March 2002 75th Issue

Wild Life

January has been a busy month at the Wildlife Friends of Thailand (WFT) rescue center at Kao Look Chang, near Cha-Am and Hua Hin. As you can imagine, much of our time is spent simply caring for the animals at the center. Most are brought to us in poor physical condition, some with severe disabilities, and require a lot of hands-on attention. This month will also see the completion of our new wildlife medical clinic so generously donated by American doctor Gary Anderson and his family. WFT is the first non-profit rescue center to have its own on-site clinic in Thailand. Once complete, we will expand the level and quality of care our animals receive and open our doors to the many other captive wild animals in grave need of help.
Resident Updates! Nee - White handed Gibbon.
One of the gibbons in our care, a 9-year old white-handed male named Nee, has sadly lost his eyesight in its entirety. Nee arrived at our center blind in one eye, a direct result of malnutrition suffered during the first 8 years of his life. His poor diet also contributed to the rotting of many of his teeth. Nee, like many gibbons kept as pets, was likely fed candy and other unsuitable food instead of the balanced diet of fruit, vegetables and leaves that gibbons eat. Physical and medical complications such as these,due entirely to malnutrition in the first vital years of life, are all too common among the gibbons and other animals that arrive at our center. Nee has at least 30 more years of life to live. He has become a strong and active gibbon since his arrival here and we strongly believe that everything possible must be done to restore his sight. Nee has already visited with one of Thailand’s best animal ophthalmologists at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. We were told that Nee would require an operation in addition to daily medication to prevent infection and further damage to his eyes. The operation, which we hope to have done as soon as possible, will cost approximately $450 USD. Stop by and meet Nee in person - he’s a lovely young boy!
Mieuw - Another ‘resident’ at the center with physical disabilities due to severe malnutrition in early life is Mieuw, our 2-year old Bengal tiger. Mieuw was brought to us about 7-months ago. Like all tigers that are kept as pets, Mieuw was taken from his mother at a critical age and de-clawed at one month. Before coming to the center, Mieuw was fed only leftover scraps of chicken instead of the nutrient rich red meat tigers require. As a result, his diet was all but devoid of essential nutrients (fatty acids, iron, etc) necessary for proper development. This has resulted in damage to his central nervous system and consequent loss of coordination and balance. When Mieuw first came to us, he was not able to stand, his body too weak to support any weight. His condition was quite precarious and it was unclear whether he would live. Fortunately, after many kilograms of fresh meat, bones, proper medication and days spent exercising in the lake, Mieuw has made great strides in his rehabilitation. He is now actively walking about, and to our surprise, even runs (after us) a bit. He continues to take a daily swim in the lake, which helps to build muscular strength, and improves coordination. Mieuw is also receiving regular shots of vitamins, vital to the repair and recovery of his central nervous system.At present, Mieuw is kept on a long chain runner under the cover of trees with room to walk around. However, as he is growing bigger and stronger, it is now necessary to build him his own enclosure with ample space to exercise and swim. Unfortunately, Mieuw will never be able to return to the wild. So we’d like to provide him with an environment as close to his natural habitat as possible.
Henry and June - Two very sweet white-handed gibbons arrived this month from the Royal Projects. While we don’t know for sure, we estimate their ages to be 8 (male) and 4 (female) years old. They are both quite skinny at the moment and have suffered hair loss due to malnutrition and stress. June also suffers from a bad right leg, the result of being held in a cage too small for her to stretch her legs. But she is taking daily walks with us and is gradually learning to use her leg again. We are optimistic that she’ll regain full use within a few months. In the meantime, Henry and June are receiving as much good food - bananas, pineapple, fresh young leaves, beans, jungle fruits and sweet potatoes.
New website is up!
Please find on our web site a total new look! Illustrated with a lot of new pictures and weekly updates at the photo and news pages.
www.cha-am.org/wft

Over the coming months we will bring you extracts from travellers journals in several parts, beginning this month with 'A Journey Through Laos'

