02.23.07

Thai ties A slide show for understanding

Posted in Human Rights Issues, Misc., Muslim Understanding, Uncategorized at 7:29 pm by expatgirl

Here is a link to a power point presentation that I created to help people become better informed about the Muslims in southern Thailand.

 http://www.south-thai.com/ties/ties.pps

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02.09.07

Thailand’s Buddhist Insurgents?

Posted in Human Rights Issues, Muslim Understanding, Uncategorized at 7:48 pm by expatgirl

  I lived  and worked as a teacher in southern Thailand for over seven years.  Since 2004 over 2,000 (documented) people have been killed in southern Thailand. The majority of these people have been teachers and government workers. Schools are regularly shut down due to security threats.  Many parents are feeling forced to take their children out of government schools and opting for safer local home school groups. These home school groups are not regulated.  The opportunity for radical/violent philosophies to be indoctrinated into the youth is being opened. Recently the level of killing has gone up to two murders a day.
 

I worked in the public (tessabahn) schools in Hatyai. Four of them were connected with Buddhist temples and one was connected with a Mosque.  The Mosque school was so unfortunate and underfunded. The students were so poor. I learned Thai and read the kindergarten to grade three curriculum given by the Thai Government to the school children. It is a Buddhist curriculum.

Massive educational reforms need to be made for a balanced and unbiased educational system in southern Thailand. Educational reforms need to encompass curriculum, administration and funding. In order to encourage parents to send children to government schools these changes need to be made and teachers and schools need to be secured.
I was recently upset by a small blurb I heard on Voice of America telling of the killings in southern Thailand done by Muslim Insurgents. Killing done by Buddhists in southern Thailand or other unexplained murders often get pushed onto the pile with the southern insurgency and blamed on Muslims. This type of biased reporting disturbs equitable educational funding for the area.
 

I am working with reporters to promote unbiased reporting in the area. Together we are looking for ways to fund educational reform and research grants for the area.

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