THAI ACADEMICS are being invited to apply for new research grants in order to collaborate with their British counterparts and spearhead social change with innovations and technologies.

The British Council, together with the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) and the Thailand Research Fund (TRF), yesterday announced the call for “Institutional Links” 2018-19, to provide grants for research corresponding to the Thai government’s 10 targeted industries.

The grant fund of Bt30 million comes equally from the UK’s Newton Fund and its partners in Thailand, OHEC and TRF.

Thai researchers have until June 8 to apply for grants from OHEC or TRF.

Those selected will be granted up to Bt7 million for their research and also get the opportunity to work with counterparts from leading academic institutions in the UK. The British Council is one of the delivery partners of the Newton Fund, which supports research collaboration between the UK and Thailand through the Institutional Links programme.

Grants for this year will be targeted at research related to Thailand’s 10 “S-Curve” industries.

These are: next-generation automotive, smart electronics, medical and wellness tourism, agriculture and biotechnology, food for the future, robotics, aviation and logistics, biofuels and biochemicals, digital, and medical hub.

The collaboration between UK and Thailand under the Newton Fund’s Institutional Links would enhance research and innovation development in both countries, said Pongsakorn Tantilipikorn, TRF International Research Network and International Affairs assistant director. “Institutional Links will connect Thai and UK researchers and lead to the exchange of knowledge, technology and innovation which will help internationalise our research work,” Pongsakorn said.

Punpermsak Aruni, OHEC Human Resources Development Policy director, added that Institutional Links also play important roles in building capacity of Thai professors and researchers, who will be helping to link research and innovation and the New S-Curve industries with ambitions for the transition to a digital economy, or “Thailand 4.0”.

Tirayut Vilaivan, a researcher from Chulalongkorn University who was awarded a grant last year, described how he also got the chance to work with researchers from University of Liverpool in developing a simple and cheap paper-based technique to test for chemical contamination in food.

“The project is resoundingly successful and there are already many business operators in the food industry interested in this innovation, so I would like to express my gratitude toward Newton Fund and its Thai partners for helping me with this academic achievement,” Tirayut said.

MANY PATIENTS in the deep South say the region’s unrest is hindering their access to medical treatment since going to see doctors puts them at risk of becoming victims of violent attacks, according to a doctor at the Royal Thai Army Medical Department.

General Dr Sayan Sawassri, a research team leader from the Bangkok-based Phramongkutklao Hospitals’ Ageing Clinic, told an audience that the unrest had contributed to worsening conditions of patients suffering from four diseases.

“People are afraid to go out and see a doctor because they fear for their own safety [from a possible violent attack],” he said.

Osteoporosis has been cited as the number one ailment among older deep South residents over the past 10 years, followed by high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

Sayan was speaking during the closing ceremony for a health material development scheme for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

The four diseases – mostly found among elderly persons – need frequent check-ups and monitoring as well as regular medication and treatment.

In a bid to combat the four diseases, health officials have recruited former patients in helping to spread information about the diseases.

Officials hope their personal stories will motivate others to take good care of themselves.

Also, there are brochures published in Thai and Malay Yawi for public distribution, he said.

Sayan said that osteoporosis is found among 4 per cent of men aged 40-49, a figure that rises to 11 per cent among men aged 50-59, and 25 per cent among men aged 60-69.

On the other hand, 5 per cent of women aged 40-49 are found with osteoporosis, 14 per cent among those aged 50-59 and 42 per cent among those aged 60-69, he said.

About 66 per cent of women over 80 had osteoporosis, he added.

Sayan said the guideline for osteoporosis care developed under this scheme could be useful to patients of the three other diseases, as the four stemmed from a similar lifestyle involving lack of exercise and a diet high in high-fat foods.

BUNNAROTH Buaklee is not bothered about scrolling through Facebook posts and trying to explain his group’s moves in the latest controversy over the court housing project on the foothills of the Doi Suthep Mountain in Chiang Mai province.

As a spokesperson for the new Doi Suthep Forest Reclamation Network, the long-time columnist-turned-activist now spends most of his time monitoring posts and replying in an attempt to communicate information and correct misunderstanding that has arisen about his group.

