; when we went, some men from a nearby Lao military base (supposedly) hammered some rickety bamboo together and blocked the 'gate'; no more gallivanting in Laos without a visa! But, hey, anyone would be able to just jump over of crawl through it if they really wanted to.

Easter Sunday Prayer for Burma

Happy Easter Sunday to all. March 9th was Global Day of Prayer for Burma. The Cross above, 'New Moses for New Israel in Myanmar' was presented by a student Tn in one of my classes, and captures the hope and struggle of many Christians in Burma. They have really been on my mind and in my prayers today.

I thought I'd also share about two Christian based organizations, The Free Burma Rangers and Farthest Corners, working for positive change within Burma for internally displaced people, particularly the Karen. The majority of NGO's based in Thailand focus on alleviating the refugee situation (this is absolutely necessary but fails to address the source of the problem). I have spoken extensively with the the leaders of FBR and FC who are brave enough to help people inside have the resources and training to continue the struggle against the military government, so they don't have to resort to leaving their country. On this resurrection day, they deserve our hope and prayers.

Khun Sa's House

A few weeks ago one of the world most wanted drug kingpins from the Golden Triangle, Khun Sa, died in Burma. I went up to his old house where he ran his operations a few months ago. There's talk of renovating his old compound now that he's dead--even talk of turning it into a tourist trap of sorts. I wanted to show a few pics of what it looks like before anything dramatic changes.

Khun Sa's camp is in a Shan village up in the mountains, and is extremely difficult to find, first of all. But thanks to J and Pornsak we managed to find it. When we got to the village there was nobody there, but some kids playing football told us to go right in. the place looked like it had hardly been touched since he left. Part of the house was used as a kind of museum commemorating heroes who have fought for an independent Shan state located primarily in Burma. There were old maps, and paintings of leaders in traditional clothing, and a copy of a statement of a Shan independence state signed by the Burmese government prior to the current Junta, who have ignore it. And there were cobwebs. And dust. Everywhere. Obviously, it's not cared after very well. It may also reflect some ambivalence about Khun Sa within his own community.
The Thai authorities tolerated him for a time when he was useful in fending off supposed communist threats. He was also in a poppy territorial war for control of the trade with the Chinese nationals around Mae Salong (I plan to blog about that soon). Anyway, he began to be a liability and embarrassment when he started knocking off CIA agents snooping around him. He was very open about what he did, and says he used the drug revenues to fight for the liberation of the Shan ethnic group. He's a fallen hero to some Shan. After all, he 'turned himself in' to the Burmese Junta. In turn for shutting up about Shan liberation, he got a nice life with a big house and reportedly got to play golf all the time. The place had a strange feel about it; like you just knew many people were killed in this very spot. You get the sense that Khun Sa's cause is also dying, being eaten away by cobwebs. Perhaps there are better ways for the Shan to go forward other than a separatist state.

The Hall of Opium

Close to Chiang Rai is the infamous 'Golden Triangle' area where three countries, Thailand, Burma, and Loas meet around the Mekong river. The name started with the CIA to the illegal opium trade that runs wild in the area, with production peaking in the 70's. The name has stuck ever since. Tucked in a mountain, alone and off the beaten path is the biggest, baddest, most entertaining non-art museum, I've ever been to: The Hall of Opium.

Did I mention it's super fun? You start out going through an underground tunnel that goes from one side of the mountain to the other side where the museum complex is. The tunnel is a hallway of crazy lighting and psychedelic music that's suppose to make you feel like you're on an opium or heroine trip ... it starts out good, but like a 'comedown' later gets nightmarish. It has a number of fun exhibits that show the history of opium, and also how the local Hill Tribes (minorities) have used it for centuries for medicinal purposes (as they are still allowed to do today). I liked the fact that it covered so much ground, from trade politics to opium paraphernalia.

China has heavily funded the Museum, and that can be seen in several ways: 1. The English is actually correct! 2. The heavy focus on Opium's impact on China especially in the later half of the 19th century, the Opium Wars, and the English who forced it on them, and 3. The dozens of times they mention the word SHAME to talk about opium's negative effects on Chinese society. Just to mention a few more things, there was an interesting video section on drugs and war in the recent times, including American support of military forces (such as Afghanistan's Muhajideen) who fund themselves through opium production. I was also impressed that they didn't shy away from giving the right information about the Siamese Monarchy and opium. The Monarchy controlled and taxed trade and opium dens! And at some points, opium accounted for up to 25% of the monarchy's income.

Of course they didn't spend too much time on the lure of the 'high' people get from drugs ... understandable. But there was a whole two halls dedicated to public service announcements: "The Hall of Excuses" (gotta love that name!) shows the negative consequences of drug abuse, and many high profile celebrities who died or suffered from it. And "The Hall of Reflection" has quotes from the Bible, Buddha, Gandhi and others to inspire people to stop drug abuse and the illegal drug trade.

The Golden Triangle is an appropriate location for the museum, given its history past and present. Yet it's also a good place to promote the project initiated by the Princess Mother. She is the current King Bhumibol's mother, and is loved in the north. The project's goals are to rehabilitate the forests, and to stop the hill tribe people's dependence on the opium trade. So it has focused on education (hence the museum), developing substitutionary crops and training for alternative employment. The trip as an inspiration for my own public service announcement for halloween: a "junky" heroine addict with gross bandages, and bloody veins ... beware kids :)