A priest made a funny comment last sunday in reference to the gospel reading about Jesus challenging the crowd that whoever has no sin may be the first to cast the stone on the adulterer. He remarked how it seems that Timorese youth must be really sinless since stone-throwing's been their modus operandi.
A friend who was depressed last week wanted to leave town...She remarked how according to UNPOL reports, Dili is 'calm' even though a person may have been killed the day before. And when people tell her, 'hey, there was violence in your neighbourhood last night huh?' she just shrugs her shoulders with indifference.I can totally understand because i try to compare Dili with afghanistan or iraq and tell myself that 'hey, we're ok' when really, one death is one too many. guess it's all about perspective.
many international journos and photogs have landed to chase the presidential campaign trail...as a former journo myself, i have to admit that deep inside each journo (and their editor) they must be waiting for something to 'blow' so their air tickets and expensive hotel stays are justified. hey, come on, it's the truth. no news is NOT good news for journos. hate to say it, but yeah, truth hurts.
little kids are being used to up the 'charm' appeal of presidential candidates. saw on newspaper and tv news how children were shouting slogans and then handed candies.ARggh! horrid.
some readers have asked if the logo i put up is bona fide and it is! go to this website to check www.mtrc.gov.tl and click onto the IDP return statistics and you will see in the PDF document that the new logo is being used now!
Valente SmellyBottom
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
guns but no roses
i was aghast to see the new RDTL logo when it was circulated the other day... it now looks like this ...... the words at the bottom are 'UNITY, ACTION, PROGRESS' (my own translation) What do you think? i find it rather bloody with so much red on it, and it invokes a feel of violence instead of harmony... notice the kilat (weapon) prominently displayed at the bottom of the emblem? yikes...as if it's reminding people of the power of the state... Apparently, there hasn't been an official announcement (according to the locals) but the new design's been passed in Parliament. In fact, few people are aware of the change, and even the government's website still has the old logo, which looks like this.
I still think the older one seems more friendly, the colours are 'softer', the fonts are more modern looking, and the weapons signify olden times (presumably of warriors and resistance but not modern machine guns like the new emblem), the words are 'HONOUR, COUNTRY and PEOPLE' (my own translation, apologies if wrong!). One thing though, is that the new emblem does have a book which probably signifies education. Still, i find the whole black, red and yellow colour scheme a little stark.. and i wonder if there'll ever be a formal announcement or has there already been one?UPDATE: News Excerpt (translated) *Fretilin followers have a right to carry weapons: Jacob Fernandes (Suara Timor Loro Sa'e, March 21, 2007, Translated from Tetun)
Fretilin Central Committee member Jacob Fernandes said every party supporter had the right to carry weapons like knifes and machetes for use in self-defense in dangerous places on the outskirts of the city,where there was no police security.
Jacob was speaking to journalists yesterday at parliament house,referring to six Fretilin supporters from the Ermera district who are facing charges for possessing illegal home-made weapons.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Hau Fila Tia ONA!
Bon dia! Boa Tarde! Bon Noite! Tumbleweeeeed is back in action! Yahooooooo! Yeah, it's my first day back at work and i feel rather swept away by things that have changed. A colleague got married; two persons are pregnant; someone has quit the job; etc etc etc but sadly something has remained the same: my friend M is still an IDP in the Obrigado Barracks with her family.... but the brave woman is still a cheery face which just about shows the mettle in this Timorese people....
Strangely and thankfully, things have really been quiet.... (SHHH!)... must not jinx the current calm.... but you know, it's like the calm is a mist that's cooling us off, but we kinda know there's a ominously dark storm cloud rolling in from afar that will bring some major thunder and lightning... so it's an uneasy calm... Okay, that's all for today! just glad to finally be back after so a looong time away!
Strangely and thankfully, things have really been quiet.... (SHHH!)... must not jinx the current calm.... but you know, it's like the calm is a mist that's cooling us off, but we kinda know there's a ominously dark storm cloud rolling in from afar that will bring some major thunder and lightning... so it's an uneasy calm... Okay, that's all for today! just glad to finally be back after so a looong time away!
Sunday, March 4, 2007
trouble in timor again
watching from the sidelines is horribly painful. to watch Timor slide back once again into chaos has been like observing a piece of bean curd slide slowly down a slanted plate, inching downwards, slowed only by its wetness, and then suddenly last night, that piece of curd gained momentum and hit the bottom with impact, shattering into million pieces of useless fluffy curd... sigh.... what's worse is when you're in the next room seeing all this and can't open the door to go in to put your hand out to save the fate of the curd... last night, the gunshots rang out once again, not just in Same where a fierce battle is said to have occurred to bring in Alfredo, but also in several neighbourhoods in Dili. Friends tell me it was like April 2006 again.. with gunfire puncturing the night from 11pm till 5am Sunday... once again, Dili was dead town apparently from what i hear... everyone's lying low, and of course the rumour circuit must be working overtime with so little access to good information. OZ media say 4 have been killed but who knows. i just know that it's hard to be sitting in my comfortable first world room when my friends are in Timor. How horrid all this is. Makes you realise that hey, it's nearly been a year since April 28.... once again it was during the Lenten and Easter period when the tensions ran high. in fact, if this year's elections do proceed, it would be the Monday after Easter Sunday. May 25th last year, Black Thursday (my own name for it), was Ascension of the Lord. Oh dear.. oh dear...