An early start as I pack my few possessions and get a tuk-tuk to the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge a couple of kilometres out of Nong Khai. Clear immigrations and take a bus across the bridge spanning the mighty Mekong River. A tuk-tuk on the other side takes me to the capital city of Vientiane (pronounced 'Wieng Chan') twenty kilometres away, and so begins my journey through Laos.
Laos has been known from antiquity as Lan Xang, or Land of a Million Elephants, it is one of the least developed and most enigmatic countries in Asia. In the 1820s the country went to war with and fell under control of Siam (Thailand). By 1893 the French and the Siamese had fashioned a series of treaties that put Lao territories under the protection of the French. During W.W.II, the Japanese occupied Indochina and a Lao resistance group formed to prevent a return to French rule at the war's end. Independence was granted in 1953 but conflict persisted between royalist, neutralist and Communist factions. The US bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in eastern Laos commenced in 1964 and greatly escalated the conflicts within the country. Although the ground war in Laos was far less bloody than in Vietnam or Cambodia, the bombing of eastern Laos caused many casualties and, eventually, the displacement of most of the population of the eastern provinces, a process that went on until a cease-fire was negotiated in 1973. By this time Laos had the dubious distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of warfare (the US dropped more bombs on Laos between 1964 and 1973, on a per capita basis, than it did world-wide during W.W.II). In December 1975 the Lao People's Democratic Republic was formed and although the regime has close political ties with Vietnam, Laos has managed to retain a separate identity. Buddhism is deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of the country, and the regime is at pains to explain that Buddhism and Communism are not compatible. Laos has a population of only 4.5 million so it has been spared the pressures of its neighbouring countries. However it is still one of the poorest countries in the world, with an annual per capita income of about US$350.
At times controlled by the Burmese, Siamese, Vietnamese and Khmers, Vientiane was made capital by the French in the late 19th century and their influence is still strong today. Traffic on the right, the abundance of French food, French language signposts and general road mayhem are the first attributes that I notice on the journey through the capital. There are no high-rise buildings here at all, the relative cleanliness of Thai cities is lost here, on first impressions Vientiane is a small, dirty, dusty place.
My first move is to exchange some money as most prices are quoted in US dollars and hence more expensive than the local equivalent. The official national currency is the kip however three currencies are used for commerce here (Thai Baht being the third). Being a floating currency the exchange rate is variable and very high, one British pound works out to over 10,000 kip! My driver points me in the direction of Talaat Sao (morning market) where I can get a far better exchange rate on the black market. My appearance must indicate that I am in need of something as its not very long before I am approached by a shady looking young local man with a duffel bag full of cash. I start the bargaining (working in Thai Baht as that's where I have just come from) and end up walking away with 95,000 kip (about a 600Baht) at around 20% higher rate than the bank offers. One down side of this kind of trading is that I have been paid in small 500 kip notes, 190 of them, each worth around 3Baht! Head back for a Baguette and to pay the 24,000 kip rent.
The market is a rather dirty and unhygienic place (even by Asian standards) with fruit, vegetables, meat and fish sharing floor space with people, dogs, chickens, flies and their various by-products. There is rubbish everywhere, the roads are dangerous to say the least and construction is occurring on every corner. Although Vientiane is a very laid back place it is undergoing extreme development to try and catch up with its Thai counterparts. The rain comes so I seek out some shelter and watch life slowly roll by.

Decide to have a look at a few of the tourist attractions here, though there aren't many. A couple of temples are scattered around the city and the large Victory Monument dominates the eastern sector of the city. It is very reminiscent of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, although a little smaller and built with US-purchased cement. A good view over the city can be seen from the top; Vientiane is more of a big town than a city from this vantage point. There is little else to do around here but relax and take in the French ambience over a cold Beer Lao.

