Food and journalists

Last night, I literally had to force a group of really wonderful journalists across town in Siem Reap, in search of vegetarian food. I'm usually easy and can settle for any compromise for food, but when the only option was raw salad (at a BBQ place), my friends suggested we went elsewhere, even though I knew they really wanted to try the BBQ. So, the 10 of us, including Melanie from CMFR, got into the 4-wheel drive again to look for another place. I felt bad, but I really appreciated the folks for accommodating my dietary needs. And then I feel bad because there is usually too much food for me, that I find myself stuffing my face just to avoid wastage:)


(the Cambodian wayang kulit at the restaurant last night)











But they've been great on all fronts. The training, organised by the Cambodian Centre for Independent Media, attracted 40 journalists from around Cambodia (in Malaysia, we - in CIJ - used to be so grateful when even 5 journalists turned up! I know the record has improved since:)) - with the focus on reporting freedom of expression. The organisers were very helpful and made it very comfortable for us. The programme was a bit heavy though, but organisers always try to maximise the opportunity when they get a group of journos together.

Cambodia is not an easy place to work as a journalist. From what is essentially a one-party authoritarian rule (manifested by the number of legal restrictions placed on expression) to the alleged extent of corruption, journalists face numerous threats in the course of their work.

Over the two-days we spent with them, we heard different violations, and importantly, how journalists felt about the limitations that exist. Some were inclined to accept that if it was in the law, then state restrictions were justified. Never mind that the law was problematic to begin with. But the overwhelming majority felt that the curbs on freedom of the press and freedom of expression were unreasonable.

I was asked by one of the journalists to compare Malaysia and Cambodia. I was inclined to conclude that there were more similarities than differences. Legal instruments are used to justify actions against the media, such as censorship and persecution. Like many governments in the region too, politicians tend to demand and exercise more control and powers than they actually deserve.

I've always been inspired by stories of people who have fought the system and come out of their challenges with a stronger resolve. Even if the Cambodian journalists are going through tough times (threats, professional standards etc, welfare issues), the existence of groups trying to work for press freedom groups just means that there's mobilisation against the violations, against the system. We may have been limited by our language differences, but we had more, not less, to share.

Tonight, there is a plan for a grand buffet and maybe an evening drive around the Angkor Wat. I think the contradictions are fascinating, and challenging. Greatness in heritage, and a society struggling to find its footing in dealing with today.

So, good luck to the friends in the Cambodian media who hope to raise the profile of freedom of expression higher:)

Phaasa Thai...here I come!

So, I've finally signed up for a Thai language course, after being here for 3 months! I will start in a few days and have signed up for a one-month 40-hour intensive course in March, at the Thai Language Achievement School. It will focus on mainly on the phonetics and basic sentences. And then if I go on to the next level, I will learn the grammar in depth. Time and practice will tell if the school is worth sharing, I got a recommendation for it, so am curious:)

I have a small vocabulary that will get me to my house, tell the housekeeper that I will be away and for how many days, ask how much and get around in the market, numbers and when the advertisement on radio is saying call this number xxx5555 (ha-ha-ha-ha).

I realised when I started picking up Danish that it is important to listen to the language, so that you soften your ears to the tone and the speech. So I have the radio on most of the time, in Thai. When learning Danish, it was the movies that did the trick. I'm not sure I have the patience with Thai movies now, I'll stick to the radio. It helps that I live among mainly Thais (with the exception of my neighbours whom I've not bumped into) in my area so I have no choice but to learn the language.

[Incidentally, the person I learnt Danish from, Sripen, is from Phuket, who has been living in Denmark for many years:)]

I've been adequately warned that with Thai, there are words that could mean the total opposite. For example the word that describes beautiful and ugly (suay), or that there are stoppers among the alphabets in the words and those that sound different depending on the location in the word. Well, if life wasn't challenging already.

And funny how some sounds appear in the different languages too and that is quite fun:

• kun (only, in Danish) - Noun for you in Thai
• nok (enough) - bird (Thai)

Someone I met had said that the principles of the sounds are quite close to the Indian language and so I've been trying to make out the script myself and try to figure out how the words work. I have two goals in the short term:
1) Be able to converse with the people in my area
2) Read the stops on the bus

And I don't know how long, long term will represent but then I hope I can understand the radio/news and discussions when attending forums.