Saturday, March 3, 2007
FESTIVAL OF FUN AT FEUNGFA GARDENS
Village festival brings PADETC's volunteers together for the first time
At first, the 9 year old boy stood still, focusing on the notes, then he began to circle the straw mat; sometimes skipping, sometimes going down low on his knees but always moving. Ki Her learnt this combination of Hmong dance and music from Souvanthong Lore, a farmer who has been volunteering at the Somsamai Primary School for a year now.
"I learnt to play the khaen when I was small like Ki," said 56 year old Lore. "I'm very happy to teach the children this local knowledge because the more people know about it, the more we can keep this culture alive."
"I like playing the khaen because many people look at me when I perform," quipped Ki Her.
Lore has compiled a booklet of khaen lessons to ensure that future generations will have reference materials to learn the musical instrument. Ki Her, who took a year of hard work to learn the khean, helps by introducing it to his schoolmates.
"I passed by a stall where a little boy was weaving a basket with three adults looking on," said Sombath Somphone, PADETC's director, while touring the fair. "I thought the adults were teaching the boy a new skill but it turned out they were from another village and were learning from him! So it's not just the child learning from an adult, but he or she can also pass on the skills to an older person."
PADETC started this inter-generational learning of indigenous knowledge in 2006 as a supplement to the official primary school curriculum. To avoid adding to the burden of government teachers, the centre approached skilled adults to be volunteer teachers in their local primary schools. Now, there are 10 rural villages participating in the project, with more to join soon.
Some of the villages offered free homemade specialties that few could resist sampling; children crowded round the tent of the Hom village, eager to try the khao loum (sweet rice porridge with coconut milk), while others took notes in their scrapbooks on its preparation. At other tents, visitors snapped up the free local knowledge guidebooks which were written and illustrated by the villagers; they ranged from recipes for local food, to instructions on fishing and making nets.
Positive influence through peer education
As Lao opens up to the global market, special attention needs to be paid to its children and young people. Already, social problems such as truancy, and drugs and alcohol abuse are reported to be on the rise. So apart from imbibing children in their local culture, PADETC hopes its network of Young Volunteers would be a positive influence for other Lao youth.
As Lao opens up to the global market, special attention needs to be paid to its children and young people. Already, social problems such as truancy, and drugs and alcohol abuse are reported to be on the rise. So apart from imbibing children in their local culture, PADETC hopes its network of Young Volunteers would be a positive influence for other Lao youth.
The centre began working with a group of 25 young volunteers in Vientiane capital in 1998. Since then, the network has grown to 56 groups, comprising 1,800 volunteers in 13 provinces, where local governments have been receptive and supportive. The youngest volunteers are only eight, while the oldest are 18. The volunteers learn a variety of skills from story telling, drama, handicraft, songs and games, which they in turn pass on to their peers.
At the fair, brightly decorated stalls were put up by the Young Volunteers; there were photographs depicting their monthly community service activities, including advocacy and awareness campaigns on drug abuse, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. There were also cultural products on sale and cooking demonstrations, encouraging the young people to mingle and learn from each other.
At the fair, brightly decorated stalls were put up by the Young Volunteers; there were photographs depicting their monthly community service activities, including advocacy and awareness campaigns on drug abuse, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. There were also cultural products on sale and cooking demonstrations, encouraging the young people to mingle and learn from each other.
"Our goal is to instill moral values in the young people, so that they can be useful members of society," said Phoxay Chanthavongsa, deputy director of PADETC. "We teach them 32 subjects and when the young volunteers are trained, they become leaders for the activities and they help to teach other young children. So many communities have become interested in the young volunteers and they have asked PADETC to help them to organize their village youth in the same way."
At the Luang Prabang stall, young volunteers sat on the ground to teach some children to make paper lanterns out of string, bamboo sticks, glue and paper. A short distance away, volunteers from Bokeo showed other children how to make brooches with rice husks and sesame seeds.
The teenagers were also eager to perform on stage, drawing loud cheers from the crowd as they performed the classical Lao dance and other ethnic folkdances. The energy of the Young Volunteers must not be underestimated: in 2005, they reached out to almost 200,000 Lao youth through their monthly community services projects.