Wake this morning with no electricity or water and upon query am told to check out. Apparently some Lao government officials are staying so everyone must move out, nice of them to give us some fore-warning. Alternative accommodation is double the price and I feel its time to get out of here and head north into the country. Head for the ferry port to investigate travel up the river. A couple of cargo boats are moored up and a few people are milling around looking lost, I make for the only building here, a run down shed. The journey north to Luang Prabang takes five days on the Mekong River but I am told by the rather flippant ticket attendant that there is no slow boat and my only option is a speed boat costing $100. To this I laugh and walk away, I know they're lying because a plane only costs $55 and it would take the average Laotian about three months to earn one hundred dollars. Time to seek out alternative travel arrangements. The tourist office advertising tickets for busses north tell us they don't exist leaving me wondering how travel is possible at all here. From first impressions the Lao people are not as friendly as the Thai's and don't seem very enthusiastic about helping you. Maybe its the Chinese influence here, maybe its the fact that they're simply not accustomed to westerners yet, or maybe I have been spoilt by travel in Thailand.
One way or another I am leaving this city today, take a tuk-tuk to the bus station at the evening market and begin asking around. Get put on a huge old blue Soviet farm truck with around twenty other people, chickens, pigs, rice and god knows what else. With barely enough leg room for the chickens and seats harder than concrete it should be an interesting ten hours. The urban life rapidly gives way to rural farmland, rice fields and waterways. We make good progress leaving the city and I begin to wonder how 400 kilometres can take ten hours … a question I shouldn't really ask. I find out soon enough as we break down after about three hours, a pool of shiny black oil is forming under the cab. We are about 20 kilometres out of a town called Kasi, I resort to reading my guidebook which tells me: 'One known trouble spot is the area around Kasi on the Vientiane to Luang Prabang road. Anti-government rebels have been known to attack vehicles along this road with small arms, grenades and rocket launchers.'Marvellous'.
Eventually get going although at a snails pace as the road begins to get steeper, twisting and turning up into thick green carpeted hills. The scenery is awesome, jagged mountainous outcrops rise abruptly out of the plains, we pass through steep valleys with tiny wooden houses clinging to them. People work the rice terraces pausing momentarily to watch us go by, pigs, cows and children wander nonchalantly across the road ahead of us. Everything a different shade of green and brown, the place is primeval. This is the land of the Lao Hill Tribes, the term referring to ethnic minorities living in the mountainous regions. Each tribe has its own language, customs, mode of dress and spiritual beliefs. Most are of semi-nomadic origin, having migrated to Laos from Tibet, China, Burma and Thailand during the past 200 years or so. Unlike the hill tribes in northern Thailand, particularly around the Chiang Mai area, these people have had very little if any contact with westerners. This is immediately evident by their expression upon spotting a white face on the passing truck. The going is very slow but there is no shortage of things to see. Women crunch zealously on fried locust, pausing only to spit the inedible bits out of the window. Stop at a village at dusk to refuel and get some spare engine parts whereupon local children wearing Manchester United shirts can be seen playing football on a dusty clearing with an old wicker basket. Darkness falls and I have lost all feeling from the waist down, we still have over 100 kilometres to go. Finally roll into Luang Prabang (after another couple of breakdowns) twelve hours after leaving the capital this morning.

Article and photography by Martin Young. Part 2 continued next month.

University Clean up

Webster University Thailand is organizing a clean-up of the Hua Hin beach for the afternoon of 9 March 2002 to promote environmental cleanliness.
The three-hour community event is being organized with the support of the Hua Hin Municipality, and will start at the Khao Takiab end of the beach and finish near the Hilton Hotel.
Dr Arthur Hirsh, Director of Webster University Thailand, said, "The main objective of this project is to raise awareness of the local environment amongst Webster students and the local people, and for Webster University to give something back to the Hua Hin community.
"At the moment, we have more than 150 students and residents from Hua Hin volunteering their time to make the beach a more beautiful place for everyone. We welcome anyone to come along on the day to give us a hand," he said.
Who: Webster University Thailand students, Hua Hin Municipality and residents of Hua Hin
What: Clean-up of Hua Hin beach
Where: start Khao Takiab end of beach and finish in front of Hilton Hotel
When: Saturday, 9 March 2002
2pm-5pm - refreshments will be served after the event
Webster University Thailand is an accredited American University and is a member of the Webster University System. The Webster system offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs at our worldwide campuses located throughout Europe and Asia, with our home campus and world headquarters in St. Louis, USA.
An international university for a truly international time, Webster prides itself on combining the vitality of American education with the exciting international opportunities that a multi-campus university has to offer.
Webster University Thailand is situated off the bypass road between Cha-am and Hua-Hin, and currently has more than 350 students from 28 countries, including Thailand.

