Art Exhibition for Human Rights Media Awards 2020 Ceremony
10 March 2021
Amnesty International Thailand
Human Rights Media Awards 2020 Ceremonyby Amnesty International Thailand is a great opportunity to applause the work of media and journalists who bravely vocalize the situation of human rights in Thailand through different channels. Their determinations to broadcast human rights stories are the persistent to stand for freedom of expression and freedom of press. The winners will receive Amnesty Human Rights Media Awards, these art works by Artist mimininiii
ONLINE MEDIA
“Kwankhao: The flowers of time, to find for democracy”
The Isaander.com
Kwankhao Tangprasertt is a 17-year-old high school student and member of the Youth Prakafai Theater Group.
For more than a decade, he has witnessed injustices inflicted on people around him. Like many others, today, he has come out and become part of the political movement together with people from various areas inside and outside the country. They are determined to better the livelihood and end the suffering people have to endure. Kwankhao decides to act in the theatrical performance “Chan Ouy, Chan Chao”, a prose commonly found in the Ministry of Education’s textbooks. Kwankhao has adapted content of the popular prose to reflect his demands on education and labour issues. It was first performed on 22 August 2020 at the Free E-san demonstration at the Democracy Monument in Khon Kaen marking his first public performance in eight years. His last acting appeared in the Wolf Bride play in 2013.
According to Kwankhao, the performance this time is different from the previous ones he had joined the Prakaifai Group since this time, since“The decision to perform this time is made entirely by myself”.
Oh the Moon! Please offer my dad food and a pay raise (who does not know about self-contentedness)
Please offer my sister a dress (who want to be beautiful and get married!)
Please offer my younger sibling notebooks to write (isn’t free education enough for you?)
Please offer my younger sibling books to read (the Ministry’s books are the best, what else do you want!)
Please offer me jobs to earn my living (just tend to your study, it is your only duty now!)
Please offer us a prompt solution (You, the extremists, the King slayers!)
“50 after humanity touched the moon, though the inequality of Thai education is the same”
101.world
Moon Chinda School has been part of the community’s history in the past more than 90 years. Many of the students enrolled here are migrants from elsewhere. Their parents have moved here to find jobs since they are landless peasants. Most children here live without their parents due to economic reasons or since their parents are doing time in jail. The children are brought up by their grandparents. Some have to enroll into the school after dropping out from their previous schools. According to Patcharee, the School’s Director, more than a half of these children live in poverty and abject poverty.
Apart from the problem of urban poverty, Thailand is home to 1,594 small schools with less than 120 students per school and they are located at least ten kilometers away from each other. Most of them are situated in rural area serving around 100,000 students. This is yet another problem that has to be addressed.
Schools in remote area like these have not enough teaching staff. They also lack equipment and resources. A teacher who graduated in Physical Education is assigned to teach from Thai language to Math. Grade One to Grade Three Students nearly become classmates as they have to sit and study side by side in most subjects. The computers are broken most of the time. In some schools, a dozen of students has to share one computer.
In the world where technologies determine the future, such education barely address the needs of every aspect of the students’ life.
“From Deep south to all of us 'violence against women must end'”
101.world
The Three Southern Border Provinces mostly catch people’s attention for being a hotbed of violence. One of such forms of violence is violence against women.
Given the rampant unrest in the local area, many women have lost their families. Widespread drug abuse gives rise to the use of physical violence among spouses. The religious tenet makes it even more challenging to make their lives free of violence.
If a woman is inflicted with violence, she has to complain with local religious leaders and has to seek help from the Provincial Islamic Committee. Of course, the Committee, composed exclusively of men, cannot conduct physical checkup on her. And they certainly cannot understand her deeply inflicted wounds.
As a result, women in the SBPs have to fight against violence amidst restrictions. Now the Islamic Committee of Narathiwat, which used to be consisted of men, offers a small section including women staff who can offer counseling and rescue women victims. These women work under the helm of “Women’s Counseling and Empowerment Center”. Since then, the trauma that can be addressed by physical mechanism also receives healing from social mechanism.
