[New-imc] Online form: Proposed new IMC! ()

[Shayne O'Neill]

Perhaps Perth can help out here......

We can provide serverage and stuff.

If you want.

------------------------------------
"Must not Sleep! Must warn others!"
-Aesop.
Shayne O'Neill. Indymedia. Fun.
http://www.perthimc.asn.au

On Sun, 22 Feb 2004, Matthew McDaniel wrote:

> Indy Media:
>
> I mention some points regarding this proposed site.
>
> 1.
> First off, the site is NOT restricted to hill tribe,
> we only mention that this is the birth of the activism
> work that we do, and that it started in the north,
> worth mentioning, but in NO WAY restricts the site as
> to what content can or should be on it.  The site is
> intended to be for all issues in Thailand, and to
> promote all people who live within the borders of
> Thailand, to increase their activism and networking.
> Hill tribe culture is not the only culture or the
> major culture in Thailand but it is by far one of the
> most oppressed exploited group of people, logical
> reason that out of all this despair an activism effort
> would come.  As well, Burmese immigrants, legal and
> illegal, expats, Thai women married to expats, Thai
> women with children who have returned from marriages
> overseas, prostitutes, farm chemical workers,
> prisoners, damn protests, democracy protests, and a
> host of other issues that dominate the news in
> Thailand, all have need for a place for vigorous
> discussion and protest not found elsewhere in
> Thailand.  All in all they have several common
> threads, one being a total lack of transparency in
> Thailand.
>
> 2.
> Activism.  We are not located in the west, we are
> located ON THE GROUND in an impoverished Akha village,
> from which we work in some 300 such villages, battling
> army, police, forestry and medical abuse against the
> Akha people.  Our help is sought by others as well and
> we are acutely aware of the issues in Thailand and
> what all activists face. Last year better than 2200
> people in Thailand, predominantly Thai people as
> compared to "hill tribe" were gunned down by the
> police without mercy. A website in itself we would
> have no time for, it is ONLY useful as a tool of
> activism to get the word out, connect people,
> enlighten issues and gather solutions.
>
> 3.
> Currently there is little network in Thailand. There
> is distinctly less network and opposition to
> government policies than there was last year. It is
> not surprising to not have more IN Thailand network.
> Few people want to stand up and be counted in Thailand
> when the payback is a bullet to the head or a hail of
> gunfire, brutal murders which we have documented first
> hand ourselves.  International NGO's are only useful
> for getting MORE of the word out, not for doing
> anyone's job for them in Thailand.  A forum in
> Thailand is needed so that these grass roots networks
> have encouragement and support for taking shape.
> Currently  networking in Thailand is woefully lacking.
>  As well, there is extensive support for the Akha
> people from the international community, to support
> and back up their activism and there is no reason why
> this would be any less true for all of Thailand.  When
> it comes to justice and protest, there should be no
> barriers to alliances. No foreign NGO can replace the
> work on the ground. Neither can an Indy Media website
> do what must be done on the ground, but that done, it
> is an excellent means to share events, tactics,
> network and reporting. In the end this will benefit
> any and all groups in Thailand.
>
> Indy Media Thailand does not currently exist, and
> would benefit all groups in Thailand.
>
> Matthew McDaniel
>
>
> *********
>
> I have a few initial concerns about this application.
> We should talk to
> them to figure out more and what path to take with
> this.
>
> First it seems to be looking at indymedia as a
> primarily a website, and
> not a form or organization for media activism. My
> other concerns are
> that
> the supporting groups are mostly internationals and
> profesionalized
> institutional NGO's.
>
> Where indymedia has worked in the global south such as
> argentina,
> brazil,
> ecuador, and south africa it has been because there
> were strong local
> lead
> organizing and a lot of focus on doing work which is
> not online. There
> have been a number of conflicts related to the role of
> first world
> NGO's
> and indymedia in the global south.
>
> This is not to say that something couldn't be done,
> just that i think
> it's
> important to address these issues as it related to
> this application.
>
> Another issue is that the name was asked for Thailand
> Indymedia, but
> the
> groups and issues seem to be focused in the north and
> with the hill
> tribes
> which are important but also not at the center of Thai
> politics or
> culture. Perhaps another name might work better which
> focused more
> precisely on the region and activists involved.
>
> in solidarity,
> evan
>
> =====
> The Akha Heritage Foundation.
> http://www.akha.org Akha Heritage Site.
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