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Thailand Update: April 20

Posted by Andrea on (Updated: )  |  Leave a comment

I love Thailand, I loved it as a backpacker on Khao San Road, I loved it when I had my first baby there and lived in my first apartment, I loved it when I was schlepping that first baby around while pregnant with my second baby, I loved it last month when I got to hang out in the islands and go to Princesses on Ice with my friends. I loved it during the first coup, I took care of it, said nice things about it and tried to understand it during the second coup and airport closure, but this time, this time I draw the line. I am officially angry at Thailand.

Guests want to know about travel to Thailand and I am, for the first time ever, at a loss for words. Not because I think Thailand or Bangkok is dangerous, I don’t, but because I can’t predict what is going to happen next. During the riots last week when CNN made Bangkok look like the next Beirut I called Jeab, my Bangkok director, to find out about guests we had in the city and guests we had arriving in the city. As it was Songkran Festival, this is where Jeab was…
Bangkok, Thailand

it looks less like Beirut and more like an amusement park? Our guests were fine, itineraries were modified and things carried on as usual, but what about next week and the week after that?

I have read so many articles and opinions on the state of Bangkok and Thailand this week that I’m starting to go a little crazy and everyone in my dreams is wearing red or yellow shirts! The truth is I don’t know what will happen: there are rumors that there will be more riots on the 25th, there are rumors that the PM will squash any riots any way he can and martial law will stay in effect, there are rumors that it’s peaceful and will remain so until the next election, and, of course, there are rumors of everything in between.

So here it is, my advice to travelers, both my own guests scheduled to go to Bangkok and others: This has to be your decision, as much as I like to tell people what to do, I just don’t have the answers on this one. Here is what I do know so you can make an informed decision:

1. The riots do not target tourists, both sides have actively avoided harming tourists (other than with inconveniences.)

2. Our guides are fantastic and if there is a need to change the schedule or cut a tour short I trust them implicitly.

3. More riots and demonstrations are possible.

4. The news makes it look a lot worse than it is and the demonstrations are generally centered around government buildings.

5. If it was me, I would go.

I am sorry that I don’t have more solid advice, I am really sorry that I can’t guarantee that the problems are over. I will continue to monitor and will let you know if I come up with any solid suggestions and of course feel free to write your thoughts or questions.… Read more »

'Killing Fields' torturer on trial in Cambodia – Asia-Pacific – msnbc.com

Posted by April on (Updated: )  |  Leave a comment

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29228359/

This article appeared this week on MSNBC and there have been others in the Wall Street Journal and across the US. The interesting thing is that here in Cambodia no one seems to know and if they do, they don’t seem to care too much. Now granted I’m in Siem Reap and the trial is happening in Phnom Penh, but still, this isn’t OJ, no one is glued to Court TV, in fact up here it’s just another day.

I have mixed feelings about the tribunal. Part of me is glad that justice is being carried out, that these men and women who caused inexplicable pain will be held accountable. Everyday we see remnants of this brutal regime, everything from Cambodians often choosing not to wear glasses, no matter how much they are needed, to staff not wanting to stand out and be noticed or be better than anyone else, to villagers being terrified of banks and keeping their savings hidden in their homes or gold. These are leftovers from a time when being different, educated, or wealthy was a risk and a liability. In many ways Cambodia is what it is today because of the Pol Pot era. The years of civil war following the Khmer Rouge have left Cambodia behind in infrastructure, healthcare and education.

So while I do think there are many reasons, including retribution for the 2 million lost and the long felt repercussions, I also am concerned about the cost of justice. I read that the price tag for the trials is now over $100 million, mostly funded by foreign donors. To put this in perspective, that’s over a million microloans given to village entrepreneurs, it’s over 8 million people getting access to clean drinking water and it would run the Siem Reap Children’s Hospital for 50 years! So is it worth bringing 5 people to justice for this price tag?

This is why out in the village people aren’t talking about the trial, when I asked what they said is it won’t bring their loved ones back, won’t erase the memory of the hunger and the fear, won’t make up for the years lost and won’t help them in their life today. There are people that want this justice, but these aren’t the people that we know, aren’t the ones worrying about where they will find money for food or how they’ll send their kids to school. So while Duch gets all the attention and the world focuses on justice being served maybe we need to take a step back and worry that maybe, those that need the attention still aren’t getting it.… Read more »