"The young people can help to shape the future of the society, if we adults allow them to," said Somphone. "They have new ideas, and are energetic and willing participants if adults are willing to listen and guide them. So one of PADETC's challenge is to train adults and peer leaders, including provincial administrators, to dialogue and take their views seriously."
"I've volunteered for four years," said Saisamone Khounchankeo, 16, from Bolikhamxai Province "We go to each village to teach the primary school children about clean water. We perform a drama to encourage them to wash their hands after using the toilet."
16 year old Inthachak Phoutthasone from Champassak province has volunteered for six years. He and other PADETC volunteers help out at the provincial radio station to create youth programmes on health, gender and environmental issues. "I also go to the community to give information about drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and human trafficking," he said. "I want to volunteer because I can get a lot of knowledge and experience which I can make use of in my life. I volunteer also because we're all part of society and we should help out."
One School, One Product
When young people like Phoutthasone turn 18 and move to Vientiane capital to study, they can continue to volunteer by becoming Youth Leaders who assist teachers in PADETC's Quality Schools project.
Apart from training teachers in child-friendly teaching methods and roping in Youth Leaders to assist in extracurricular activities, the project also encourages each school to specialise in making one product. The centre has a small fund for each school to teach the children practical skills, while instilling confidence and entrepreneurship. At the fair, the Quality Schools' tent enjoyed brisk business as their products, ranging from stuffed teddy bears, paper cranes, rice dumplings, tamarind jam and chilli paste, were purchased by young people from the other provinces.
It was clear from the peals of laughter, the cacophony of youngsters hawking their wares, and the non-stop beating of drums that the fair had been a resounding success. It drew to a close with the 200 young people singing goodbye while holding hands in a big circle. This had been their chance to meet other volunteers for the first time, and new friendships had been made. Teary-eyed, they hugged and bade farewell, before hopping onto the vans for the long journey home.
In the wake of the youngsters, PADETC staff and Youth Leaders began dismantling the stalls and stage. Though the event has ended, more work now lies ahead for the centre as it steps into its second decade of community development work in Laos.
*ENDS*
Copyright of PADETC
www.padetc.org
Written by Bridgette See
After ten years of working with children, young people and communities, the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADETC) organized its first national gathering at Feungfa Gardens, Vientiane, in January 2007.
The campground was transformed into a bustling village festival, with more than 20 tents set up to represent 13 provinces, as well as 10 villages and 10 schools in Vientiane. The cheerful voices of young people singing folksongs and beating on drums filled the air. Many of the 200 children and teenagers participating in the 2-day fair donned their finest ethnic wear, representing tribal groups such as the Hmong, Lao, Tai Dam, Tai Daeng, Leu, Phutai, and Puan.
This was the first time the centre had organized a cultural exposition of this scale -- bringing three of its youth projects (Indigenous Knowledge, Young Volunteers, and the Quality Schools) together to illustrate the value of activity-based learning and the role of community volunteers - young or old. The fair was to be a living showcase of how learning can be joyful— a central philosophy of PADETC's work.
Passing on local know-how
At the tent of the Somsamai village, little Ki Her blew on the khaen, a large mouth organ made from two parallel rows of bamboo reeds. It is a traditional Lao instrument that is played at important festivals like the Hmong tribe's New Year celebrations.
At first, the 9 year old boy stood still, focusing on the notes, then he began to circle the straw mat; sometimes skipping, sometimes going down low on his knees but always moving. Ki Her learnt this combination of Hmong dance and music from Souvanthong Lore, a farmer who has been volunteering at the Somsamai Primary School for a year now."I learnt to play the khaen when I was small like Ki," said 56 year old Lore. "I'm very happy to teach the children this local knowledge because the more people know about it, the more we can keep this culture alive."
"I like playing the khaen because many people look at me when I perform," quipped Ki Her.
Lore has compiled a booklet of khaen lessons to ensure that future generations will have reference materials to learn the musical instrument. Ki Her, who took a year of hard work to learn the khean, helps by introducing it to his schoolmates.
"I passed by a stall where a little boy was weaving a basket with three adults looking on," said Sombath Somphone, PADETC's director, while touring the fair. "I thought the adults were teaching the boy a new skill but it turned out they were from another village and were learning from him! So it's not just the child learning from an adult, but he or she can also pass on the skills to an older person."
PADETC started this inter-generational learning of indigenous knowledge in 2006 as a supplement to the official primary school curriculum. To avoid adding to the burden of government teachers, the centre approached skilled adults to be volunteer teachers in their local primary schools. Now, there are 10 rural villages participating in the project, with more to join soon.
