Links on SE Asia Stories

I can't really bear to just dump these links to stories about SE Asia, but the folder is bulging and so I'll put the links and some stories here for your reading pleasure.



Helping AIDs Girls in Angeles City

ANGELES CITY - Apple strode in, wearing a blouse printed with Disney cartoon characters. Angel came like she was ready for a volleyball match, while Naomi looked every bit a fashion model bound for the ramp.

"Pusit kami," Apple said casually before plopping into a chair. Rushing to clear the confusion, she added: "I mean we're not squids or octopuses." As it turned out, "pusit" is their abridged term for "positive." They laughed at their naming game.

"We're HIV positive," Apple said, crossing her forefingers in a plus sign. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system and causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

Silence lingered. This was their first time to talk to a reporter. They laughed at the thought.

"Are our lives worth a story?" Angel asked.

Sumet Jumsai Talks about Thai Historical Memory in Postbag Letter to the Bangkok Post

Bangkok Post

I can't help but fret over our shortcomings in history and culture as listed below.

1. My father, who spent years in the archives in France back in the 1960s, has the French map, or a microfilm of it, showing the "kink" from the watershed line to exclude Prasat Khao Phra Vihara from Siam. The said map was appendiced to the border agreement between France and Siam. This is something which nobody in Siam knew about when M R Seni Pramoj took the case to the World Court, and my father told me that it was obvious that Siam had to lose the case because of this map.

2. After the Court's deliberation, Field Marshal Sarit refused to cede the temple to Cambodia. A higher authority called him in to say that the country is bound by the said verdict and there the matter rested.

3. Thais have never been good at keeping historical records, and we have to go to the archives in Paris, London, The Hague, Cornell, etc, in order to do our PhD's in Thai history!

4. Without the sense of real history, Thais are vehemently nationalistic, which is dangerous. For example, school textbooks still teach Thais that we came from the Altai Mountains and founded the Nanchao Kingdom, which Chinese scholars dismiss as pure nonsense.

5. Few Thais realise that the Khmer Empire used to cover much of present-day Thailand and Laos, as evidenced by Prasat Muang Sing to the west on the Burmese border, and the Khmer ruins in Sukhothai in central Siam, and Laos. The Thais, having wrested from the Khmers their outpost town of Sukhothai in the 13th century, took over the Khmer language - the Thai script being a simplified form of Khmer - and in the early Ayutthaya period adopted, with variations or aesthetic licence, Khmer architecture, classical dance and other facets of Khmer civilisation which were then unwittingly exported back to Kampuchea by the French in the 19th century. (Witness the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh which is a mediocre copy of our Grand Palace).

6. Kampuchea to Siam (or to history-less Thailand), is like ancient Greece and Rome to the rest of Europe, or 3rd century BC China and the T'ang Dynasty to Japan. That much do we owe to the Khmers!

7. In the end, a great monument like Prasat Khao Phra Vihara doesn't belong to any particular country. It belongs to the world. Only this or that country has the obligation to look after it on behalf of mankind.

8. History is the future. When people refuse to understand this, with a tinge of humour, they have to start from the beginning again and again.

SUMET JUMSAI

Chang Noi at The Nation discusses the Reality of the King Narusen Legend...and it ain't pretty.

The story of the story of King Naresuan

In the popular history of Siam, King Naresuan is the big hero. Than Mui's new series of films takes this to a new level. But Naresuan did not always play this starring role. The story of how he got the part is a drama all of its own.

The raw material was not promising. Naresuan did not hail from the capital, but from Phitsanulok, a provincial outpost. His family was installed on the throne of Ayutthaya by the Burmese (imagine an Irish king installed on the throne of England by the French). He spent so little time in the capital that he hardly functioned as a monarch. His dynasty lasted only 23 years after his death, and is the shortest in Siam's history.

The two earliest chronicles dating from the 17th century (Luang Prasert and Van Vliet) do not make a big deal out of him at all. The only European account that dates from his reign does not portray him as a hero.

Naresuan was first promoted to star billing around 200 years ago. After the disastrous fall of Ayutthaya to the Burmese in 1767, the chroniclers wanted a story showing that Siam could stand up to Burma. In their new version of the chronicle, the section on Naresuan is far longer than that focusing on any other king. It does not read like an historical account but a grand historical novel, full of stirring tales, riveting incidents, memorable dialogue, and deft insights into character. The whole thing is designed to sweep the reader along on a tide of emotion.

