Thailand

Artistic Traditions

May 21st, 2008 · No Comments · Expo Components, The Culture

Artistic Traditions by Steve Hwang

1) Thai Dance [Ram Muay]

I chose to do the Thai Dance. The Thai Dances are usually the Drama Dance in a stage. The Thai Dance has many categories based on regions and it still has lots of other types of Dance. It is divided into two main types, which is the High art, or the Classical dance, and the Low art, which can be called the folk dance. Other types of dances are usually regional. I would like to concentrate on a specific Thai dance, called the Ram Muay or the Wai Khru, this is usually done before the Muay Thai matches, or in schools, and this dance is supposed to give respect to the teachers. We are going to concentrate on the one that the Muay Thai fighters do. To perform this dance, you have three things in this dance. The muay thai fighters circle around the ring and then, First, they do The Royal Homage sequence, which was originally intended to show respect to the king, this isn’t done usually in Muay Thai matches. Then second, there is the kneeling sequence, where the person kneels, and then fighter bows down three times, then now he has to put one leg in the front, then goes front and to the back in the position with making his fist go round and his other foot in the back going up and down. Then we have the standing sequence, which has the fighter go around the ring and then them putting one leg up and putting and one fist put down to the knee and his head down. Both the kneeling and the standing sequence is repeated around the ring.

Sources (and the video of the dance):
http://stickgrappler.tripod.com/mt/kk13.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8csH-shXM_A

2) Thai instruments [Khong Wong Yai/ Gong Wong Yai]

Thai instruments have lots of different instruments, and one is the Khong Wong Yai. It is also known as “Circle of gongs” and is a main instrument of the ensemble, and also plays an important melody. The Loog goong(the gong/ kattle), the gongs also circle around the player, since the player will sit in the circle and hit the kattles. The player will hammer the kattles with a pair of beaters in the dome. The gong house or the Ruan gong can be made of things like bamboo.
a Gong Wong Yai
Sources:

http://www.culture.go.th/research/musical/html/en_musical_central.php?musical=gongwong_yai

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May 19th, 2008 · No Comments · The Culture

EXPO Manila 2008 Days – 7

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Be a Cultural Detective! By Jennifer Kim

May 19th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Language Arts, The Culture

Be a Cultural Detective! By Jennifer Kim- Language Arts Honors 8A

The comical folktale of Thailand I choice for the assignment is titled, “The Speech of Parrots”. There is no particular author since its genre is a legend that had been told from generations to generations throughout the history. The date refers back to a long time ago, found in the opening passage of “Once upon a time…” To briefly summarize, this is a hilarious fable about how a devious, yet clever man named Sunan managed to keep his stolen buffalo as a secret and how this resulted in the eternity echoing of the parrots. There were certain clues exposed to inform the readers about some aspects of their culture. First of all, regarding the clues related to day-to-day life including food, clothing, housing or family size, I was able to observe that they relied on agricultural products, buffalo meat (in addition to other types of meat), and rice as their main food resources. This is a very common menu sought throughout the entire Southeast Asia region. Also, despite the poor economic situation most of the families seemed to be in, they still had a relatively big family including a wife and a number of children exceeding 1. This is supported in Sunan’s search for his “wife and children”. The structure of houses are depicted as well, many of them located along the open fields and having separate food storage rooms within their houses based on the direct description the story gave. Second of all, clues about values and beliefs were found. “They were thoughtful, too, and so humans and birds often spoke to each other”, as the quotation in the introduction suggests, the common belief was that animals such as the barbets or the parrots were able to freely communicate with humans in their language. Because the speaking barbets had an important role in the story, it inferred that the barbets were considered and in fact, were very intelligent creatures. Thy have the ability to interpret all sayings, but not smart enough to sort through troubles like when it was placed inside a pot to make it think that it was a dark, stormy night, “…’barbet is a highly intelligent creature…’ ‘Oh, the thunder is loud…’” In the end, the modern Thai’s belief in why parrots only echo what humans say is because of the incident that took place centuries ago. Third of all, because Sunan had difficulties finding necessary food for living, I was able to assume that the climate had barely much rain, possibly occurring during a prolonged drought, dry and certainly not the best weather for farming. Also, the judge referred to the night as “beautiful and clear with many stars and rays of the moonlight”, the setting could be in the rural Thailand by the fields, fertile grounds, forests and landscapes. Fourth of all, environmental and social issues are mentioned. Due to the hunger and thirst the population is undergoing, it explains that there may be drought or other natural disasters that could have affected farming which is their number one way to have food and money. Different levels of social classes are apparent, ranging from the powerful upper classes which consists of the judges, officers and rich men to lower classes of farmers, hunters and gathers that often struggle with poverty. Fifth of all, since this story had excellent translation to English, it was hard to find the special dialects or languages used. I was able to know about the language due to the names of the characters such as Sunan or Klahan. Others include the court system they used a long ago and the few cherished wild creatures within the nation.This story suggested a myth that could have resulted in why the parrots nowadays “never speak their minds; but only echo the words human say” and how betrayal and sly actions could lead to unwanted consequences like the distrust between animals and humans.

