tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post1434299885990277354..comments2023-11-02T03:40:09.064-07:00Comments on Human Perspective on Development and Environment: The Motivation Behind the Rasi Salai FightCIEE - Thailandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702040572805817922noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-8099766371131212122012-04-30T17:06:39.507-07:002012-04-30T17:06:39.507-07:00It is very interesting to me how the communities o...It is very interesting to me how the communities of rasi salai have adapted to life with the dam. To me, it seems as if they are moving on from being destroyed by the dam, to focusing their efforts on more constructive efforts—helping huana fight their dam, and working on a green market. In adapting, however, many of the villagers now use the water from the dam to irrigate their fields, which my Mae in Rasi Salai saw as a great benefit to having the dam. She explained to me how she saw the construction of the dam as both good and bad—good in that there was water accessible even in the dry season, thus increasing their rice production, and bad in that they cannot collect food from the wetland any more, and they cannot have any animals. I feel it is a sign of strength of a community to be able to continue preserving what they can of their culture, even though so much of it was destroyed by development. I love that Mae Si continues making her traditional crafts, as that is something that cannot be taken away by the construction of the dam, and destruction of their village.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-83130278425048394972012-04-29T08:30:46.138-07:002012-04-29T08:30:46.138-07:00I liked how you talked specifically about Mae Si a...I liked how you talked specifically about Mae Si and her handicraft initiative. In my mind, she is such an integral member of the Rasi Salai community because of her drive to reinstate self-sufficiency. In addition, her determination to educating the next generation is extremely important in Rasi's strength as a community, continuing into the future. <br /><br />I feel that the Green Market will also be a good step towards regaining some of the self-sufficiency that Rasi Salai lost when the Rasi dam was built. However, as Thailand continues to develop I do not think that complete self-sufficiency will be possible for many communities. Rasi may lead as an example of a community that is able to have some self-sufficiency while still taking part in the general economy.Coral Keegannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-61068311355956569722012-04-26T03:13:14.116-07:002012-04-26T03:13:14.116-07:00I loved that in this post you touched upon the han...I loved that in this post you touched upon the handing down of organization. In Meh Si's case she was not originally a part of this movement rather her mother was and now she is involved and plans on doing the same with her daughter. Visiting villages it's so common to see that missing generation that goes off to work in Bangkok so it's refreshing to read and hear about the youth being incorporated into the organizations in communities.brennkellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15998937455058148886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-41595873312601640902012-04-24T10:11:44.950-07:002012-04-24T10:11:44.950-07:00Youth organizing and out-reach is definitely one o...Youth organizing and out-reach is definitely one of my favorite topics, super happy you wrote about this and its importance and relevance to Isaan. First, after having the exchange with the NGO P’Mieu (also the one and only female NGO we’ve exchanged with) it was tight knowing that communities in the US aren’t the only ones who are focused on organizing and reaching out to youths, especially through media. I remember working at a community-based organization (CBO) in Boyle Heights (East Los Angeles) last semester and having a conversation with a community leader who stated, “I want to see more youths from around here attending these meetings. Plus, we need them to teach us older folk about the internet and other resources.” Basically, youth involvement will not only be beneficial to maintain the community’s culture, history and movement sustainability, but also strengthen movements by the knowledge youth (with the privilege of internet access and literacy) can share about social media and the internet. Plus, this nurtures a sense of community and bridges the gap between the youth and those of elder generations, not only in small villages in Thailand but also in every place organizing for their communities needs, all of which gives community organizing a stronger impact.Fátima A. Avellánnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-60097275320381137792012-04-24T02:25:43.806-07:002012-04-24T02:25:43.806-07:00Great post! It really covered all the details need...Great post! It really covered all the details needed to paint a good picture of the Rasi Sali community and their struggles.Kyle O.noreply@blogger.com