Naresuan was launched as the star of Siamese history, but once Burma ceased to be a threat, the story was no longer a box-office draw. In the histories compiled later in the 19th century, Naresuan is again nothing special.

The first revival came in the late 1910s, when Prince Damrong authored Thailand's first modern-style history book. Damrong had been a leading architect of the new European-style nation-state in Siam. In his book, he gave that nation a history, with Naresuan in the starring role.

The climax of Damrong's portrayal is the incident in 1584 when Naresuan breaks with Hongsawadi (Pegu). This incident does not appear in the oldest Siamese chronicle. Naresuan just goes to help his old Peguan patron in a local spat and then returns home after two of his elephants get into a tussle. In the early Bangkok rewrite of the chronicles, the incident became a much more elaborate, romantic tale. The King of Pegu fears his old protege is getting too big for his boots, so plots to have Naresuan killed. Naresuan finds out and stomps off home with this fine parting speech: "Because the King of Hongsawadi has not adhered to the ways of faithful friendship and royal tradition ... Ayutthaya and Hongsawadi shall not form a single golden kingdom as in the past, but shall be totally divorced from each other from this day."

This is the language of courtly politics, of king against king, of fealty. When Damrong rewrote this scene, he made a subtle but momentous change. He added a line stating that Naresuan had "declared independence". With these two words, he moved Naresuan out of the old world of kings and fealty and into the modern world of states and nations. He placed Naresuan alongside Thomas Jefferson and Giuseppe Garibaldi as a leader fighting for the independence and unity of a nation.

Prince Damrong's history book was a huge popular success, and became the main source for school textbooks down to the present day. Even so, Naresuan was still not assured of star billing because fashions change. After the absolute monarchy was overthrown in 1932 and the Army took power six years later, many dramas and films were written to celebrate the heroic role of the Army in Thai history, but they steered clear of Naresuan, and cast ordinary folk in the leading roles.

The next Naresuan revival began in the 1960s. Thailand again faced an external threat, this time from the communist states to the east, and a growing revolutionary movement in the countryside. Palace and Army again looked to Naresuan as a great historical symbol of Thailand's ability to defy its enemies. Statues of King Naresuan were erected all over Thailand in places historically associated with his name. Many were built by the army, and some major ones were inaugurated by the King.

The statues and stories of this era did not focus on the declaration of independence which Damrong played as the climax, but an incident eight years later. A massive army led by a Burmese prince invades Siam and reaches the outskirts of the capital. The Siamese army is much smaller, and when the Burmese attack, it dissolves in total disarray. Naresuan becomes detached from his forces and surrounded by the enemy. All seems lost. But Naresuan challenges his opponent to single combat on elephant-back and wins against all the odds. The massive Burmese army promptly packs up and goes home.

The story is improbable in all sorts of ways. Historians are unsure whether it happened, where it might have been, and how the war was truly resolved.

But such matters are immaterial. Against the background of the massive threats against Thailand in the Cold War, this tale was portrayed over and over again in print, in statuary, and on murals.

After the Cold War ended, the enthusiasm for Naresuan faded, but only a little. It revived when Thailand again seemed under attack in the 1997 financial crisis. The focus of the story shifted again, to Naresuan's sister Princess Suphankalaya, who was taken hostage by the Burmese, as the Thai economy was taken hostage by the International Monetary Fund.

The fact that Than Mui's films are launched when Thailand is again ruled by the military might be seen as pure coincidence … or as no coincidence at all.

chang noi

The Foreign Correspondents Club of China



The Pattaya Ghost Bangkok Bar Crawl

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Nomad 4 Ever on the 10 Most Popular Food Dishes in Asia

10. Fish Balls

Fish Balls are probably for Asians what Hot Dogs are for Americans. They are not the testicles of fish, as one could suspect, but pulverized or pressed fish meat, eaten on a stick or as soup, mainly available at Asian hawker stalls or street vendors everywhere in the region. They are served cooked, fried or steamed and are considered as small, cheap snacks for in between or in some countries even as a ‘poor-man’s-dish’.