Bit by bit, Bunnaroth hopes this will not only help forge understanding among people, but also demonstrate that opposition to the government’s projects does not have to be violent, in contrast to previous events.

Since the group got serious in leading the opposition to the project several months ago, it has adopted an approach based on so-called “soft-power” in its actions.

New media, including Facebook, are used to convey factual information. But the core message goes beyond the facts to the underlying belief in the spiritual value of the place along with respecting community rights based on customary laws. Those core messages are wired into the peaceful campaigns that have attracted numerous supporters and eventually led to the negotiation table last Sunday, and in the process set a new non-violent example for social movements.

“It’s the fight to protect our community rights guaranteed in the Constitution, but more than that are the customary rights that are facing competition from modern laws,” said Bunnaroth. “With that principle intact, we don’t even have to speak out. We express it through our cultural and peaceful campaigns, the thing I call a Lamun fight [polite and gentle].”

The housing project on Doi Suthep would not have come under the spotlight had the Courts of Justice not gone ahead with the construction of a number of residences for court officials and an office for the Court of Appeals Region 5 at the foot of the mountain.

Despite claims that the land plot of around 147 rai (23.5 hectares) in total had been acquired legally, local residents have cried foul over this Bt1-billion project, rejecting it as encroaching upon the pristine forest and natural waterways of the mountain.

The mountain is regarded as a spiritual place by the local people in Chiang Mai and in the North, as it is one of the seven “Chai Mongkol” – an auspicious element for victory – from the time King Meng Rai built the city over 700 years ago. That same regard has been enlisted as a key element, along with the ancient city of Chiang Mai itself, in seeking designation as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

For local residents like Bunnaroth, that is more than enough to fight for.

How the fight began

The court housing project was first conceived nearly 20 years ago when the court sought a plot of land at the foot of the mountain to build an office and residences for the Court of Appeals Region 5, but it was only a few months ago that the local residents decided to stand up against the project.

According to Bunnaroth, the issue had been simmering locally since the project began a few years back. During those years, Chiang Mai residents were shocked when they saw the forest at the foot of the mountain being slowly eaten up by the project.

Some started to post on their Facebook accounts, while others posted to online public forums, raising questions about whether the project was eating up Doi Suthep.

The mainstream media quickly grasped the issue, but the court – almost at the same time – doused the rumour with its affirmation that the plot of land was legally held, as it was under the Treasury Department.

However, as the country was under a coup after 2014, freedom of expression was extensively suppressed, as a result few people dared to challenge the government.

It was not until two months ago that the locals felt they had to raise their voices when a patch of forest was cleared to make way for a group of buildings, which stood out in front of their eyes and hurt their feelings.

Numerous online questions were directed to those concerned. The issue received a lot of publicity, bringing several scholars and social thinkers, including Bunnaroth, together for discussions.

The Doi Suthep Forest Reclamation Network was set up as a result, with a collaboration of tens of local networks addressing environmental conservation and cultural preservation. As it was led by a number of noble monks and scholars, including Chatchawan Thongdeelert, a founder of the Lanna Wisdom School, it adopted a mature approach to fight the project, based on soft power coming from a deep knowledge of local culture and customary laws, said Bunnaroth.

Peaceful campaign

During the first days, the group issued statements voicing concerns. They also organised a forest-ordaining campaign in the construction area as well as peaceful marches to Bangkok.

They also opened a dialogue with government representatives and regional military leaders to try to find resolution at a local level. The network first called for partial demolition of the buildings likely posing negative impacts to the environment, particularly natural waterways found to have been compromised during the construction.

Through those discussions, the group softened their stance so as to not pose any threats to the opposing side. They decided against demanding the invocation of Article 44, the absolute power given to a head of the National Council for Peace and Order Prayut Chan-o-cha. Seeking that kind of a solution would have led to a clash of power between the administrative and judicial branches of government.

That decision demonstrated to the government that the group had no hidden political agenda, but only wished to see Doi Suthep protected, said Bunnaroth.

As a result, the court eventually decided to leave it up to the government to help resolve the issue, preventing it from being tarnished by the controversy.

Modern laws vs customary rights

On April 24, the group held one of the largest rallies under the same military government that has banned any gathering of more than five people after learning that PM Prayut was hesitant about demolishing the buildings.