Some of the villages offered free homemade specialties that few could resist sampling; children crowded round the tent of the Hom village, eager to try the khao loum (sweet rice porridge with coconut milk), while others took notes in their scrapbooks on its preparation. At other tents, visitors snapped up the free local knowledge guidebooks which were written and illustrated by the villagers; they ranged from recipes for local food, to instructions on fishing and making nets.Positive influence through peer education
As Lao opens up to the global market, special attention needs to be paid to its children and young people. Already, social problems such as truancy, and drugs and alcohol abuse are reported to be on the rise. So apart from imbibing children in their local culture, PADETC hopes its network of Young Volunteers would be a positive influence for other Lao youth.
As Lao opens up to the global market, special attention needs to be paid to its children and young people. Already, social problems such as truancy, and drugs and alcohol abuse are reported to be on the rise. So apart from imbibing children in their local culture, PADETC hopes its network of Young Volunteers would be a positive influence for other Lao youth.
The centre began working with a group of 25 young volunteers in Vientiane capital in 1998. Since then, the network has grown to 56 groups, comprising 1,800 volunteers in 13 provinces, where local governments have been receptive and supportive. The youngest volunteers are only eight, while the oldest are 18. The volunteers learn a variety of skills from story telling, drama, handicraft, songs and games, which they in turn pass on to their peers.
At the fair, brightly decorated stalls were put up by the Young Volunteers; there were photographs depicting their monthly community service activities, including advocacy and awareness campaigns on drug abuse, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. There were also cultural products on sale and cooking demonstrations, encouraging the young people to mingle and learn from each other.
At the fair, brightly decorated stalls were put up by the Young Volunteers; there were photographs depicting their monthly community service activities, including advocacy and awareness campaigns on drug abuse, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS. There were also cultural products on sale and cooking demonstrations, encouraging the young people to mingle and learn from each other.
"Our goal is to instill moral values in the young people, so that they can be useful members of society," said Phoxay Chanthavongsa, deputy director of PADETC. "We teach them 32 subjects and when the young volunteers are trained, they become leaders for the activities and they help to teach other young children. So many communities have become interested in the young volunteers and they have asked PADETC to help them to organize their village youth in the same way."
At the Luang Prabang stall, young volunteers sat on the ground to teach some children to make paper lanterns out of string, bamboo sticks, glue and paper. A short distance away, volunteers from Bokeo showed other children how to make brooches with rice husks and sesame seeds. The teenagers were also eager to perform on stage, drawing loud cheers from the crowd as they performed the classical Lao dance and other ethnic folkdances. The energy of the Young Volunteers must not be underestimated: in 2005, they reached out to almost 200,000 Lao youth through their monthly community services projects.
"The young people can help to shape the future of the society, if we adults allow them to," said Somphone. "They have new ideas, and are energetic and willing participants if adults are willing to listen and guide them. So one of PADETC's challenge is to train adults and peer leaders, including provincial administrators, to dialogue and take their views seriously."
"I've volunteered for four years," said Saisamone Khounchankeo, 16, from Bolikhamxai Province "We go to each village to teach the primary school children about clean water. We perform a drama to encourage them to wash their hands after using the toilet."
16 year old Inthachak Phoutthasone from Champassak province has volunteered for six years. He and other PADETC volunteers help out at the provincial radio station to create youth programmes on health, gender and environmental issues. "I also go to the community to give information about drug abuse, HIV/AIDS and human trafficking," he said. "I want to volunteer because I can get a lot of knowledge and experience which I can make use of in my life. I volunteer also because we're all part of society and we should help out."
One School, One Product
When young people like Phoutthasone turn 18 and move to Vientiane capital to study, they can continue to volunteer by becoming Youth Leaders who assist teachers in PADETC's Quality Schools project. Apart from training teachers in child-friendly teaching methods and roping in Youth Leaders to assist in extracurricular activities, the project also encourages each school to specialise in making one product. The centre has a small fund for each school to teach the children practical skills, while instilling confidence and entrepreneurship. At the fair, the Quality Schools' tent enjoyed brisk business as their products, ranging from stuffed teddy bears, paper cranes, rice dumplings, tamarind jam and chilli paste, were purchased by young people from the other provinces.
It was clear from the peals of laughter, the cacophony of youngsters hawking their wares, and the non-stop beating of drums that the fair had been a resounding success. It drew to a close with the 200 young people singing goodbye while holding hands in a big circle. This had been their chance to meet other volunteers for the first time, and new friendships had been made. Teary-eyed, they hugged and bade farewell, before hopping onto the vans for the long journey home.
In the wake of the youngsters, PADETC staff and Youth Leaders began dismantling the stalls and stage. Though the event has ended, more work now lies ahead for the centre as it steps into its second decade of community development work in Laos.
*ENDS*
Copyright of PADETC
www.padetc.org
Written by Bridgette See
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