Cick here to view the whole story.

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Venn Diagram

May 19th, 2008 · No Comments · Social Studies

Venn Diagram by Jennifer Kim:

Personal Reflection:The two articles that I selected were similar yet different. They both focused on the current political situation in Thailand and how the conflicts among the various political parties such as the PPP, Thai Rak Thai (TRT) which is now under the PPP, the Democratic Party and the army affect the nation. I have observed from the timeline that ever since the establishment of the country, political conflicts were always apparent. It underwent tons of coups led by the junta due to its dissatisfaction with the system of democracy. Both articles determined the causes, effects and consequences of he common political issues such as coups, dictatorship, election proxy, system and order of government. Nevertheless, the first article generally analyzed Thailand’s political situation in a more critical and skeptical manner than the other article which spoke at a more neutral perspective. Therefore, they both elaborated on one same issue, but had different opinions and suggested future possibilities. For instance, article 1 had specific data to support their pronouncement, which were quiet harsh. However, the other one simply listed the concerns from both sides. Personally, I agree more with article 1. It is because they clearly reasoned why certain actions such as the withdrawal of the army in this political crisis would be very significant, and proposed unique viewpoints on the issue such as why developments and hopes could be anticipated towards the new government. Thailand is not the only country that struggles with the establishment of a civil government. For example, Korea experienced a similar crisis sometime ago and it took the nation years of efforts to settle down with a stable, democratic government. However, as a result, a huge improvement in economy was made along with political stability. Thus, I have hopes and trust for the future of Thailand as well once this issue is fully eradicated. 3 Questions:

What do you think the political future of Thailand might be like based on Venn Diagram?
Why is there a division between the opinions of rural people and the urban middle class in Thailand about its political conflicts?
What are the impacts of political instability like Thailand?

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Acrostic Poem: Drug Wars

May 19th, 2008 · No Comments · Social Studies

Acrostic Poem: Thailand Drug Wars

Poem by Jennifer Kim

T haksin’s bloody 2003 anti-illegal drugs campaign, faced with soaring T methamphetamine abuse, killed more than 2,500 people on the blacklists of suspected T traffickers in 3 months through a shooting spree, accomplished by the soldiers.

H uman-rights groups accused government of extra judicial-killing by security forces but H the sheriff accused the gang of violence.

A llies of former prime minister, Thanksin are back in power in the newly elected A government led by the People’s Power Party (PPP) are declaring another “war onA drugs”.

I s the enforcement put by Charlem Yubamrung, the current deputy leader of the PPP I going to be a success?

L aboratories that produce methamphetamine in the neighboring country, Myanmar will L be staunched and addicts will have mandatory rehabilitation treatments.

A t the panel last year, the opposing junta concluded that half of the killed citizens were A not involved in the drug trade whatsoever and blamed the government for flawed lists.

