Chiang Mai ‘not ready’ as Mekong hub

Commercial tourism a disaster, seminar told Chiang Mai province is not ready to become a centre of the Mekong River Basin Sub-region, as panned by the government, a seminar heard yesterday. The province lacked a properly skilled workforce and was suffering from pollution, flood and garbage problems and city-centred development, Uthit Khaothian, a policy and planning adviser to the National Economic and Social Development Board, said. He told a Post Today-sponsored seminar, “Future Crises and Opportunities of Chiang Mai,” that government policy to turn Chiang Mai into the sub-region’s transportation, aviation, information technology-linked international conference, tourism, educational, medical, business and industrial centre was premature. The 1200 schools in the province did not meet the international standards needed to produce a high quality workforce. “Local bodies are not ineffective enough to run the city in line with the plan to develop Chiang Mai into a leading city of the region,” he said. “The entire managerial system and mechanisms of Chiang Mai need improvement because the vision is now limited to the development of Chiang Mai for local people only.” Deputy provincial governor Parinya Parnthong said Chiang Mai was a culturally and naturally beautiful city that attracted 3-4 million tourists a year, but tourism was also destroying the province. “Nowadays, we present culture and tradition in a commercial way, which is a disaster,” he said. “New tourist spots have been opened but there is no maintenance at all, which is disastrous. It can be said that tourism management here is very far from being professional.” Chalermchart Nakarangkul, deputy chairman of Chiang Mai’s Chamber of Commerce, said the government was projecting 500% growth for Chiang Mai within five years, but failed to think about poor rural farmers who made up 60-70% of the 1.6 million populations. These people could not keep up with the high cost of living and higher education, medical and transport fees when Chiang Mai became and international city. Those who would benefit most were foreign and Bangkok investors. “The people of Chiang Mai will be nothing but employees of foreigners and investors from elsewhere, or workers in industrial factories,” Mr Chalermchart said. “These things are going to change Chiang Mai. So I want to ask, what will Chiang Mai get from it?” Thanet Charoenmuang of Chiang Mai University’s social science faculty said the governor, MPs, senators and local body heads, academics businessmen and the people’s sector, should brainstorm draft development guidelines for Chiang Mai. Development had been centred only on the city for the last five decades, and this had caused many problems.

Temple of the tigers

You probably remember our article a few weeks ago about the monks and the tigers living together in a Buddhist temple. If you are interested by watching the TV program, switch on your TV on UBC 44 this Monday September 6 at 9.00 p.m. In a small monastery in northern Thailand, a handful of simple, peace-loving Buddhist monks perform their daily duties – praying, collecting alms and feeding their 10 wild Indo-Chinese tigers. This September, Animal Planet’s premiere of Temple Of The Tigers tells the remarkable story of a group of 10 monks who have taken on the task of protecting these endangered animals by offering them a home within the walls of their temple. This rare and remarkable situation has left the monks open to many criticisms, but they constantly remind their critics that their goal is to save these amazing animals that would have died in the wild and aid in the rejuvenation of the dwindling tiger species. Temple Of The Tigers explores each monk’s interesting life and their one-of-a-kind relationship with the tigers they care for. The one-hour programme premieres on Mon, Sept 6 at 9pm on UBC 44. Nearly one decade ago, local people brought two tiger cubs to the monastery to have the monks care for them. Local hunters had tried to poison the cubs after killing the mother, but they survived. Over the years more orphaned cubs found their way to this small, isolated temple located 180 kilometers north of Bangkok. Today, tiny monks encourage a tiger twice their size to exercise – the tiger would rather sleep. These monks are all men of different and clouded pasts. Each monk is assigned to a tiger best suited for his personality – trying to make a spiritual match. Buddhists believe that anyone could be reincarnated as any animal. To these monks, the tigers may have been once humans, demoted to animals in the reincarnation process and the monks may have once been tigers, promoted to humans. One of the tigers is so docile and easy-going, the monks are convinced it will return as a human. They treat the tigers as they would a reincarnated father – when the tigers are angry, the monks “free” them to wander around and cool off. They are not trained zookeepers; they simply do the best they can with the role fate has given them. Temple Of The Tigers centers around the head of the monastery, Abbot Pra Archarn Phusit (Chan) Khantitharo. In the early 1970s, his politics and economics degree served him well as a teacher in Bangkok. Then in 1976, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Thinking that his life was about to end in two years’ time, he decided to become a monk. Now, 27 years later, he is still very much alive and wants to pass the harmony he has found on to all – man or beast. He uses his borrowed time to actively breed his tigers; two were just born in the last month. The abbot is a man of vision. The monks are about to dig a deep moat around 20 acres of forest land to create a tiger compound (Tiger Island) in the forest. “No more cages,” the abbot says. The next generation of tigers born in the temples will be released into the wild to boost the dwindling figure of 500 wild tigers in Thailand. Abbot Pra Archarn Phusit attracts scorn from the religious groups in Thailand who accuse him of grandstanding and believe that tigers have no place in the strict abandonment of life’s joys that comes with being a Buddhist monk. This month, viewers witness for themselves what really happens on a daily basis at the monastery and the controversial future of their tiger project in the Animal Planet premiere of Temple Of The Tigers.

