February 9, 1999
Endangered eco-warriors The Karen forest dwellers of northern Thailand protect the country's pine forests from chain saws. Now they need your help The ricefields of the Karen villagers in Chiang Mai's Mae Chaem district have been hard hit by pestilence. -- Simith Sutibut The Thai general public owe a debt of thanks to the Karen people of Mae Chaem district in Chiang Mai - for protecting the country's rare pine forests from illegal loggers. But now, the guardians of the forest need urgent help for their own survival. The Karen villagers' ricefields in Ban Chand and Chaem Luang have been hard hit by pestilence over the last year. So much so that their annual yield has been reduced by up to 80 percent. Combined with this year's water shortages, it is feared that rice shortages will force the Karens to leave their ancestral homes, thus leaving the nation's precious pine forests vulnerable to illegal loggers. Appealing for public help, a group of environmental non-governmental organisations led by the Project for Ecological Recovery are working together to raise funds for the forest guardians' rice security through a religious pha pah ceremony. The 16 Karen villages in Ban Chand and Chaem Luang are known for their simple, conservationist way of life in harmony with nature. Had it not for their ardent protests, the 151,250-rai pine forests, which are called Musehkee in Karen, would have been turned into timber in a state mill project a few years ago. The Musehkee pine forests form the rain catchment areas of the Mae Chaem river, a tributary of the Ping River which flows into the Chao Phraya River. The pha pah presentation ceremony will take place on March 21. Info for donations: Name of project: Ban Wat Chand Rice Fund Contact person: Mr Montri Chantawong and Ms Hatairat Pokasap, Project for Ecological Recovery, Chiang Mai. Tel/fax: (053) 812-407 and (053) 810-623-4 Bank account for donations: Savings account name "Ban Wat Chand Rice Fund (Kong Toon Pha Pah Khao San Ban Wat Chand)', Siam Commercial Bank's Chiang Mai University branch, account no. 667-2-21991-8 Or you can send your cheque payable to Post Publishing Public Company Limited (For Ban Wat Chand Rice Fund). Send it to Mrs Kusuma Mintakhin, Editorial Manager, 136 Na Ranong Road, off Sunthorn Kosa, Klong Toey, Bangkok 10110. Her telephone number is 240-3700 ext 3224-5. Please also include your name and address with your cheque so we can send you a receipt.		Current Issues in Thailand Bangkok Post Year-end Economic Review Classifieds Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Learn English Weekly Database Horizons Motoring NiteOwl Real Time Student Weekly Special We Care Street Art Back Issues Last Month Archive Company Servcies Subscriptions Advertising Annual Report
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