N evertheless, Surayud Chulanont promised to investigate on Thaksin’s wrong doings, N but claimed that there are no sufficient evidence to take legal actions against the rade.

D epressing to see how the names of politicians who ordered the gunment were entirely D omitted due to the new PPP-led government.

D isappointing to find out that this was a “reminder that the law in Thailand can seem at D the service of its political masters, rather than the other way around.”

R espected as a hero in the end, Thaksin’s austere and merciless policies did reduce the R significance of the issue for at least a moment.

U ntil he was overthrown by the military in the 2006 coup his expulsion and political U uncertainty of the country weakened the efforts of police to stop the traffickers.

G ood that now on the streets of the largest slum in the country, Khlong Toey, more G people are aware of the consequences they may encounter.

W ar on drugs during the year 2003 increased prices of drugs, destroyed trafficking W networks and also forced addicts into rehabilitation programs.

A ctivist, Wanlop Hirikul says that the prices are starting to fall back again and there are A more and more supplies available particularly on the roads of Khlong Toey.

R ising numbers of addicts sent to drug-treatment centers as well as the number of drug R seizers may forecast a military junta taking place.

S erious concerns like illegal drugs that seemed to be once settled are emerging once S again, and this time, more stuff appears to be undone.
Personal Reflection:

From politics to drugs, Thailand is a land of chaos. A certain issue such as the political uncertainty eventually leads to another tragic incident such as this. Another coup d’état wrecked the path to the full eradication of the illicit drugs within the nation. It has been verified that the average age for drug users in Thailand is 15 years old, 95.8% of them being Thai and 50% of them have parents earning a relatively high income with some savings. A research records that the number of adult drug addicts are declining while the average age is steadily decreasing. I think teens utilizing drugs in reasons to oblige themselves to feel gratified in a period of time when they should be discovering and searching for their true identities in the society, due to physical, intellectual, emotional and social changes is simply wrong. If this prolongs, the family relationships are bound to be easily destroyed and the country will lose their valuable future human work forces. In my opinion, I think that Thaksin’s iron-fisted policies and raids were good choices of actions and affected the nation through rather positive consequences. Although it was a form of human rights abuse and a large number of people were killed, this event would have signified the importance of upshots to involvement in illegal drug trades and alarmed the citizens of the actions they should not take. As a result, the opium poppy cultivation, drug money-laundering center, methamphetamine productions were reduced at least for a while. The use of illegal drugs is a global issue, and many other nations struggle with it. For instance, in the Dominican Republic, over 1.5 tons of pure cocaine valued of $30 million was found in a trafficker truck just recently and these events are no longer rare. National Drug Control Directorate (NDCD) is following the trails and arresting more and more smugglers. Also, these days, weak regions like Haiti are being used as new routes for drug trades and it accounts for more than 10 percent of illegal substances reaching the United States. Drugs can destroy not just one person, but a community, a family and even a nation. Therefore, I believe that Thailand should take actions like Thaksin to eliminate this problem.

Questions:

Why do you think poorer countries get involved in drug trades more?
Do you think Thaksin’s raid was a good choice?
Even though Thailand is a very religious Buddhist country, why do you thin this issue is becoming worse?

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Current Issue Summary, Reflection and Questions Part 2

May 19th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Social Studies

Current Issue Summary, Reflection and Questions Part 2 (by Bianca Chang):

Summary:

In 2006, a man in his late 50’s died of bird flu in north eastern Thailand. Bird flu is a disease which formerly only affected birds. Today, the disease has mutated to affect humans too. This disease can be caught by humans when they are in contact with chickens with the avian flu disease. Although it may be difficult to catch the disease, once you have it, your health deteriorates so quickly that it is hard to get immediate health care. Many that have tested positive for bird flu die just hours after. Just before the man had gotten sick, he was believed to have been in contact with ill chickens, which explains how he had gotten the disease. Since 2004, there have been 17 victims of the deadly disease in Thailand, which leads to the conclusion that the country is one of the most affected. At first, the nation was condemned for not responding to the disease quickly, but now, Thailand is considered to be one of the best prepared countries to fight the disease. This belief is good for Thailand because Thailand is one of the world’s largest chicken exporters and if scientists believe that it will worsen soon, the country will have to stop its chicken exporting. In the world, there have been more than 130 deaths from bird flu from late 2003 to 2006. India has had more deaths from bird flu than any other country in East Asia, where the virus is more common. Although East Asia has been badly hit by the disease, people in Europe, Africa and the Middle East have also contacted the illness. Millions of birds have died but at this moment, the virus is still hard for people to catch. But many people fear that the disease may mutate and may become easily passed through contact from human to human, creating an epidemic in the future.

