July 3, 2001
Somebody's watching Volunteers of the Nong Sua district in Pathum Thani join hands with the police in the "Phuen Ban Oon Jai" project to ensure their neighbourhood is crime-free. A group of villagers in Pathum Thani have joined forces with the police to help protect their community from drugs and crime. The result has been a win-win situation for all-except the bad guys Story By Alongkorn Parivudhiphongs Picture by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK Vinai Sa-nguanboon's fatigues make him look a bit like a sniper. The three stripes on his collar are similar to those of the military, but the green beret with an emblem of a tiger looks more like a boy scout's cap. Who on earth does he work for? He smiles in response and points to the label above his left pocket, which reads: "Protection against crime." "I am a police assistant from the village of Bueng Ka Sam (Ka Sam Swamp)." A tender of orange orchards by profession, Vinai is one of a group of local volunteers assisting the police in overseeing the district of Nong Sua in Pathum Thani province. Group members donated their own money to build a small police kiosk in their neighbourhood and they take turns manning the station to oversee the safety of the village. When they get wind of wrong-doing in their neighbourhood, they report it to the district police. On quiet days, they help the police direct traffic flow. In crime-infested metropolitan regions where people want the police to do everything for them, the spirit of the Nong Sua villagers is indeed special. "We feel strongly that it's our duty to protect our community from vice and crime, for our own peace and safety," explained Vinai, a founding member of the Phuen Ban Oon Jai project (Neighbours Feeling Safe). Now in its third year, the project was initially designed as a way to prevent theft on orange plantations. The area is well-known for its orchards and villagers were fed up with thieves making off with much of their earnings. "They would come with pick-up trucks full of empty sacks and in a matter of minutes they would make a fortune from our sweat and tears," he said. The farmers call these thieves plia krasob, meaning "sack pests". Determined to combat the thieves, the orchard farmers in the village of Bueng Ka Sam set up a group of volunteers in 1999 with support from the district police. They took turns watching for strangers prowling in the orchards and rice fields. The endeavour was a big success, greatly reducing the amount of theft. Their achievement drew in more volunteers, making the group bigger and confident enough to expand their efforts into providing safety for the whole community, in their village and others. "It is police policy to encourage locals to help safeguard their own communities," said Pol Col Banyat Chabprapai of Nong Sua district. The current number of police is inadequate. At present, Nong Sua district has only 78 police officers to supervise seven villages, covering 417 square kilometres. Civic action such as that by the Phuen Ban Oon Jai group offers much-needed help. In the midst of an exploding nationwide drug problem, the villagers' awareness of what is going on inside their own neighbourhoods is especially useful, he said. Geographically, Nong Sua is adjacent to Saraburi, Nakhon Nayok and Ayutthaya, and according to Vinai, these are big drug trafficking areas. Nong Sua cannot escape the drug problem, which threatens the future of its children. "We want Nong Sua to be drug-free. We don't want to see our kids becoming drug addicts," said Bualoi Chomjui, a middle-aged woman who has been a member of the group from the beginning. She helps the police with body searches for drugs when the suspects are female. There have been many times when the group has had to be active outside its own district. For example, when criminals flee Nong Sua, the group coordinates with police in other districts or provinces to track them down. "We have succeeded in having many criminals arrested," Vinai said. The group now has 150 volunteers, 20 of whom are women. Some 30 members are senior citizens and the rest are men aged over 25. Members must not have a criminal background or a history of drug use. Currently, the community safety services cover seven villages in Nong Sua. "These people are working selflessly for their communities," said Pol Col Banyat in admiration. To prepare for the job, the volunteers receive training from police in areas such as physical fitness, self-defence, reporting skills, basic law and first aid. After their training, volunteers receive a licence from the police certifying them as police assistants. The licence must be renewed each year. Since the volunteers are local residents, they know the community inside and out, said Pol Capt Pornchai Threesorn. Yet he insisted they wear special uniforms to set them apart from ordinary folks when they are on duty at the kiosk, directing traffic or helping out at a crime scene. Pol Capt Pornchai designed the uniform himself. It is a hybrid of military and police uniforms. There are three levels of neighbourhood watch volunteers: chief, assistant, and ordinary member. The tiger emblem on the beret has nothing to do with boy scouts. Nong Sua means "tiger swamp", and the emblem represents the local guardian spirit called Chao Pho Nong Sua, or god of the tiger swamp. The villagers use the tiger emblem to boost morale because their work is often risky. "The uniform reminds them of their special duty. It also helps them feel proud of their mission," said Pol Capt Pornchai. The volunteers are not allowed to carry firearms. "But that doesn't frighten me," Mrs Bualoi said. "I feel good being able to do something positive for my community." Vinai said his neighbourhood watch stints have led him to view the police in a more positive light. "I used to fear them. Now I think of them as our friends," he said. "I feel safe now when I go to school and walk about the village because I know there are police assistants everywhere. It's necessary to have someone whom we can trust to supervise our local community for us," said Pumin Yubaisri, a high school student at Nong Sua Vittayakhom School. Last year, the group received financial support from the Social Investment Fund. . The money was used to build more community kiosks and to buy communications equipment to facilitate their work, as well as food for the volunteers at work. But the grant recently ran out and the volunteers are again using their own money to keep up the good work. If the group had more money, said Vinai, it could train more volunteers and create more safety facilities, such as kiosks, while also purchasing more communications equipment. It could also provide assistance for volunteers in case of accident or death. Unlike the police, if an accident or death befalls a volunteer, no official assistance or compensation is given either to the volunteer or the person's family. According to Pol Col Banyat, the National Police Office is working on welfare benefits for such volunteers, but no one knows if and when this will materialise. "A few months ago, one of our volunteers was killed on duty. We had to donate money for his funeral," Vinai said. The volunteers' work, he added, was like "putting a gold plate on the back of a Buddha image", a Thai saying meaning "work no one sees". "But we feel that doing good is a reward in itself," Vinai said. Info for donations: - Name of organisation: The Phuen Ban Oon Jai Project - Contact person: Vinai Sa-nguanboon, chief of Police Volunteers of Bueng Ka Sam - Address: 74, Moo 4, Ban Charoen Boon, Bueng Ka Sam, Nong Sua district, Pathum Thani, 12170. - Telephone: 905-9156. - Bank account information: Savings account number: 01-0507-20-008644-9; bank account name: The Phuen Ban Oon Jai Project; Government Savings Bank, Klong 10, Thanya Buri branch. - "We care" is a fortnightly series honouring people who believe in giving. In addition to supporting these causes, you can let us know about people who unselfishly help others so we can make more people aware of their efforts. Fax "We care" on 240-3668 or call 240-3700 ext 3208 or 3212. Email can be sent to sanitsuda@bangkokpost.net. For a comprehensive list of charities covered by Outlook's "We Care" series, see the Bangkok Post Web site at www.bangkokpost.net/outlookwecare.		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