Red-Shirts movement

Good morning,

In Thailand isn’t always quiet and in harmony like the religion Buddha represent.  We were woken up by screaming voices in the street. Today was the one-year anniversary of the beginning Thailand’s anti government Red Shirts protest. Red Shirt is an anti-government organization and the members are mostly poor farmers or self-employed traders of the lower middle class who were politically and economically authorized during the Thaksin period. (‘01-‘06).  The protest of last year was one of the deadliest political movements in modern Thai history.



Photo: Red-Shirt activist Atthawut Saikua



                                    

Today four activist of “Red-shirt” are released on bail after nine months. One of the four protest leaders is Atthawut Saikua, who was accused for terrorism charges. The “Red-shirt” movement is led by the UDD (United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship).  Today’s anniversary of the start of the protests in Bangkok which ended very badly. This protest was due to the fact that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced early elections. The well-known protest lasted two month. Those two months are remembered with heavy confrontations between government forces and protestors. It has cost 91 peoples their lives and more than 1400 people were injured. Between the protesters was also a popular singer Arisman Pongruangrong, who is still arrested.

The election was one of the reasons to start a movement.  The Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called elections for late June or early July, however this was about six month to early to be required by law. The Red-Shirts would also run for parliament in those elections. Therefore some weekly demonstrations were required to be recognized as an running party. Their goal was achieved, the Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would hold elections in November and the Red-Shirts can also run for parliament. But after a call from Thaksin Western diplomats, he suddenly changed his mind. He would fight on, with a bloody confrontation as result.  

I hope tomorrow will be more pleasant, with less chance for new confrontations.

Greetings,
Céline

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12729767

Price pressures in Thailand

After our wonderful time in Borneo we decided it was time to travel to our next country namely Thailand. We all knew Thailand but nobody of us ever visited it so we were all very curious of what the country would be like.
Because we want to explore Thailand in a maximal way we decided to hire a car. Thailand is namely , with a surface area of approximately 513,000 square km, the 50th largest country in the world in terms of total area.

We searched for a local coach rental and hired a Peugeot 206. Now our trip in the beautiful country could really start. Or so we thought .. cause when we looked at the status of the gas tank we noticed that it was almost empty.  So first we had to find a gas station before we finally could start our trip. With the help of the lessor this was no problem , a good thing too!

At the gas station we were pleasantly surprised. The price of diesel wasn’t very high. But how was this possible with the rising oil prices?
We went inside the shop of the gas station and decided to ask the shop cashier if he knew the answer.
He told us that the Asian economy tries to slow down the rising diesel price by subsidizing it. However analysts have warned that this can only be a temporary solution to keep the prices in check. So the Asian government will continue doing so till the end of April , what will happen after then is unsure..  One thing’s for sure , the rising oil prices are a real drag on an economy that seems to be moving in a right direction after the global recession. The exports of the country are up , consumer spending is up but so too are food prices and basic commodities like cocking oil. So unfortunately the threat of inflation cannot be ignored.
To encounter the global recession the interests rates were historically low in Thailand but now as the world recovers Thailand has to raise interest rates  as the region grapples with rising consumer prices. Central banks are having to strike a fine balance between maintaining growth and reining in prices.

It’s remarkable how big the influence of the oil price is on other products. At first sight nobody realizes the numerous things in which oil is an essential raw material. Oil is for example used to produce most of the synthetic materials and contains the most important element of asphalt namely bitumen.  So oil is very important , but it’s also a raw material which is becoming scarce.
So in my opinion it’s time for a new way of producing and living.  We have to try to stop the dependence on oil by finding and using a substitute for it. For example for cars we can use electricity or fuel from biomass. It will also be better for the environment so we can decrease or even stop the global warming. Unfortunately I realize this is easier said than done.. but if we do it step by step we’ll get there!

Greetings,
Nelson

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12673135

Thailand

Hello folks

We’re all amazed by the beauty of Thailand. Actually there are no words to describe what we see here. If I imagine heaven it would look like Thailand. So the people who don’t know where to go this summer Thailand is the place to be.