Although there are restaurants for instance in Hong Kong, which specialize in Fish Balls, which can be then quite expensive as well - I’ve yet to see a Westerner who considers Fish Balls a delicacy.

Nevertheless, Fish Balls are very popular in Asia. Mainly they are eaten on their own, marinated, dipped in a sauce or when coming in a bowl - mixed with ‘kway teow’ noodles, tofu or even rice.

Fragrance and taste is added in the form of vinegar, garlic, sweet soy sauce or spring onions.

9. Laksa

Laksa is a spicy noodle soup, which is claimed to be invented by Singaporeans, although it’s more likely to be derived from Chinese/Malay culture. The origin of the name Laksa is unknown, but it’s now widely popular not only in Malaysia and Singapore, but as far as Australia and beyond.

If you tried Laksa, you would know why, as it as mainly an explosion for your taste senses, mixing sweet (coconut) tastes with sour (lemon grass or citrus) influences with more standard fare (thick noodles, egg, tofu). Sometimes Laksa is done more watery like a soup, while some prefer it as thick as possible, with as few liquids as possible. I’m sure Singaporeans can write whole essays about the right essences of Laksa and I hope for plenty of comments describing the proper and one-and-only ingredients.

Most Laksa lovers agree on the following main ingredients: thick noodles, coconut-based curry sauce/soup, tofu, fish sticks, shrimp and bean sprouts. Sometimes the seafood elements are substituted with chicken or hard-boiled eggs are added, although all ingredients can wildly vary. There are Laksa wars out there, where people discuss what are the right ingredients and what not. Singaporeans are famous for driving for 20 Dollar from one end of their country to the other to try out the best 3 Dollar Laksa over there. Just logic among food lovers, isn’t it?

8. Hainanese Chicken Rice

This is a simple, plain and straight-forward dish, mainly eaten in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and China.

It’s boiled, plain-white chicken served with white rice and condiments like cucumber, eggs or lettuce. Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of the lesser spicy Asian dishes, but nevertheless its creation is a science on its own.

It can come with a clear chicken soup or broth as accompanying soup and is one of the signature dishes claimed by more than one country. The chicken is mainly boiled in its own broth or stock - complete with bones and everything - which is used over and over again to gain the desired taste. Sometimes dips consisting of chopped chili, sweet soya or ginger are used to add taste.

7. Spring Rolls

Westerners would associate Spring Rolls as mainly Chinese dishes, but ask any serious chef in Asia and they would probably rate Vietnamese Spring Rolls as the best. That doesn’t change the fact that Spring Rolls are popular in most Asian countries, with China, Vietnam Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia topping the list.

Spring Rolls are mainly fried rolled pastries that are filled with all kinds of raw or cooked meats or vegetables. There are versions which are not fried as well, mainly eaten in Taiwan.

Depending on the country your are in, the ingredients for Spring Rolls can be raw, boiled or blanched.

The most popular ingredients are minced pork, carrot, bean sprouts, fresh garlic chives, vermicelli noodles, shitake mushrooms. Soy sauce, peanut powder or fish sauce are sometimes added to better tickle your taste buds.

6. Dim Sum

Chinese dishes are very popular in most Asian countries. After all, the Chinese as avid travelers and migrants since ancient times form substantial parts of every population in Asian countries.

They brought plenty of their favorites from back home and amalgamated them with local dishes. One of those favorites is Dim Sum, wish are light, but hard-to-describe delicacies, popular in all Asian countries from the Philippines, to Vietnam, Laos or Malaysia and Indonesia. Oh yeah, of course in Singapore with its 60% Chinese population as well.

Dim Sum derived from a Cantonese phrase meaning ‘a little token’ and describes little treasures of food, hidden away in small steamer baskets, various types of filled, steamed buns or plenty of little dishes served on small plates.

Dim Sum are mainly served with tea and can have a hearty, sweet or plain taste. The servings are of small portions but with plenty of varieties.

It seems one of the goals is to try as many different tastes as possible in a very short time. Dim Sum usually can be ordered from a menu, chosen from a buffet or is wheeled around on trolleys by servers.

You take what you like and pay only what you eat. Included are mainly rolls, paus, dumplings, meat balls, sweet desserts, cakes, tarts and puddings - in short an explosion of different forms, tastes and kinds of food.

