My Chiang Mai

Last week’s announcement that Chiang Mai suddenly had a new district, the 25th in fact, was the cause of much comment and speculation. After all, this is a small city!

However, we can relax. As often happens, the authorities made no distinction between Chiang Mai, the city, and Chiang Mai, the province. In fact, Wat Chan is located halfway between Samoeng and Pai, half a day’s hard motorcyle ride from our city centre.

Half a million baht will be spent by the provincial authority to renovate an existing arts and crafts centre to become the local admin office.

The official name will become Galyani Vadhana, in honour of the late Princess, the elder sister of His Majesty the King.

A new Chiang Mai city plan for road widening from the Interior Ministry is being dramatically narrowed by public opinion.

Last year, with no local consultation with residents, the appropriate Ministry department announced plans to widen 35 city centre roads, involving the demolition of hundreds of historic buildings, including some temples.

A group named Raksa Ban Raksa (’to protect our nation’) has been formed to fight the moves, one of which would totally alter Thapae Road, a major city centre artery. The movement has attracted support from all apects of city centre Thai society.

The group claims that following their protests, 27 of the 35 roads have been removed from the plan and the extended widths of 5 others have been reduced. More announcements on the plan are expected within 4 weeks.

Seven people arrested at a condo near Chiang Mai city centre had 6kg of heroin hidden inside bicycle pedal spindles.
The police, who are now saddled with 394 little heroin-filled tubes, say the alleged peddlers were part of a chain planning to push the drugs in Taiwan.

Well, in only one respect, but it’s important.

Despite recent protests by some 30,000 people in the capital of Apia, the South Pacific island of Samoa changed over to drive on the left side of their roads on September 7th.

The change was decreed by the government to fall in line with neighbouring Australia and New Zealand, and to reflect the fact that most vehicles in Samoa thus have the steering wheel on the right.

The protesters feared a massive increase in accidents, saying that drivers had not been properly prepared. Their fears proved to be groundless.

Like it or not, Samoans have joined almost a third of the world’s drivers who all drive on the left. This possibly surprising total is of course explained by the enormous combined vehicle populations of UK, Japan, Malaysia, India and Indonesia, as well as Pakistan and most of the countries of Africa.

Why Thailand, surrounded by right-driving Burma, Laos and Cambodia, evolved motoring on the left can only have sprung from British influence in Malaya, now Malaysia.

When men rode horses and carried swords, most of them kept to the left. This was simply because most people are right handed and it was faster to draw your sword against an oncoming robber or enemy, as the sword was worn on the left of the body. Napoleon is said to have ordered his armies to march on the right as one of his demonstrations of hatred of the English. But at least we have to thank him for his lighting. At night, one soldier at the front had to carry a white light and one at the back a red light!

Editor’s note: Sweden was the last European nation to change (from left to right) in 1967 and did so without one fatal accident, thanks to brilliant, long term advance planning. The biggest expense was changing all the doors of the buses! Burma was the last eastern nation to change (the same way) in 1970. It is said that a general was obsessed by knowing how he would die. His fortune teller said a truck would run away down a hill and hit his car, in which he always sat on the left. The next day he ordered the nation to change over to the right.

New recruits are on the way to help the 3 women police officers responsible for questioning women and child crime victims in all the 7 provinces of the north.

The bad news for the grossly over-worked trio, based at the Chiang Mai Provincial Police HQ on Superhighway, is that the 70 new female officers won’t graduate for another 3 years.

This was the message given to the recent seminar of the Foundation for Women by Police Maj. Gen. Amnuay Nimmano, who admitted that currently, of 8,000 interrogators in Thailand, only 137 are women and 128 of them work in Bangkok. The national total used to be higher, but many policewomen had left the force for better paid jobs in other fields, he said.

“Each police station should have at least one policewoman to deal with crimes involving women and children” he added. Many such crimes involved physical and sexual abuse and many witnesses were too embarassed to talk openly to male officers.Pol Lt Col Jaruwan Churasri, aged 28, the only woman at Don Muang police station, said that the justice process “lacked sensitivity” towards women and child victims.

A 12 year old boy from Chiang Mai wept in Bangkok this week when the Interior Minister refused him permission to represent Thailand at an international aviation contest in Japan.

Mong Thongdee’s only crime is that both his parents are illegal migrant workers from Burma. This means he does not have Thai citizenship. Although the Foreign Ministry had agreed to issue a temporary passport to Mong, consent from the Interior Ministry was still required.
“He should represent Burma” said Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul.

The small paper plane, designed and flown by Mong, stayed in the air for 12.5 minutes at the Thai contest last year held by the National Metal and Materials Technology centre, Bangkok. An overjoyed Mong was told that this qualified him for a place in the Origami Airplane Contest in Chiba, Japan, on September 19-20.

Now it seems as if the runner-up in the Thai contest will take his place.

Mong attends Ban Huay Sai school in Suthep, and the Mayor of that area has already paid 10,000b of his own money to cover the boy’s expenses. He now has another ally in the ‘Bangkok Post’, which on October 3rd devoted the whole of their comment column to his case:

“The issue should have been solved more amicably and with more compassion. The authorities should be faulted for not doing enough to inform illegal migrant workers of their basic rights to education and healthcare – and all because of an ingrained prejudice on the part of the beaurocracy towards unwelcome migrants.”

Editor’s note: Many thousands of adults and children in Mong’s situation are striving for Thai citizenship. However, some Thai authorities fear that leniency in this case would set a precedent in their favour. Unlike countless others in his situation, young Mong is at least getting an education.

Update Friday 4th September 2009: Pilot Cleared for Take-Off!

In an unprecedented about turn, the Interior Ministry reversed their decision on September 3rd and the young plane maker/pilot will now be allowed to compete in Japan.
“This has nothing to do with public pressure” claimed a Ministry spokesman, shortly before the 12 year old was received by Prime Minister Abisit Vejajiva. The PM said that he will raise the issue of stateless children in the National Security Council “to resolve problems of their education and health care.” The boy thanked the PM profusely and gave him a paper aeroplane.

Update Friday 21stth September 2009: Third in the Solos!

On Sunday, Mong finished 3rd overall in the solo flight part of the competition and returns home to Chiang Mai to a heroes’ welcome this week. His best solo throw (of 3 allowed) kept the tiny paper plane in the air for 10.53 seconds.
The stateless boy’s amazing feat brought in worldwide congratulations. One blogger named Wombat wrote:
“First, 3rd or last, YOU ARE A WINNER!”

Editor’s note: Estimates of the number of stateless people in Thailand, most of them in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son provinces, range from half a million to 4 million. Far more may benefit from this important about-face than one small boy and his tiny glider.

This article text is Copyright © MyChiangMai 2009, no reproduction without prior permission.

If you are Thai and want a big say in how Chiang Mai should be run, now is the time to throw your hat into the ring. Or rather, get along to the Election Commission and fill in the forms. Polling day is Sunday, October 4th.

Applications opened today for the vacancy left by the disqualification in April of Dr Duentemduang na Chiang Mai. She was disqualified on a technicality involving her residency within the city boundaries. She has expressed her intention to fight to regain her seat.

Editor’s note: While Thai Provincial Governors are appointed by central government, city Mayors are elected by their constituents. Dr Duentemduang won the last election by a landslide, as did her predecessor, Khun Boonlert, for 2 terms. One of Khun Boonlert’s family is said to be contesting this year’s race.

Tasanai Buranupakorn is seen to represent previous Mayor Boonlert

Our former lady Mayor and the cables she wants removed!