The rally, however, proceeded in a peaceful way around Chiang Mai city, with the purpose of raising local awareness about the project. Cultural expressions were demonstrated and green ribbons hung all over the city as a symbol of support for the group’s moves and in a protest against the project. On May 6, the government decided to hold talks with the residents in Chiang Mai. It was represented by the PM’s Office Minister Suwapan Tanyu-wattana.

Bunnaroth said the protocol proceeded in line with the last round of talks. Dialogues with some government representatives were held beforehand, and a short discussion among the network’s alliances was held to find a consensus before engaging in negotiations with the government representatives.

They managed to reach an agreement on three aspects. First, the court made itself clear that it would let the government handle the issue.

Second, there would be a land demarcation to determine which part of the plot of land should be included as protected forest, and any buildings in there, around 45 or so, would be left and denoted as “no man’s land”, meaning they would no longer be allocated to any government agencies to occupy or use.

Third, forest restoration would then follow, and two panels to work on forest restoration and on “management” of the buildings to reclaim the forest would be set up to oversee all the work, said Bunnaroth.

The outcome helped avoid legal complications concerning the demolition demand, he said, although it would take some time to yield a fruitful result. The obstacle was that state properties could not be immediately demolished because that would be against the law.

The first round of fighting has now ended and the group has at least received what Bunnaroth calls the road map to restore Doi Suthep.

“There is nothing to be ashamed about in fighting, while you at the same time ‘wai’ [pay respect] them. By ‘wai-ing’ while fighting, we then realised that they also had stepped back and down from the stage,” said Bunnaroth.

However, Bunnaroth said, this was just the first round of fighting by the people. Time would be needed to make things clear about what would come next, he said.

For the time being, the group hopes that their fight can set a new standard for social movements in Thai society, that there was no need to incorporate any violence and that goals could be achieved through peaceful means.

In the long run, the group wishes for recognition of customary rights over natural resources such as rivers and mountains via registration of legal entities over these resources. New Zealand has set a template for that with its river, Whanganui.

Hopefully, Doi Suthep would receive recognition as a legal entity with rights equivalent to those of a person, and so would be better protected.

As for the state, Bunnaroth said there were a lot of lessons learned. Social movements in modern times, he said, were undergoing change. They may not all be politically driven or violently oriented and as the society is learning this lesson, so should the government and its officials, he said.

“New politics from now on should begin with people’s rights, rather than politicians’ power to wield over anything they wish to. There should be space for people to fight for their rights, community rights, and so on. And public participation must truly be encouraged in our society, not being just a vague term toyed with over, and over, any longer,” he concluded.

“This [birthday celebration] is so meaningful. They are here in my heart, so they are home, “ Robin Craver, Eng’s great-great-granddaughter, told The Nation with tears in her eye, while her left hand touched her heart.

“It’s beyond our expectation and so exciting to [hold the reunion] here in front of the twins’ statue,” added Alex Sink, the great-granddaughter of Chang.

Craver and Sink are among a dozen of the twins’ third-generation to fifth-generation descendants who joined the celebration at the Chang Eng Memorial in Samut Songkhram.

Although descendants of both brothers continued to hold joint reunions every last Saturday of May in the US, this year’s celebration was special to them. Clearly emotional, their descendants joined in Buddhist rites and planted an Inchan plant, or Gold Apple, in front of a statue of the twins. They also unveiled a new street named “Chang and Eng” near the statue is located. The gathering is being organised jointly with the Foreign Ministry as part of the 185th anniversary of Thai-US relations.

The twins were born on May 11, 1811 in the reign of King Rama II to a Thai-Chinese family in Samut Songkhram. The brothers were joined at the sternum by a small piece of cartilage and though their livers were fused, they were independently complete.

As the twins were unique, King Rama II assigned them to a Siamese diplomatic trip to Indochina in 1827. Two years later, Robert Hunter, a Scottish merchant who lived in Bangkok, took them on a world tour and they later became world famous entertainers and businessmen. Settling in Mount Airy in North Carolina, Chang and Eng married two American sisters and fathered 21 children.