Reflection: In my opinion, bird flu mutating into a human to human contacted disease is a big possibility from the results of similar situations. Many diseases have been around for such a long period of time that the disease has become so intense that it is able to be caught by humans through other infected humans and even through airborne exposure. Although this comment may sound pessimistic to this certain topic, it is my own prediction, unless of course scientists come up with a cure to this slowly growing disease soon. While scientists may create a cure fore the disease, the illness may be uncontrollable soon before scientists will create the cure, thus creating an outbreak, killing millions of people. With birds being one of the biggest factors in the disease, it is harder to control the issue as birds are everywhere in the world and chicken is commonly eaten, making the risk of getting sick higher for billions. This article says that Thailand is one of the strong nations that can take on the disease well. In my perspective, I believe that some think this because Thailand is one of the worst countries to be hit by the avian flu. With the doctors in the nation having enough experience to handle the situation from former cases, they now have practice and more experience than other countries that have never experienced the problem of the disease in the area. A related situation would be when the disease spreads from one country to other countries from the exporting Thailand is making and the flights Thailand airlines make, which would create a pandemic around the whole world. A similar situation to this is dengue. Dengue is caught if a certain type of mosquito bites. Like bird flu, it is not contacted through people, but through other living things. Dengue can also start to become an epidemic if the virus mutates to become a human to human spread disease.

QUESTIONS

Why is Thailand considered to be one of the countries that are best prepared for the disease?
Why did the nation or government not respond to the disease quickly?
Since Thailand is one of the largest chicken exporters, what will happen to the country if the disease worsens and they are forced to stop exporting the chicken?

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Current Issue Summary, Reflection and Questions Part 1

May 19th, 2008 · No Comments · Social Studies

Current Issue Summary, Reflection and Questions 1 (by Micah Liu):

Summary:

Thailand’s king Bhumibol Adulyadej who is the current longest reigning monarch on earth was taken to the hospital on Saturday, 13 October 2007. He complained that his whole right side of the body felt weak. Scans showed that the king’s left brain was short of blood. When Thais heard this news they became very worried because Thailand’s king is like a ‘god’ to them. They respect him so much that they even started wearing pink shirts when he wore a pink robe once. The hospital personnel recommended for treatment and observation. After the king was hospitalized for about 8 hours, the weakness in his right side greatly improved. Now the citizens of Thailand are anxious about King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health. In the year 2006, Thailand’s king complained of a back pain and underwent spinal surgery. Ever since the surgery, King Bhumibol Adulyadej hasn’t gone out into the public often. It seems that Thailand’s reverend monarch’s health isn’t that good as he gets older, and needs to do something about it. Reflection:I think King Bhumibol Adulyadej should go under some kind of light physical program. This will greatly increase not only his health, but his stamina too. I don’t do yoga myself but from my mom, I heard that it helps you feel good and young, so I also recommend the practice of yoga. I think another factor of the king’s low health is because of deforestation, pollution in the water, solid and hazardous waste, and because of the low air quality in Thailand. I hope King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health will improve and will have a long life. Questions:

Why do you think the people love the king?
Do you think king Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health will continue to worsen?
Would the next king of Thailand be loved and respected as much as this king?