“Follow the tear from the song - folk story of violence from the state from the past to present"”
Prachatai
Violence in the South has been rampant. The "Red Drum" is one of the deepest wounds that have been inflicted while no one has been held liable in Phatthalung.
During 1950’s, when intense skirmishes between Thailand’s security forces and the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) took place, it has led to one of the biggest losses from political violence, quantitatively and qualitatively. The losses culminated with the "Red Drum".
It marked the operation of the security forces during which extrajudicial killings were adopted to punish persons suspected of being part of the Communist insurgents in Phatthalung and adjacent areas during 1950’s.
Such notorious actions by the officials included the stuffing of suspects into a 200-leter-red drum in which about 20 litters of petrol were filled. They then set the drums on fire. While, some suspects had been subject to torture and died before being burned, others died while being set alight. More than 3,000 people have died being burned in such red drums or being booted down from the hill.
PRINTING MEDIA
“Lost Disappeared but not losing hopes”
Work Point
Sitanun Satsaksit, older sister of Wanchalerm Satsaksit, made merit to mark the birthday of her brother, a political activist. He was abducted on 4 June 2020 in front of his condominium in Cambodia more than three months ago.
Sitanun has been trying in vain to look for her brother. She has submitted letters to various authorities asking the Department of Special Investigation to take this as a special case and asking for help from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate her travel to sort out this case in Cambodia, although there has been no progress so far.
Sitanun could experience such double standard when comparing it with the investigation on the murder of a Cambodia woman in a gambling den in Thailand. The challenges faced during her attempt to look for her brother may upset her sometime, but it cannot make her hopeless. She still hopes to see her brother again.
Her struggle to see her brother has made her become part of a broader movement to demand the enactment of the Draft Act on Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance, the version proposed by civil society since during her struggling path, she gets to meet many families who have suffered from losses not dissimilar to hers.
The disappearance of Wanchalerm has led to a historical mass demonstration. The younger generation become more interested about the issue of enforced disappearance. They start to ask questions exercising their right to freedom of expressing their political opinions. According to Sitanun, this is what Wanchalerm had been fighting for.
“If Tar got to see this, he would laugh and said “Here we are, Sis Jane. This is what I have been calling for in the past six years and it now becomes a reality. Can you see now? (crying)”. He never regrets what he has done. He was always like that. He never cared if he would live or die. Only if it can help to transform Thailand, I am sure he would be very pleased.”
“26 years of Hin Ma Dong Fai Mining”
Thai PBS
For over 26 years, the villagers who are members of the Khao Lao Yai-Pha Jan Dai Community Forest Conservation Group in Tambon Dong Mafai Suwan Khuha District, Nong Bua Lam Phu, has been fighting to stop the limestone mining in Phu Pha Huak. Since the beginning of its operation, the villagers have been greatly affected in terms of noise pollution, dust.
And most importantly the impacts of the “community forest”, the watershed area of the community and other impacts on “archeological site” should the mining license be renewed.
BROADCAST MEDIA
The Precursor
PPTV
Violence in the three Southern Border Provinces has been going on. It is impractical to evaluate the losses of all those lives. The unrest has, however, given rise to as many as 7,297 orphans.
They are entitled to state protection only after certification is made by military, or police, or administrative officials that either of their parents has died from the insurgency. Until now, more than 4,000 children have received such protection. However, there is a group of children who have been denied such certification since they are the children of “political dissenters”. Although all of them are orphans, but their access to help is different.
Who should then help to care for these children? Otherwise, will they be swayed to become part of the cycle of violence again?
The Precursor
PPTV
Thailand is known as a heaven of "LGBT" as there has been more tolerance toward them. Even though theses people appear in all aspects of Thai society.
But their equal rights are barely recognized by any law including their right to equal marriage, which has long been fought for and even put under review now.
