Robberies, Rice, and Coffee for Sale

Dear Friends:

Since Sept. 11 we have seen a dramatic fall off in donor numbers and quantity of money donated to keep this project functioning in the mountains of Thailand to deliver assistance to the Akha.

In particular the printing press repair and transport bill of $850 must still be paid, and we have not before seen such a long delay on a single project.

Much good printing in being held up by this situation.

If you find this up to date information from the Golden Triangle and the lives of the Akha people, one of the last surviving sustainable life styles, interesting and refreshing, then please help to continue the work by making a check out to the Akha Heritage Foundation and sending it to:

PO BOX 6073

Salem, OR. 97304 USA.

Other News:

1.

The rice crop is mostly in here in the mountains. I maintain a small rice terrace in order to know as much as possible what is going on in the Akha community. This year it required that I invest an enormous amount of personal labor to bring the terrace condition into repair from last year and improve the water supply, moving tons of earth by hand. Of course I am the last one in the village to get the rice planted with this delay and having to do most of the work by myself.

It is very clear that when an Akha village is forced to move they loose an incredible quantity of investment that they more than likely will not be able to recoup in a lifetime.

2. We are still developing our potential in the coffee supply opportunity.

Please write to me if you would be interested in buying quantities of roasted whole beans or ground Akha Mountain Coffee.

3. Three Akha villages and one Lahu village in the Haen Taek region have complained to me that they were robbed by the army in the region during three seperate raids on their villages. Money was taken as well as gold, and pick up trucks. The army said that the villagers didn't have proof where the money came from, fired guns off in their huts, and showed drugs that they had "found" but could not name in who's house. They had forced the entire village in one case to abandon their huts and wait in the village center while they "searched". Major Orachai from Som Yaek Army Base was once again involved. In one village six Lahu were arrested, the trucks taken, then the Lahu released but not the trucks, after the raid. No charges were filed. One Lahu was said to be smoking opium but the headman said that his name had already been added to the voluntary "Stop Smoking" program, and that he was scheduled to enter a detox program. No one else on the list! of "smokers" was arrested. And he was released, but not his truck.

These villages are meeting together and going to the Army in three days time to request the money and vehicles be returned.

The hilltribe continued to be bullied with little representation.

4. The coffee beans that we planted are now coming up successfully, raising the number of plants we will have ready for planting next year in the Pah Nmm region.

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Thankyou for your support and please make a donation to this work.

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