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Text Analysis for LA by Bianca Chang

May 13th, 2008 · No Comments · Language Arts

The informative text I chose to analyze was “Thailand tries to allay tourists’ fears after killing” The article was published in the on-line edition of the newspaper The New York Times. The author of the article is Seth Mudans who is a journalist for The New York Times. It is a big possibility that Seth Mudans is from outside the county because he does not state any information about him being in the scene, or him being in the country during that time.
The intended audiences of this article are foreigners planning on visiting Thailand, tourists already in Thailand people interested in the country. This text was written to make readers aware of the dangers of walking around the Thailand streets or beaches alone, and the dangers they may encounter when they do. The article states things that have happened to women walking alone at night in Thailand, which gives an idea to the readers of what may happen to then if they do not follow precautions.
The writer is trying to be objective and is only being informative on the issue. Mudans has no strong emotions about the content and is only stating information told to him through interviews. Mudans has interviewed many government organizations and politicians from Thailand on their view and what they plan to do to deal with the issue. Mudans does not only take information from these organizations, but also from other media organizations such as the national newspaper in Bangkok, Thailand. Mudans tells the different views of the Thai’s on the issue. A commander states that the issue is not because of the lack of Thailand’s security, but maybe because of the women themselves. Gov. Nilan Gallayanamit of Phuket accepts the situation as it is and says that “This case has really hurt Phuket’s reputation,”
The article was written on March 26 2008. Only 2 months has passed since this article was published, thus, telling us that this problem is still an issue today and many should be aware of it. The date is important because it tells readers that it is a recent issue and this problem could affect Thailand’s tourism industry soon if no one does anything to stop the problem.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/world/asia/26thailand.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=thailand+tries+to+allay+tourists+fears+after+killings&st=nyt&ore

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PE Factbook Page

May 13th, 2008 · 3 Comments · Expo Components, Physical Education (PE)

PE Factbook Page

Country: Thailand

Group Members: Jennifer Kim, Bianca Chang, Micah Liu, Steven Hwang

Practical Sport / Activity associated with the above country: Muay Thai/Kickboxing

History of the sport activity:Muay Thai (also called Kick Boxing or Thai Boxing by foreigners) is an ancient sport that goes all the way back to medieval ages where people still used swords and arrows to fight in wars. The skill of Muay Thai was only used by Thai warriors in hand-to-hand combat and during military training. This martial arts was especially made famous by King Nareuan, 1560 AD, when he made his daring escape from Burma when he was captured during the Burmese-Siam war. Equipped with only his body, the king used Muay Thai to escape the Burmese empire. When he returned to his kingdom, he was hailed as a hero. Soon, Muay Thai was recognized as Thailand’s national sport and everyone loved it. Now Muay Thai is a prestigious national sport boys know how to, and even some girls might know it for self-defense. One famous person who particularly liked Muay Thai was King Sri San Petch or Khun Luang Sorasak known as Phra Chao Sua (The Tiger King), who disguised himself and challenged local villagers and became a legend in this way. Another famous person was “Nai Khanom Tom” a prisoner of war from Ayudhya who defeated 10 Burmese opponents in a row. During King Rama V’s reign Thai boxing matches were widely popular, and by the time it became King Rama VI’s reign, Muay Thai boxing matches became even more widespread. Many kings liked to watch opponents test their Thai boxing skills on each other, and especially liked it when foreigners came with their own martial arts skills to go against Thailand’s very own Muay Thai. The ‘Goldentime Age’ of Muay Thai was when members of the Royal Family established kick-boxing camps all over Thailand. Usually Kick Boxers used just a piece of cloth to protect their hands, but after a Filipino boxer went to Thailand, people started using gloves because they were ‘safer’. This was just 50 years ago. In the reign of King Rama VII, permanent boxing rings were formed all over Thailand, replacing the old rings with no real rules. Muay Thai gradually disappeared in World War II during 1942, but after the war stadiums popped up everywhere. Muay Thai is still not yet fully developed but the same unchanged thing about Muay Thai is the use of pipes and drums as the background music to accompany the matches. http://www.thaiboxing.com/history.php