Tourists link Thailand with Buddhism and in fact this is true. 95% of the Thai people are practitioners of Theravada Buddhism. Buddhismbased on the teachings of the Buddha, “the enlightened one” (Siddhartha Gautama).
Thai people are very respectful of the religious beliefs of others and are very open toward discussing their Buddhist values with visitors.  In fact, there are many opportunities in Thailand to visit Buddhist temples to learn about or study Buddhism and perhaps to learn to meditate. This is one of the many reasons we like it here. It’s unbelievable how friendly the people are.

Tomorrow we would like the take the time to visit one of the many temples in Chiang Mai. The senior monks who are living in the temples get a lot of respect from the Thai people. Visitors get the opportunity to talk to the monks in order to gain general knowledge about Buddhism or to study Buddhism more seriously.

Most Thai homes and places of business feature a ‘spirit house’ just outside the building, where offerings are made to appease spirits that might otherwise inhabit their homes or workplaces.

The next largest religion in Thailand, Islam, is practiced by only about 4% of the population; the majority of Thai Muslims live in the most southerly provinces near the Malaysian border.   Other religions in Thailand include Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Christianity, which are generally practiced by those living in Bangkok, where a multi-cultural population includes citizens of Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and European descent.

Next time I write you I’ll probably be in China.

Greets
Sarina

Source: http://www.tourismthailand.org/about-thailand/religion/

Borneo deforestation

Good morning everyone,

Yesterday my friends and I arrived at Borneo. After a wonderful first impression, I just had to write to all of you about this beautiful island in Southeast Asia. Borneo is not actually a country; three countries share the island: the largest segment in the south, Kalimantan, belongs to Indonesia, the northern part belongs to the East Malaysian states of Saba and Sarawak; and the Sultanate of Brunei owns a small area found within the Malaysian part of the island. Borneo is very rich in biodiversity compared to many other areas, with about 15,000 species of flowering plants and over 420 species of resident birds.

 

Today my friends and I learnt about the biggest problem in Borneo: deforestation. Deforestation occurs for primary export of tropical timber palm oil and rubber. From 1984 to 2001, logging has removed approximately 4 million hectares of forest in the Kalimantan section of the island alone. Estimates made by the WWF note that, without intervention, logging and plantation companies could have destroyed all the natural island forests by 2020.

A major economic problem with deforestation is that destroying the forests gives more to the economy through export potential than tourist dollars. The forests in Borneo now supply half the world's tropical timber and other exports.

The biggest ecological issue is the physical removal of trees without adequate replacement strategies, making the timber industry unsustainable in the long term. Borneo is also a site of increased ecological interest worldwide because of the diversity of species that exist in the different forest ecosystems. Between 1994 and 2004, scientists discovered 361 new species and they are likely to document more in the coming years if the forest ecosystems remain intact. There are also indirect ecological effects of deforestation like destruction of animal habitat and soil erosion that has as result that the land can no longer be used for agriculture.

The other main issue however, is the co-ownership between the three nations that preside over Borneo. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are each responsible for their part of the island, but it is also important that they understand the effects of deforestation in the context of the whole island.

If managed well, Borneo forests can still produce timber and other products for export without the destruction that has devastated large zones of forest over the past few decades.

Source: http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-57_u-507_t-1375_c-5295/QLD/10/Deforestation-in-Borneo/Economy/Ecology-case-studies/The-global-citizen-ecology-and-economy/SOSE-Geography/

Mates for Orangutans

Good morning,

I just woke up; this was my first long sleep in weeks. Now I found
the time to write a blog about our experiences and the nature of Borneo.
Yesterday was an amazing day in the forest; I can’t wait to tell you what I
have seen...

So yesterday we got up early in the morning, because we had to follow Marc, a conservationist of the group Hutan. Hutan is a department that protects the orangutan in the wildlife.
A long the way he told us more about the forest, the companies and the orangutans.

For instance, the companies for palm plantations, logging or development just cut the swaths of forest on their territory, that way all the orangutans get isolated and alone. What leads us to a decline of living orangutans in this area. That why Marc is building rope bridges to help the orangutans survive, by moving around in the forest without getting isolated.

