mainsail Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 My wife and I need your help. I just read an article in our local paper about a teacher who is about to leave for the ZOE project near Chiang Mai. What angers us are the lies and misrepresentations in both this article and also on the Zoe website. This statement set us off from the article: "Human trafficking is a huge problem in Thailand, Brekhus said. The hill tribes in Thailand are poor, and have a high incidence of AIDS. Orphaned children are at risk of being sold. ZOE has already rescued about 60 at-risk children. They are living in a rented mansion in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand while a home and school are built. Recently, the organization purchased 20 acres of land about 20 miles from Chiang Mai, Brekhus said. When the dorms are finished, the home will have capacity for 2,500 children. However, the new location is far from any of the government elementary schools, so a school is also part of the plan." The website, www.zoechildrenshomes.org/ has very little actual information. The 3 children they talk about were actually taken from their parent/guardian because Zoe determined they were "at risk". What does this mean? They sited taking one child from her Mother who "lived in a tin shack" and was an alcoholic. Well, how many Thais live in a tin shack? Alot! Is that their definition of "at risk"? We are going to at least write a letter to the paper disputing the facts. I am certain the reporter just printed what the woman said and never checked any facts. My wife would also like to confront this woman when she speaks at her church this weekend. She is very angry that her country is being portrayed this way. Is anyone aware of AIDS rates being especially high among hill tribe people? I don't think so. I do not think that "human trafficking is a huge problem in Thailand". It is all well and good to try and help people but Zoe is spreading lies about Thailand in an effort to raise money for itself. Comments? Facts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozpharlap Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 In my opinion, most of these NGO's distort the facts in order to get donations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pianoman Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 9 years ago I had a very close friend from the US who's church was actively raising funds to send to a group in Chiang Mai who wanted to purchase a "School Bus" for transporting kids in the 8 to 12 year old range to and from their "Distant School"... Since he knew that I was visiting Thailand at the time he asked me to visit the "School" and see what their needs were.... It turned out to be a Thai family from a small village outside of Chiang Mai who, with the help of this "NGO" was trying to obtain a Pickup truck to take the older village kids to their school 5km away... The family / villagers only wanted a regular Pickup truck which costs about 400K baht, but the "NGO" was requesting "3+ Mil" which was the cost of a new 30 passenger Bus.... Needless to say their church changed their "Donation Plans" after seeing photos of how the Thai kids pile onto the back of the Pickup Truck "Buses", and the actual costs involved in providing such.... And in hearing that the family planned on charging the kids 5 baht each way to school.... Pianoman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainsail Posted September 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 The Zoe website claims they are going to need nearly US $1 million to build their "school". We all know the building costs in rural Thailand and this seems very, very inflated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 HIV/AIDs in Thailand It was my impression that the Hilltribe people have been treated like crap by the Thais for a long time. Are they even considered Thai? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainsail Posted September 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Thanks, I was reading that same HIV website. Seems HIV rates are higher than Europe, but much lower than Africa and about the same as most of SE Asia. I was also reading that the Hilltribe people are not given legal status in Thailand, do not get an ID card and are generally hassled by police. Sources are pretty old though, about 5 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainsail Posted September 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 I guess the comment I would like your feedback on is "do you think human trafficking is a huge problem in Thailand". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 mainsail....Zoe is a christian organization which means it has an agenda from the start. What you need to remember about human trafficking is that it is not restricted to children and women for the sex trade but also as cheap labour for Thai industry. What really pisses me off about groups like this is they will build this resort and then to justify it take children away from their homes because "they" know better. Here we called it the stolen generation. What a lot of do-gooders fail to do is accurately direct their aid to the needs of the people they are trying to help. I have seen community centres built where the village doesn't even have fressh drinking water. But hey a plastic pipe bringing fresh water down through the mountain doesn't look as good as a new building when you print those brochures to try and get people to donate money. Thaksin was a huge advocate of this practice as a PR exercise with the SPDC while he was in power. I have spent a lot of time up that way and i can tell you that not a lot is done by most of the NGO's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavanami Posted September 17, 2009 Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 My rule of thumb...NGOs are bogus and working mostly for themselves! Xtian NGOs are the worst, forcing their ideas down the throat of the helpless...ever hear of "rice xtians"? The NGO will feed them ONLY if the come to church or whatevr spin they put on their crap...YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mainsail Posted September 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2009 Yes, these are things that piss me off too. First, that they are taking children away from their parents "because they live in a tin shack" and that they are brainwashing them with christianity in the middle of a Buddhist nation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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