Lanna ruins go public

An ancient civilization is brought back to life Nong Phueng village in Chiang Mai’s Sarapee district is the scene where the Muang (Wiang) Kum Kam community, early pioneers of the Lanna dynasty, flourished more than seven centuries ago. Then it was devastated by flood. The entire community vanished without a trace, buried under layers of earth and remained interred for several hundred years until the site was excavated. Today that lost civilization is an emerging tourist attraction. It wasn’t until 1980 that the Thai Department of Archaeology and began excavating the site uncovering structures buried underneath. The majority of the original buildings, having been built from wood, had caved in and disappeared, but many of the temples made from fired brick and literate still stood. Called the Wiang Kum Kam Historical Site, it spreads over many square kilometers. The discovery represents a historic milestone, filling in the gaps in Thai history from the early Lanna period to The Golden Age of the Northern Kingdom. A member of the local administration organization said, “Luckily, the government decided to fund the excavation and put up 40 million baht to preserve the ruins and open them to tourists.” Getting to Wiang Kum Kam is easy. You can drive there or take the local blue pick-up truck that ply the Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road (Route 106). It’s a country road lined with 200 years old giant gum trees that provided shade to travelers. About five kilometers from the town take note of an old chedi with a signpost on its right and follow the instructions to the complex of temple ruins. Wiang Kum Kam’s location, by the banks of the Ping River, served it well. For a time, in addition to being a seat of power, it was also the commercial heart of the Lanna kingdom. To get around I would recommend that you buy a tour package that includes transport (open-air trams) and well-trained volunteer guides who know its historical significance. The tour costs just 15 baht/person for an hour-long trip. Tramcars depart from Wat Karn Thom several times a day. The tours are organized by the local community.

My guide was a young woman named Jai who was born in Nong Phueng, the very village I was visiting. And she certainly knew what she was talking about. She began with a brief run-down of the ancient community as the tramcar left Wat Karn Thom – locals call it Wat Chang Kham. Wat Karn Thom is one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai. It was restored to its current state by the new abbot. There are numerous links to the past including a reconstruction of houses and buildings typical of that period. “Modern stupas rise majestically near the remains of the original Wiang Kum Kam temple. Contemporary sculptures of the many creatures from the mythical Himapan forest can be found throughout the Wat Than Khom complex,” Jai said. Wiang Kum Kam’s status as the Lanna capital didn’t last long. By 1296, King Mengrai had chosen a site stretching from the foothills of Doi Suthep to the Ping River and declared Nopphaburi Srinakhon Ping Chiang Mai, the permanent capital of the Lanna Kingdom. Chiang Mai has remained the Lanna capital ever since. Following the establishment of Chiang Mai, Wiang Kum Kam continued to exist as a satellite town to the new capital. Judging by the number of temples that existed at the time, Wiang Kum Kam must be a community of reasonable size. The view from the tram is one of ancient ruins alternating with villages. The road was narrow and we couldn’t risk going fast. My guide said that a minimum half day was needed to see everything in the ancient city. She pointed to me the course along which the river flowed in those days. She said the recently landscaped western city walls and the moat must have been taller and wider, respectively, in the old days. We were led to a prominent square-shaped chedi, the Wat Chedi Liam, a tall pyramid-like stupa that was built by King Mengrai, and reinforced by a Burmese merchant later. The isolated location of this large stupa south of Chiang Mai city had confound archaeologist until the discovery and excavation of Wiang Kum Kam which uncovered concrete evidence that the area had actually been a Burmese settlement before it was seized by the Lanna monarch who then turned it into his capital. Although I spent several hours there, it seemed that I’d barely scratched the surface of this ancient civilization and its ruins. More than 30 temples are still in the process of excavation and restoration. I ended my trip at the visitor centre under the shade of big trees. There were stalls selling cider and local cuisine.

