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Regent’s School begins work on Baan Laem Tong
Tsunami Project, Koh Phi Phi
Jung Kyu takes a rest from
digging a foundation hole.
The Year 8 girls pose in front
of an evacuation sign at the school.
After 8 days of work Bermuda
and Regent’s students
are proud of their achievements.
Malin Eh (Year 8)
On December 26, 2004, a tsunami occurred. This was caused by the Indian
Ocean earthquake. More than 225,000 people were killed in over eleven
countries and many more injured. This tsunami was one of the deadliest
natural disasters in recent history. Even now, four years later, people
still need help. This is why The Regent’s School is still working with the
Laem Tong community on Phi Phi Island. We have a commitment to help the Sea
Gypsy community and their school called Baan Laem Tong by financing and
building a community resource centre.
 A
model of the community centre based on the Chula students’ designs.
The community resource centre we are building is a two and a half year
project that will cost just over 3.5 million baht. The building was designed
by students from Chulalongkorn University and with the help of some IB
students from The Regent’s. A group of 20 Regent’s students spent the last
nine days of March on Phi Phi with a group from Bermuda High School in
Bermuda (also a Round Square school). We made many new friends with the
Bermudan students as they were all lovely. The digging was hard and tiring
and there were many rocks that we had to get rid of, but we did it! In the
end we moved over 45 tonnes of earth, soil and rocks and leveled the site
ready to construct the centre. By the end of the week we had also started
digging 12 of the 36 foundation holes for the steel frames and beams.
You are probably wondering who exactly the Sea Gypsy people are? Well, they
are a small group of people who live in very poor and simple conditions.
They are the only original aboriginal peoples left in Thailand, as the
islands in the south have been their homes for hundreds of years. None of
them have any identification, which creates difficulties for them. Over the
years, and especially after the tsunami, many people have stolen their lands
and built hotels and resorts on it. They now live on a very small strip of
land, and are not allowed to step onto the hotels’ or resorts’ land. Over
150 people live in small strip less than 50 metres wide! By building the
community resource centre we are hoping to give the Sea Gypsy people more
opportunities and space to learn and interact.
On one day we had a day off from work and went on a snorkeling trip on
long-tailed boats. We saw lots of different and interesting fish, and we
jumped off the boats into the sea. Everyone had a great day. We also went
over to the other side of the island and visited the hospital and Baan Koh
Phi Phi School. We also climbed up to the view point to see the magnificent
views of Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Ley. At the end of the day we went to the
Phi Phi Tsunami Memorial Garden. This was very sad as we realized how many
people had been lost in the tsunami. Some people read out poems or speeches
in many different languages, one person even sang a song. It was then that I
realized what all the people on Phi Phi had been through.
All of us were very glad that we were helping the Sea Gypsy community. It is
always good to know that you are helping others and making a difference.
Even if it was tough, the feeling you have after you did all this hard work
is brilliant! This trip was a once in a life time experience and I’m glad
that I went. I would go again, and so would the others on this project.
The site at Baan Laem Tong
School before stage 1 began.
Novice monks from Issan take seawater back home as souvenir of visit
Novice monks from Issan
fill containers with seawater
to take back home to their parents and relatives.
Patcharapol Panrak
Ten novice monks from Issan on a visit to the ocean collected
bottles of seawater that they took back to their families, who believe
that it can cure various ailments.
The young novices arrived at Toey Ngam Beach in Royal Thai Marine Bay at
Koh Kaitia on April 15, under the guidance of Pra Maha Thong-In
Kunawuttho, abbot of Wat Paanusorn at Banmai, in Sicomphoo, Khon Kaen.
Pra Maha Thong-In said the novices were visiting Srong Mettawanaram
Temple at the invitation of Abbot Bunsong Upasamo. To give the
youngsters the opportunity of visiting the ocean, Sen Lt Panat
Kaewdaunglek of the Royal Thai Marine Corps Training Center had
collected them from the temple by car.
Many families in Issan do not have the opportunity to visit the sea and
beach, and for the young novices it was an exciting experience.
One 15-year-old, Kachornsak Padcha-Ard, said he had splashed in the sea
and even tasted the water. He filled a bottle for his parents and
relatives so they could bathe in it to cure ringworm, and liver spots on
the skin. He also collected sand and shells to take back home. He was
very happy to see the sea, and if he hadn’t been ordained to be a novice
monk, then he certainly wouldn’t have experienced the sea for himself.
Drama from Asian University’s English students
Susan Joyce
Asian University’s English Immersion Programme (EIP) has been
running for seven years, and the latest five week module finished last
week.
 Bank
robber Nut has problems.
On the last Friday of term, the staff and students were treated to seven
very entertaining short plays by the EIP students.
Apart from the regular EIP students some of whom have been studying at
the university for 5 weeks, ten weeks or longer, the group included
twenty nurse trainers from the South of Thailand, who consistently
showed their enthusiasm for learning English.
The plays (all specially written for ESL learners) included the first
day for a new dentist, new recruits in the Army, a Mr. Universe contest
(won by the window cleaner), an Italian restaurant in Rome, where a
couple are celebrating their anniversary, and a bank robbery that
doesn’t go to plan. Each play involved four or five students, and lasted
for about ten minutes. It gave the students a chance to show off their
new English skills, and to prove that they can communicate effectively,
as well as giving them a confidence boost. The props had been assembled
by students and teachers.
The finale was a beautiful Thai dance by Apple and a short “karaoke”
song and dance session.
Two of the students who have been immersed in English for thirty weeks
of lessons, are now set to start teaching biology in the College at
Asian University. Dr May (in the striped top) has a PhD in genetics and
the other teacher-to-be is Apple (the dancer).
The EIP runs for eight five-week sessions each year, with classes on
five days each week. Bespoke programmes are available for groups, with
either specialised topics and vocabulary, or on a part time basis.
Husband Nai has some
explaining
to do to his old flame Paen and his wife Bui.
The first day for a new
dentist (Too).
The winning Mr Universe,
Ton, and presenter Rung.
Dancing and singing finale
(Dr May in striped blouse).
In the army, from left:
Som, Sayam, Soh, Ploi and Ta.
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