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY THAILAND SOCIAL EVENT AT THE HILTON HOTEL
Webster University Thailand is holding a social function on the evening of 9 March 2002 at the Hilton Hotel in Hua Hin.
The evening will run from 7.30pm until 12.30am, and will follow the University's community clean-up of the Hua Hin beach being held earlier the same day.
Tickets are being sold for 349 baht and will include an extensive Western/Thai buffet dinner, entertainment, a drama presentation and DJ. Alcohol is not included in the ticket price but will be sold on the night.
Dr Arthur Hirsh, Director of the University, said the event was a great way for people of the Hua-Hin community to meet some of the students from Webster and to enjoy a wonderful evening at the Hilton.
"Webster University Thailand, situated near Cha-am, has been offering an American education to Thai and foreign students for almost three years, but we really feel we want people to get to know us better.
"We want to be more involved in our local community, and this social evening, along with our clean-up of the Hua Hin beach, is a terrific opportunity to make ourselves more known in the local area," he said.
What: Webster University social event
Where: Rama V ballroom, Hilton Hotel, Hua Hin
When: 7.30pm-8pm (19:30 - 20:00) Welcome cocktail
8pm-9.30pm (20:00 - 21:30) Dinner and entertainment (live band)
9.30pm-10pm (21:30 - 22:00) Drama presentation
10pm-12.30am (22:00- 00:30) Music by DJ Barry
Cost: 349 baht/person
Who: Residents of of Hua Hin and Webster students
Tickets are strictly limited. To purchase tickets or for additional information please contact the University on 032 456 161-8 or wutspecialevent@hotmail.com

How to email effectively
By Marc Holt

We write so many e-mail messages these days that the internet mail system is creaking at the seams. The internet is only a few years old and we are already approaching overload! Not only that, but many of us are receiving so much e-mail it often takes an hour or more just to go through it. Obviously we need to do something.
Here are a few ideas that will help. Let’s start with the technical things you can do first to reduce your e-mail workload: 1.Keep your messages short. Don’t waste your reader’s time. We are all busy. Say what you have to say and then STOP.
2.Plan your ideas before you write. This will help you write your ideas clearly and effectively. In most cases you should be able to say everything in no more than 4 or 5 paragraphs. Anything more and you are wasting everyone’s time.
3.Write your messages offline in a word processor first, and then copy them into an e-mail message when you have polished them to perfection. How many times have you written a message online and then your e-mail program hangs? It happens all the time, and you lose your ideas when you have to reboot. A better way is to download your e-mail, go offline, write any replies and then upload them the next time you log into the internet. This will save you valuable online time and money too.
4.Use ‘Active Voice’. That is, Subject ->Verb ->Object. Active voice involves your reader in your ideas. For example, instead of writing, “The report will be sent”, write this instead, “We will send the report.”
5.Avoid passive voice. It sounds stilted, old-fashioned and in many cases like you are trying to hide information from your reader. Active voice gets the job done better.
6.Avoid unnecessary words. The English language is designed to be economical, and complex ideas are often contained in one word. For example, there is no need to say, “This is the very best radio on the market.” If it is the best, that’s it! You don’t get any better than that. Don’t use ‘personal friend’. If you have a friend, obviously they are personal to you, so just say, ‘I have a friend’. Don’t use ‘return back’. ‘Return’ already means ‘to go back’. If something is ‘unique’, it is the only one of its kind. It can’t be ‘very unique’ or ‘quite unique’. Another phrase that is creeping into our language is ‘by return e-mail’, which is just as silly as using the old fashioned ‘by return mail’. If you reply to an e-mail (or a letter) you are already returning your answer. Just write, ‘Let me know by e-mail.’ The phrase ‘by return mail’ originated in the days before we had air mail deliveries. The fastest way to get a reply to your letter was for the recipient to send their reply on the ship that delivered it. So our great-grandfathers wrote, ‘Please send an urgent reply by returning mail ship.’ This was shortened to ‘by return mail’, and then it was copied by writers too lazy to think of something original or pertinent to say.
7.And stay away from weak words like: “if, maybe, quite, rather, pretty, somewhat”. These words create doubt in your reader’s mind. Get to the point and say what you mean. It doesn’t make sense to say, “She is pretty pregnant.” Either she is pregnant or she is not. There’s no half way.
8.Try starting your e-mail with a different greeting instead of the traditional, ‘Dear Mr Smith’. Use ‘Good morning’, ‘Hi Jim’, and so on. Make your messages more personal and interesting and your readers will respond more positively. You can extend this to your end greeting too. I often end my e-mails with ‘Cheers!’. It sounds more cheerful and friendly than ‘Regards’, etc.
OTHER E-MAIL TIPS
But this is not all there is to writing e-mail. Here are some more suggestions: Consider whether you actually need to reply to an e-mail. If someone writes to thank you for doing something, do you need to acknowledge their message? In most cases, No. Just accept the thanks and get on with your work, or you will finish up exchanging message after message saying ‘thank you for your thank you for your thank you.’ Should you send out unsolicited e-mail like you send unsolicited advertising letters? The answer to this is a very big NO!
Although e-mail is cheap and fast, it is counter-productive to send unsolicited e-mail. Most of us these days just hit the delete button and don’t even read it anyway. It’s just annoying. Not only that, but you risk getting kicked out by your ISP and then you lose your connection to the internet. And you will certainly risk damage to your company reputation. If you want to keep people informed about your company activities, create an opt-in mailing list instead. Give people the choice and they will often take it. Don’t try to UNSUBSCRIBE from unsolicited e-mail lists either. It is dangerous and doesn’t work. In many cases, you will see an invitation at the bottom of a message asking you to reply to a special e-mail address so that you can be taken off the list. In fact, the bulk e-mailing company uses this to verify that your address is correct and active. Then they will deluge you with more e-mail than you thought possible. I even got harassed by one bozo recently because I was foolish enough to reply to his message telling me he could get me unlimited dates with beautiful women. I told him he was writing to the wrong guy because I live in Thailand where I can meet more beautiful women in one hour than he would see in a month!
Then I asked to be taken off his mailing list. After that he deluged me with up to 6 messages a day. In the end I got so tired of him I reported him to the FBI. The messages have since stopped (I hope). When replying to a message and quoting it, delete whatever is unnecessary of the original quotation and keep only the bits needed for your readers to refer to as they read your reply. The more you delete, the less you send out with your reply and the less bandwidth you waste, both yours and your recipient’s. E-Mail can be a valuable and useful tool if used effectively. But you need to control it. Don’t let it control you!
Marc Holt has lived and worked in Thailand and Asia for most of his life, although he was born in the UK. He is Managing Director of Holt WorldWide http://www.holtww.com an IT company offering a wide range of computer services.