A quick pilgrimage to Saraburi

A short drive from Bangkok is Saraburi province that offers modest attractions that can be visited on a day-long trip. For Buddhists, Saraburi is a special province which houses two Lord Buddha’s footprints: one, and the more famous, is housed in the elegant Wat Phutthabat temple, and the other on the quiet hilltop temple of Wat Phra Phuttachai. “Unfortunately, not many people know about this second (Wat Phra Phuttachai) footprint. It’s now protected by a glass enclosure,” said Jamrus Iam-charoen, a temple staff who looks after the footprint, while collecting coins and banknotes from the donation box. The temple underwent renovation recently. Over the years the footmark has been eroded, somewhat, by rain but overall, still looks in good shape. The footprint appearing on solid rock with the wheel of wisdom embossed in the middle is about 1.50 meters long. The footprint was discovered during the Ayutthaya period, over 300 years ago, following a “tip off” from Sri Lanka. After combing the territory, the first footprint was discovered in a deep forest that is part of Phra Phuttabat district today. The footprint that is preserved in Wat Phra Phuttachai was discovered later and kept from the prying eyes of the public for a long time, covered by an iron cast, until the temple underwent renovation some years ago when archeologist removed the cast and unveiled the footprint on a rock underneath. “Here is right foot. The left one is in Phra Phuttabat district,” Mr Jamrus said. Since ancient times Lord Buddha’s footprints have inspired Thai people and encourage them to give up vices and tread on the path of non-violence and righteousness. According to one popular folklore, he once impressed upon a hunter to stop killing animals. Besides the footprints, Lord Buddha is believed to have permanently imprinted his shadow on a rock face in Saraburi. The silhouette that we today is distinctly Buddha’s, although rain and other natural elements have combined to tone down the effect. Further northwest on highway 1 that leads to Phra Phuttabat district is the royal Wat Phra Phuttabat temple that houses Lord’s Buddha’s footprint. At the start of the Buddhist Lent each year, locals flock there to offers flowers to monks who take them around the pagoda with Buddha’s footprint while chanting prayers in a rite that is seen as a way to wash away one’s sins. In the old days devout Buddhists used to go out to the mountains and collect the flowers themselves and spend the rest of the day picnicking at the temple, but today the event has become bigger with the addiction of more people and events such as contests involving flower floats and stage performances. These days there are flower and other stalls that make brisk business selling to people there on pilgrimage. The rites are now spread over three days.

A BIRDWATCHER’S DIARY NO. 51

By Tony Ball – Illustrations by Yurie Ball. Email – tonyball@loxinfo.co.th. Tel. + 66 53 223128. I have this dead tree on the last stretch leading into the Huay Tung Tao lake – it is really dead, the bark is even falling off it and there is no chance that it will ever grow another leaf but it is one of the busiest trees I have come across. Every morning I stop there rain or shine and almost without fail there will be a pair of Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers preening themselves. A Coppersmith Barbet will fly in and start warming up its monotonous ‘tonk-tonk-tonk call. A Rufous Woodpecker occasionally drops in announcing itself with a maniacal laugh, even an Asian Barred Owlet showed up once. Then there are other more common birds like the Spotted Dove, Black-collared Starlings, Ashy Wood-Swallows, Common Koels, Black Drongos, three types of Bulbuls and a whole host of other birds. Talking about dead trees – I have come across more groups of Coppersmith Barbets, up to twelve at one time, in the tops of dead trees at Huay Tung Tao, usually in the pouring rain all hunched up and looking miserable – silly birds. (9th July) The track around Huay Tung Tao lake like a quagmire, at least it seems to be in my ‘junky’ car, slipping and sliding all over the place, so went along the canal road that leads to the Four Seasons Resort (ex- Regent Resort). This diversion turned up a lonely Chinese Pond-Heron which should have been in China or at least many points north of where it was. It was still in its brown and white non-breeding plumage – I wonder if this is a trigger to its migrating or not ? They usually change plumage to purple, black and white, before leaving Thailand. Another point of interest was a row of swallows sitting on the telegraph wires, they were evenly split between Wire-tailed Swallows which are resident and Barn Swallows which over the last few years have obviously applied for residency (in the north) as they are now breeding here. Huay Tung Tao is now teeming with young birds, Black-collared Starlings, White-vented Mynahs, Common Mynahs and then the odd bird such as the Common Koel (often raised in the nests of the starlings and mynahs). The local farmers are ploughing and flooding the fields in preparation for rice planting and this is where all these birds are most obvious. The young occasionally beg for for food from the adults but more and more are searching out their own sustenance. They are also watching the adult birds and this way they learn what they should be looking out for.