Akha Weekly Journal- Do the Akha Have a Reason to Dance?

Dear Friends:

Do the Akha have reason to dance?

Update on disappearances:

Visited the Lahu families and got reports from them
that their husbands drove a car across the border with
Burma for a man who had bought it. We do not believe
this car was stolen. At any rate they were arrested
by army on their return, taken to an army camp where
they were seen and disappeared.

No word has been heard since.

Now villagers from many villages are saying that there
are many disappearances of men from their various
villages over the last year and more.

The harshness of these events is making my life here
more and more difficult.

********

Met the retired head of 3rd Army Intelligence, a Maj.
Gen. Anu Sumitra. I was hoping that some of the
problems in the villages could be addressed and that
some sort of liaison could be set up to give the
hilltribe people a way of contacting the army through
a formal channel, but this seems unlikely to happen.
The General made it clear my work is not liked, and
that the Akha are free to "get the hell out of there"
if they don't like what is happening to them in the
mountains.

I had hoped that this was not the sentiment of ranking
officers from the army, but appears that it could be
the same attitude throughout regarding the hilltribe,
which does not paint a very bright picture.

*******

Qualifications for Tour Guides in Thailand requires a
4 year college degree and a 180 day training course,
precluding most hilltribe from partaking with leading
people to their own villages and ensuring that outside
operators will have the say in this job market when
guides are needed for villages. Just one more way the
Akha are cut out from access to the economy that they
provide destinations for.

*******

The website Index page for http://www.akha.org is
rebuilt to a new magazine style that we want to work
with, so hope you like the improvement, and it will
take me still longer to get more links fixed.

*******

You may now order AKHA MOUNTAIN COFFEE for $12.95 US.
Allow 14 days for delivery. Specify ground or whole
beans. You may pay with Paypal or via a check at the
PO BOX. To make my life easier, send me an email at
the same time with your address and method of payment.

Purchasing Akha Mountain Coffee can help assist our
work.

*******

Swing Festival rapidly approaching.

Begins at end of month.

*******

Please be so kind as to make a donation to this work,
be it your first time or if you have donated before.

Your donation makes this work possible.

http://www.akha.org/donate/donate.htm

Sincerely,
Matthew McDaniel

=====

The Akha Heritage Foundation
Maesai, Chiangrai, Thailand
Donations by check or money order may be sent to:
The Akha Heritage Foundation
PO BOX 6073
Salem OR 97304 USA