Hopefully the orangutans meet new mates. So the population will increase or stabilize.  Something that I didn’t know was that Orangutans can’t swim, so the just can slung across rivers and walk. That’s why those ropes are so important. By just spreading the word, we spotted Orangutans on a rope, slinging across the Resang River. Wow! That was just amazing! It was like in the movie Tarzan, but without smashing in the tree. It was breathtaking; we all had to be very quite. Because they wouldn’t you, and that not all. A few minutes later, we saw his mate.

This day was exceptionally, because this situation is not often captured on camera.  Now we saw that it’s really necessary to build ropes everywhere, so that the endangered orangutans can be saved, and find new mates and move around. Luckily some environmental groups and wildlife authorities’ work together to ensure the habitat of the orangutans near the rivers. This culture is an important factor for the tourisme, because it is so exeptional.

This was a trip to never forget; hopefully I may experience more trips like yesterday.

See you soon.
Greetings Céline


Sources: by J. Zappei, October 2010

http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-10-bridges-built-borneo-orangutans.html

Borneo Government cancels coal plants

Good evening everyone

My friends and I finally found the time to explore the world. Our journey starts in Borneo.
I would like to take the time to tell you something more about this country.
Borneo is an island with rich rainforests, pristine beaches, and a tourism/fishing-dependent economy. So it is hard to think of a worse place to build a coal-fired power plant here.

This week there was some great news for all the involving activists in the world.
The government ended a three year saga led by a strong grassroots coalition.
It announced this week it would pursue alternative power options.

Cynthia Ong (born and raised in Sabah) organized a coalition of local and regional groups to fight the power plant. They used social network tools such as Change.org, facebook and twitter, and many people got involved.
They used a good tactic because they showed renewable energy alternatives, rather than a campaign against coal power.

Cynthia Ongo worked with LEAP(Land Empowerment Animals People) to present the issue to prisoners. These prisoners were inspired to write letters to the Prime Minister Najib Razak.
LEAP also recruited a filmmaker to travel to Borneo and worked with young local filmmakers to put together a video.

In my opinion this is great news! Borneo is a extremely beautiful country. A real diamond of mother nature! It would be a disaster to create a coal plant to provide us from enough power.
Technology allows us to come up with alternative power options.
When activists and other people come together to make a point they can achieve a lot.
It makes me happy that people want to make an effort to make this world a better place to live in.

I will write a new blog when we arrive in our next country.
Greetings Sarina

Source: Jess Leber · February 19, 2011
http://news.change.org/stories/victory-borneo-government-cancels-coal-plant

Economic activites of Borneo

We started our trip in the beautiful country Borneo. Borneo isn't a very well known country and it certainly isn't a main vacaction destination so with this blog we'll try to expand your knownledge about the country.

So first of all let's get a look at the economic activies of the country.

Borneo has two main industries and the first one is the processing of food and forest products.
The agriculture provides a livelihood for most of the people although the farms are generally small and most of the farmers produce barely enough food for their own needs.
The chief crop that they produce is rice but tobacco , cassava , sugarcane , spices and cotton are also grown. On the larger estates the major products include rubber , palm , oil , coffee and tea.
Another very important economic activity is the production of timber and related products from the vast forests of the country.
Also the rivers and coastal waters play an important role in the agriculture because they provide the country with a large supply of fish.

The second main industrie is without a doubt oil refining.
Oil is the most valuable mineral resource and the principal producing fields are located in Brunei.

Because Borneo is an island the rivers also provide the chief inland transportation routes. Among the main ones are the Kapuas and Mahakam rivers.
Some cities like Balikpapan and Pontianak also have ports capable of handling oceangoing vessels. Railways are found only in Sabah and Brunei because the roads are mainly near large cities and towns. Airlines provide foreign service and link Borneo's major cities.

Borneo river

The beautiful rain forests and nature don't only give the special touch to Borneo but their entire economie is based on it. So in my opinion Borneo is a beautiful example of a country that proves how important it is to take care of our nature instead of destroying it by placing buildings on it.

I hope you now have a better image of Borneo and if you ever get the chance to visit this beautiful country , I would say: Grab it with your both hands!

Greetings,
Nelson

Source:  http://geography.howstuffworks.com/asia/geography-of-borneo1.htm