They have more than 1,500 descendants, who continue to reside in the vicinity of Mount Airy where the twins lived and worked for over 30 years before they died on January 17, 1874 at the age of 63.

Their amazing life has been portrayed in novels, musicals and movies.

Responding to an invitation by Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, the presence of the descendants of Chang and Eng is a significant symbol of the longstanding cordial and close relations between this country and the United States at the level of people-to-people.

“The Siamese twins Chang and Eng travelled to the US even before the establishment of our relations. They are the first known Thais who set foot in the US. Moreover, they realised the ‘American Dream”. They were not only very successful in business, they also were the first Siamese to connect people between the two countries,” said Sarun Charoensuwan, director general of the American and South Pacific Affairs Department.

Co-hosted by the province, the event kicked off the “Return of Siamese Twins Chang and Eng Festival” aimed at promoting tourism in the city and an exchange between Samut Songkhram and Mount Airy in North Carolina.

Samut Songkhram Governor Kanchantra Tunsatien expressed hope that the festival would promote awareness about the city globally.

“Now 100,000 tourists visit the city weekly. We’re expecting to increase that by another 10,000-20,000 tourists. We also hope to spark cultural exchanges too,” Kanchantra told reporters.

During the cultural trip, the descendants visited the studio of respected sculptor Sa-ngad Jaiprom, who created their statue in 1994.

The sculptor gave them a small sculpture of Chang and Eng made from homemade plaster and painted with gold.

“Our family would love to erect a similar bronze statue designed by an American sculptor in our city Mount Airy,” Sink said. “We are working on joining the two cities as ‘Sister Cities’ in order to boost exchange between the two countries.”

The family was impressed by his studio display of drawings of the twins. Craver compared portraits of her mother on her mobile phone to Eng, her great-great grandfather.

“I feel a strong connection. I admire them more because of the journey that we took together to get here. The twins were able to get to the United States and be very successful. I’m so proud to be a part-Thai descendant,” Craver said.

Dressed in traditional costumes, they also visited the King Rama II Memorial Park where they learned more about Thai culture.

Zack Worrell, Eng’s great-great grandson, said the family would boost more exchanges between the two countries.

“We hope to stage the famous ‘Chang Eng – The Music’ directed by Thai director Ekachai Uekrongtham, in the US. Now we are making small sculptures of the twins to raise funds,” said Worrell. “It’s a dream come true. We will share our overwhelming moments and wonderful experiences with our descendants,” he concluded.

The Culture Ministry’s National Archives will for the first time display a collection of century-old royal photographic glass-plate negatives and original prints recording the old Siam.

The collection was last December designated as a “Memory of the World” by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

The show, entitled “Celebrating the National Glass Plate Negatives Recognised as a Unesco Memory of the World” will take place at the National Gallery from May 25 to July 26. Funded by Thai Beverage Public Co Ltd, the Bt4-million-show is being curated by veteran photographer Nitikorn Kraivixien of ThaiBev. Nitikorn annualy handles HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s photography show at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

The exhibition will feature 150 reprinted photographs in various sizes spread over eight rooms. Displayed from ceiling to floor, with some images as tall as 1.5 metres, the show aims to make historic Siam come to life. Samples of the original glass-plate negatives will also be on display.

The show will look at old Siam through eight lenses: Siam through glass-plate negatives, national symbols, royal ceremonies and historical events, the Kingdom’s development, culture and tradition, historic places, influential people, and Siam and the world.

The Unesco website trumpets the Collection for documenting the important transformations underway in Siam at a time of massive worldwide change – from the era of the West’s colonisation of Asia, through the years of World War I, and the aftermath of the war as it affected Siam and led to the dawn of a constitutional monarchy.

Stored at the National Archive, the Royal Collection holds almost 35,427 glass plate negatives and 50,000 prints, covering a long and continuous period from 1855-1935.

The collection was previously preserved in the three separate royal libraries of their original owners – King Chulalongkorn, King Vajiravudh and Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, King Mongkut’s son. In 1977, they were given over to the care of the National Archive in Bangkok. To date, 24,800 plates have been scanned for digital use, and 4,149 plates have been included in the national database.

The Royal Collection is the fifth heritage archives from Thailand recognised by Unesco.