“Chalobchalai Teacher: life other others”
Ruth never died Scope
Thai PBS
"Teacher Chalobchalai Pangkoon", an ordinary woman who has not been recorded in the history, was in fact the person who gave immense support to a prominent activist who fought for truth and justice.
Her entire life was devoted to serving as the lifting force under the wings for the pro-democracy activist and to care for people who have become victims of political ramification from a military coup and those criminalized during the 6 October 1976 uprising. She has done what an ordinary woman can do and did it with humanity.
“Morken and their last breathes ”
Marginalized Report
Thai PBS
The stories of sea gypsies who roam around in the Andaman after the Laboon or Tsunami has gone.
The achievement of the state to help the Morken to have permanent settlement that suits the framework of natural resource conservation and management. The success of the tourism promotion policies by Thailand and Myanmar can be clearly attested by the enormous number of tourists and revenue.
The real-life stories of Thiam, Pukky, and Mamu, however, highlights the other side of facts that have yet been made known. Questions remain about their personal statuses, basic rights, justice and human dignity and are reflected through their bright eyes that continue to traumatize the Morken until now.
ONLINE VIDEO CLIPS
“'Thai Investment' in Lao PDR's damn, electricity costs and where its benefit?”
Voice Online
A special report “Investment in Dam Construction in Lao PDR to assure energy security” is published on the day we should be reckoning on the energy glut.
How much is enough? And should we consider internalizing the economic and social costs borne by the public? Where is the break-even point?
“ I will continue chasing justice for my child until the soil covers my face, Phayao Akkahad”
The MATTER
I pledge to fight for justice for my daughter until the end of my life. Phayao Akkahad was a flower seller who turns to be a political activist. From being politically indifferent, now she has gone to the Department of Special Investigation, the public prosecutor, the courts, the Royal Thai Army regularly.
Since her daughter was murdered while giving medical services to other people as a medic volunteer, while her dress showed a clear sign of red cross. The crime scene even took place in a temple, which was then declared a “sanctuary zone”.
Driven by the power of motherhood, 'Phayao Akkahad' has gone to places to demand the military officers who pulled the trigger and shot dead her daughter, 'Kamonkade Akkahad', at Wat Pathum Wanaram on 19 May 2010, to face justice. Ten years past, although tired, she never feels hopeless.
Even though her demand has yet been met, she is confident that the perpetrator will be brought to justice before the statute of limitation will expire in 2030.
“101 Gaze Ep.1 ‘Super Film Crew , endurance cover ques’”
101.world
Dozens of working hours continuously, a lack of sleep time, the tight shooting schedule, day in and day out, night after night, this is the conditions that challenge the limits of the film crew or people involved with film industry.
Now, when the villain “Covid” has come into play, it has suddenly changed every scene in the world. What will they face? How will the back-breaking working condition get exacerbated? What would be the solutions to help boost the moral and restore justice and welfare of the film crew?
Explore the problems among the film crew though the opinions and experience of Pawas “Tum” Sawatchaimet, Production Designer, Nathaphon “Kai” Boonprakob, Director and Phithai “Pup” Samitsut, Cinematographer.
“Living (without) home: homeless under COVID-19”
Prachatai
After the government has imposed a lockdown measures to control the spread of Covid-19 pandemic including restrictions such case social distancing, the shutdowns of workplaces, quarantine requirement, restriction on freedom of mobility, and measures have been meted out to remedy people affected by such measures.
"Stay Home, Stop the Virus, For the Nation, but everyone else has their homes, but the homeless have not” said Atchara Sarawaree, Secretary Genral of Issarachon Foundation.
The rough sleepers are another group of people who are as vulnerable to the infection as other people. And they have to bear with the impacts from the state restriction as much as other people. But one week into the imposition of the state emergency, they have yet received any help.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is looking for a temporary shelter for them. Although they may not have enough shelter, they hope that private sector will chime in and help to offer their vacant buildings which can be used as a shelter for the rough sleepers.