Celebrating Thai Style

by Jane Iverson
16 March - 11 April
Neilson Hays Library presents "Celebrating Thai Style - Festivals unde the Rotunda" a photography and cultural exhibiti9on featuring the work of Bangkok based photojournalist Jane Iverson. This event culminates a two-year photojournalism series by Ms. Iverson in Sawaddi Magazine, showcasing the unique flavours and diversity of Thai culture as revealed in its annual festivals and celebrations. Ms. Iverson's photography and personal collection brings to life the vibrant festivals of Thailand - from the high spirited Wax Castle celebration of Sakhon Nakhon to the haunting fertility ghost festival of Loi.
Jane Iverson, Bangkok based has published numerous photos and articles about Southeast Asia. While her work encompasses a wide variety of topics, she is most intrigued by people and their cultural surroundings.

Rotunda Gallery, Neilson Hays Library, 195 Surawongse Road, Bangkok. Contact Mariana Atkins on 01-820 6381 or 02-271 4863 for opening times.

ANNUAL ART FAIR
The Neilson Hays Library and Gallery's 3rd Annual Art Fair will be held on March 9 and 10. The fair will feature an eclectic mis of artists and craftspeople exhibiting and selling their work, from sculptures to watercolours, textiles to soft furnishings, and art deco to jewellery. This is definitely the premier art fair of the year!

Favourite Holiday Dishes from Tantawan's Kitchen - Fried Pork Ribs with Garlic

Find yourself 1/2 a kilo of fresh ribs, cut to size by your butcher. Wash and trim the ribs, rub with a pinch of salt, which adds flavour.
Fry with very hot deep oil until light brown colour, then turn down the heat and drain out most of the oil, add crushed garlic and a touch of sugar.

Now add one dessert spoon of soya sauce, one dessert spoon of oyster sauce mixed with a spoon of water. Cook until crisp dark brown.
Serve hot with parsley or tomato garnish.

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