So, sawasdee kha or sawatdee kha!

in Siem Reap this Feb

I just realised that the first time I came to Siem Reap was in 2007, and possibly around the same time. It was a birthday present for Soeren. He would have turned 52 last year. I didn't think much about the trip I was about to make this time, even though its for work, that it would be somewhat of an anniversary. Four years since we were here together, to see the Angkor temples.

These days I think I have a better grip of my thoughts but traveling unpacks all of it again. And particularly to places where we've been together. Which is what we deliberately chose to do to commemorate a year since he died. Lone and had a nice late brunch (Soeren loved this, breakfast in bed even better), we went to Annexe Gallery to see an exhibition by a Malaysian artist who passed on a couple of years ago and we heard an early evening performance at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Ended the day with dinner at Out of Africa with good company (he celebrated his birthday here a few years ago with some friends). No need to ask how many thoughts and memories came flashing past - there were many.

It has been difficult to pen down what I felt or thought after a year, and it took me a while to write anything. I think the one thought to take away is that you have to live while you're alive. Apparently, easier said than done...

Sad that you're not here, that I can't celebrate your birthday with you, that I can't tell you what I'm doing here in SR.

Court case here

In the last post, I promised to write something about the trial that started in Bangkok earlier this month. It involves the director and webmaster of a popular website known as Prachatai.com.

I contributed a piece to the Index on Censorship and sharing it here.

Webmaster trial in Thailand: A case of ‘shooting the messenger’

21 Feb 2011

The case of Chiranuch Premchaiporn, the webmaster on trial in Bangkok, has far-reaching implications for freedom of speech – not just in Thailand, but in the wider region too, argues Gayathry Venkiteswaran

Here is SEAPA's summary of the trial and the report from a forum we organised after the trial, with a view of the trends in the region.

Lone has left the building

Guilty of delayed postings. But I have a good excuse, or so I think.

For two weeks, I had a nice time being a host to my sister in law, Lone, here in Bangkok and with a short stop in Malaysia (a bit about that later). And in the midst of it, a very important court case that unfolded and got postponed, involving a very wonderful person who is director and webmaster of a popular website in Thailand (also a bit more on that later).

Before that, Noel visited for a weekend, and we had a nice time checking out food places and some night spots:)

This time, with Lone, we had a nice dose of jazz, also with another Malaysian friend not only enjoying the music, but also singing a couple of songs at the Mandarin Oriental (where the resident band was great but the crowd was too snobbish...it comes with the territory I'm sure, of staying in a hotel like that!) But no bitching! Bangkok jazz is fantastic. There are so many talented folks literally at every corner. And not just jazz. The symphony orchestra is mainly Thai names, unlike the Malaysian one, which has more foreigners than Malaysians. Maybe this sounds nationalistic. Okay, so I'll settle for the fact that its really good to be able to enjoy good music and inexpensive prices. I like KL and Bangkok for that, maybe the latter more:)

It was also an opportunity for me to check out some of the sights in Bangkok but most of the time, Lone was on her own as I was at the office. Everything was fine, until we decided to take an organised tour to Kanchanaburi because I thought going by ourselves was just a bit too inconvenient. That was a mistake. I now have learnt the 10 different meanings of "10 minutes" - the guide was a cacophony of sounds, she knew little and repeated the little she knew 10 times, assured us the train would arrive in 10 minutes every 10 minutes, and made us have our food in 10minutes. I don't even remember what the highlight of the trip was. The museum was merely a collection of photos and news articles, we were forced to take the boat on the River Kwae (which was actually nice, but getting to that point was frustrating) and a train ride that lasted 1 hour over the bridge to nowhere but our lunch spot. I think if we had gone on our own, we would choose what to see and how we would see it. Kanchanaburi itself is a tourist place but I'm sure the nature park would be very interesting.

Despite it all, it was nice to get out of Bangkok even if just for a few hours, to try and see more of the provinces and districts. I should make it a point to explore outside Bangkok.