5. Fried Rice (nasi goreng)

Rice is the staple diet in every Asian country. Mainly it’s cooked plain white, with coconut sauce or saffron added and eaten fresh or right away with whatever meat or veggies come along. So what do you do with the rice leftovers a few days later? You guessed it right!

Simply throw everything into a Wok, fry it nicely with vegetable oil, add some soya-sauce, garlic, shallots or other spicy food to cover the plain taste and serve it as a separate dish. Hah!

While that is certainly done to not let any food come to waste, fried rice is also a delicacy on its own. It’s a cheap and tasty dish in all Asian countries and comes with veggies, meat or different sambals. Add eggs, satay, rice or prawn crackers (krupuk) and you can have a full meal on its own which fills you up nicely and brings you through the day.

Some would say that Nasi Goreng is the Paella of Asia, but I’m sure the Spanish would protest that.

In the western world, the name ‘nasi goreng’ is nowadays connected with any Asian style of fried rice. I remember that my first encounter with it was a canned version in Germany, many years back. Simply heat in up and fill your stomach. Oh man!

4. Tom Yum

Originated in Thailand, this watery something in a bowl, is now very popular all over Asia, but especially in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It can come as an appetizer, thin soup or main dish, eaten with or without rice, but has almost always a more spicy-sour taste with heavy use of smashed lemon grass, tamarind and lime.

Add different meats of seafoods to it, the most popular like prawns, squid or fish pieces or nowadays even mixed with chicken (who came up with that?) or vegetables, like oyster mushrooms or coriander leaves.

If you a Westerner wanting to boast with your home-cooking skills, but aren’t able to produce that typical hot-spicy-sour taste at home, you can simply buy Tom Yam paste in most Asia Shops back at home and produce a close-to-the-real-thing experience.

3. Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry is an universal dish you can find on almost every menu in Asia. After all the original spice islands some Portuguese sailor named Magellan was looking for in the name of the Spanish crown, are located strategically between the Philippines, Indonesia and Borneo Malaysia.

Curry powder in all kinds of variations, tastes and colors are readily available all over Asia - and heavily used to create those heavenly curry dishes. Though what you will have on your plate later in the name of curry can look and taste surprisingly different, depending on the country you are in.

Everyone knows the heavy masaman (some call it mama-san curry, ahem!) or chicken curries of Thailand, made of heavy masala curries which are used by Indians as well.

Added are usually coconut, saffron and ginger for most distinctive tastes. Indonesians love their ‘Kari Ayam’ thinner, with more watery sauces, while Malaysian don’t seem to be too decisive about their curry thickness, depending if they live closer to Thailand or more to the south of the Malaysian peninsula.

And yes, curry dishes are not only restricted to chicken, but those seem to be the most popular.

I Love Geylang

Puppet Nuseum in Nakhon Si Thammarat

The house of national artist Suchart Sapsin in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat is open for visitors to experience the shadow play, a local form of entertainment, which has been handed down from generation to generation over several hundred years.

Well known shadow puppeteer Suchart Sapsin said it’s believed the shadow play has been performed in Thailand since the time of King Narai in the Ayutthaya period, or about 300 hundred years ago.

While the story of shadow play is influenced by the Ramayana epic from India, Suchart adapted it to attract today’s audience and preserve this southern folk art.

“I’m worried the shadow play will disappear from our culture. The stories of my shadow play are various and contemporary to attract people and preserve the art. The play will be performed differently, depending on my target audience,” said the master shadow puppeteer.

The Office of the National Culture Commission held a worshop to pass on the art to the younger generation. About 100 students and novices participated in the workshop held at Suchart’s shadow puppet museum in the compound of his house. Young people learned about the history of the shadow play, carving shadow puppet figures, and performing a shadow play.

The museum displays shadow figures including a rare 200-year-old figure and those from neighboring countries. Here, visitors can see shadow play – making demonstrations and enjoy a shadow play in a small theater.

“I normally see cartoons on television. This is the first time in my life to see a shadow play. I like it. Shadow play VCDs are available. People who can’t come here can buy it and watch it. It’s fun,” a student said.

Suchart’s house received a 1996 Thailand Tourism Award for best cultural and historical site from the Tourism Authority of Thailand.