Factors making the sport or activity relevant to the country:There are many reasons to why Muay Thai is relevant to our country. First and foremost, this special form of kickboxing has been our nation’s one of the most cherished and most viewed spectator, individual sport because it had originated from Thailand many decades ago. Influenced heavily by the Indian and Chinese boxing forms. It was first created in 1560 when King Nareusan was fighting off the Burmese. It was actually include in a military training arranged by the King, but later was known better as Muay Thai. Secondly, Thais from all around the country have practiced and developed this sport through the times. This encompasses its very own distinctive boxing style and throughout the years of practice from generations to generations, it had become better and better. In order to play this game, a player requires determination, strong will, acceptance, skills, sportsmanship and practice, which is a popular motto of common Thais. “Because of perpetual invasions from neighboring countries when Thailand was in the process of forming, Thai people depended on their ability to defend themselves.”, they are very good at defending themselves in particular.Thirdly, Muay Thai is Thailand’s national sport. It is involved in many different leagues such as the SuperLeague, or other International MMA Leagues and won championships several times. Thailand also has a “National Muay Thai Day” which is on March 17, making it clearer that Muay Thai is Thai. The sport has its own traditions from Thailand that make it a national sport in Thailand. In addition to all of these, The style can vary according to the region, for example Muay Korat ,in the northeastern area emphasizes of strenghth. www.muaythai.com/www.thaiboxing.com/

Social factors to the country (For example: number of participants, professional and amateur leagues, finance, government influences): To briefly introduce the basic rules and procedures fro a proper match, Muay Thai is fought between two players in five three-minute rounds with two-minute breaks in between. The fight starts with a distinctive, traditional wai khru dance, in which each contestant pays homage to his teachers. Alongside this symbolic meaning, the dance is a good warm-up exercise for the players. They also wear headbands as lucky charms and armbands for safety. A match is decided by a knockout or by points. Three judges together decide on the winner according to their skill levels: who carries the round and the one who wins the most rounds. The referee plays a very important role, since boxers’ safety depends on his decision. To one side of the ring is the band section, comprising a Javanese clarinet, drums and cymbals, which accompany the fight from homage until the end. As previously mentioned, this game requires 2 number of participants per round. Professionand amateur leagues and teams include the World Muay Thai League, International Fight League, Team Roots, Team MMA Phuket, Saekson Janjira Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Team Tiger Muay Thai. Prime Minister for sports Suwat Liptapanlop reported that Thailand next month’s Asian Indoor Games will be a success even though local organisers have been hit hard by a budget shortfall. Thailand will host the inaugural edition between November 12 and 19, which will feature nine sports events consisting of indoor athletics, futsal, aerobics, dance sports, extreme sports, hoop takraw, indoor cycling, Muay Thai and swimming. The government is more or less supportive of this traditional sport. The Thai military uses a modified form of Muay Thai called, Lerdrit. http://www.ifl.tv/MMA-101-Muay-Thai.html http://www.worldmuaythaileague.com/

Any other information:

Muay Thai has different names like Thai Boxing and The Art of the Eight Limb which is the Thai name for a form of hard martial art practiced in several Southeast Asian countries including Thailand.
Young fighters have to experience the second type of Wai Khru ritual, recalled as the Annual Homage-Paying Ceremony held on Muay Thai Day. The main purpose for this is to allow the young practitioners to pay respect to their teachers and souls of teachers long passed away.
In the ancient times, Thais strongly believed in the power of incantations and protective amulets, which were beliefs that everything was ruled and inhabited through unseen spirits and that the places were blessed or cursed. Due to these long-lasting beliefs, it was necessary to perform special rites before a fighter entered the ring, asking the spirits’ permission to do so. This still happens today.
5 major techniques are used: punching techniques, kicking techniques, elbow techniques, knee techniques and foot-thrust techniques.
There are different rules depending on what country the fight is in and under what organization the fight is arranged.
There is required dress codes in the game, for example that only boxing shorts are permitted, long hair and beards are prohibited and players must have a groin protector tied only at the back.