Rolling stones band together in Chiang Mai

       A group of homeless people in the northern province are finding new strengthin each other and taking steps to regain control of their lives By Supara Janchitfah
       Dee Pantapchai smiled broadly when he was presented with a set of gifts from a group of fellow homeless people in appreciation for his participation in the the group's savings plan, into which Mr Dee has made regular deposits. The gifts - used plastic bottles and some basic daily necessities such as a bar of soap - might seem valueless to most people, but for Mr Dee they were priceless as they provided a sense of pride and happiness that he has rarely known in his 69 years.
       He first came to Chiang Mai from Mae Sariang district of Mae Hong Song province to earn a better living, but the reality has been many years of sleeping on city streets.Since he has felt cheated and betrayed his whole life, it is hard for him to trust anyone.When the group gave him the award he was not sure he deserved it.
       "Really?" he asked with smiling eyes. All his homeless friends nodded their heads and returned their own sincere smiles. For some time now the group has been discussing the possibility of pooling their earnings from the sale of plastic, aluminum and other materials they collect so that they can one day lease a piece of land to construct a temporary shelter,and also to keep a central fund for daily needs and emergencies, such as when someone gets sick.
       "I want to have a place where we can call home and share our lives with other homeless people," said Mr Dee.
       At present his group is staying at a deserted hotel in downtown Chiang Mai. The place was first discovered by the homeless Mr Tom and a younger man. Later about 10 more homeless came to stay, and they set rules among themselves to avoid problems and assure harmony. One younger man was asked to leave because he did not respect the rules.
       Mr Tom is from Chiang Mai, but he worked as a tour operator in Phuket for many years.He returned to Chiang Mai after running into business problems in Phuket. Meanwhile,his family had also encountered hard times and he couldn't rely on them for support. He became a streetside fruit vendor and also took odd jobs in construction, but he was unable to keep a room on his meagre earnings and became homeless.
       His said his life turned around when he met a staff member from the Human Settlement Foundation (HSF), a Thai NGO working in slums and with homeless people. The NGO, a member of the Four Regions Slum Network (FRSN), was conducting a factfinding mission on the streets of different Thai cities which provided a forum for homeless people to share their experiences and problems and search for solutions.
       "I could see a ray of hope and I could see that my life could be more meaningful if I worked with homeless people," said Mr Tom,whose given name is Ekaluck Thongmak.
       He has now gone back to work as a tour operator, in Chiang Mai as well as Phuket.Some of his former customers resurfaced to support him. But even though he has a good is income at the moment, Mr Tom still prefers to stay with the homeless group.
       "I am happy to stay with my homeless friends. I can see them making changes in their behaviour, such as showing consideration for other people and paying attention to their concerns. Moreover, they need to have someone to turn to.
       "You will never understand the life of a homeless person if you have never been >>
       >>homeless yourself,"said Mr Tom.
       In the time he spent homeless and unemployed he learned lessons on how to survive on almost nothing. He learned how to collect recyclable garbage and where to sell it, and how the recycling businesses take advantage of the homeless.
       Mr Tom said that, for example, if they collected 2.2 kilogrammes of aluminum cans the business owner would invariably pay them for only 2kg.
       "That's not right. It takes a lot of effort to collect that extra 200g, but we have no say.That's why we need a place to store and separate items into different categories and weigh them ourselves, so that we can get a better price. If we do things collectively as a group we will have more say."
       The group has joined hands with FRSN to voice their concerns over housing rights, funding for housing and access to land (see story below.)
       WORKING TOGETHER
       The abandoned hotel in downtown Chiang Mai has become the site of a regular Sunday get-together for four groups of homeless from different parts of the city to socialise and share their joys and problems. Besides the home group, homeless people normally come from the areas around Tha Phare city gate,Chiang Mai railway station and Chang Phak bus station. These groups are also in the scheme to save money and lease a piece of land to construct a temporary shelter.
       After a number of meetings, the various groups have come to an agreement on how to operate their savings group and have also come up with a set of rules and regulations.
       But the plan is not yet perfected. It has been discussed, rejected and modified for more than a year.
       "We are not sure if we can save the money and how we can be sure that it will be there when we need it," said Mr Lop, a native of Chiang Rai who had family problems and left home to work in construction in Chiang Mai.Once a heavy drinker, he gave up alcohol after joining the group at the deserted hotel and began to practice self-discipline. Mr Lop said it is hard for him to trust anyone as he has been betrayed all of his life.
       At the abandoned hotel, Mr Tom and his friends have devised a list of house rules, one of which is sobriety. Others involve sharing work and other activities, such as distributing soybean milk to other homeless people. Every Thursday night at about 6pm they gather at the hotel and walk through Chiang Mai to find homeless people and distribute the milk until 11pm. Some of the funds for the soybean milk come from HSF.
       "Handing out the soybean milk gives us a means to meet and discuss things with other homeless people," said Sukanya Pinichwattanapan, a local volunteer from HSF who works with homeless and slum dwellers.
       I was with Ms Sukanya and seven homeless persons as they walked along the Chiang Mai moat and numerous city streets to pass out the soybean milk. Many of the homeless they encountered were drinking alcohol.
       Mr Tia, who stays at the hotel, said that he also used to drink "because I had no hope,and thought I had no future. I just wanted to end my day by forgetting my hard work and all the eyes that look down on me".
       But nowMr Tia has a sense of duty, and he is no longer without hope. He carries a small book in his hand to record the problems that homeless people confide to him, and also their needs.
       "I have some pain here," said a very thin man who looked as if he'd had a lot to drink,pointing to his back. He said he needs some medicine for the pain. Ms Sukanya advised him to bend his back properly when collecting items from garbage bins. She didn't try to preach to him that he should stop drinking, but she put a subtle message across in her cheerful voice:"Oh! After you try collecting things in the right position,you can start to drink a little less. It may be useful for your health, what do you think?"
       The homeless man smiled shyly.
       The discussions involve so many important issues,such as where they go to take a bath and where they sell their collected products to get the best price. One man showed off a radio he found at the dump site and was able to fix. Some of the homeless said they wanted to do some merit-making and discussed which temple would allow them to enter and so on.
       Mr Ti is another core member of the hotel group, and normally goes to buy the soybean milk from street vendors for distribution.
       As the group ventured farther into different corners of Chiang Mai, Mr Ti said that many of the homeless they encounter don't want to join them at the hotel because they wouldn't be able to adjust to the rules set by the group,especially the one about drinking.
       "They want to be our friends, but they want to continue living their lives as they are now. That is why they still sleep on the street,"said Mr Ti, who once lost his ID card to a pick-pocket. As a member of an ethnic tribe it was not easy to replace, and without it a job is very difficult to find.
       Many homeless people are stateless, but Mr Ti is more fortunate. HSF staff encouraged him to go back to his home in Chiang Dao,Chiang Mai province, to replace the ID card.Finally he has received the new card. Mr Ti is an active member of the group and is known for having a character to help others.
       Ms Sukanya said Mr Ti has helped many people, including a homeless woman who once worked as a street prostitute. He helped her to put her past behind her.
       As we walked along a homeless man named Mr Khaek pointed across the moat to a large shophouse and said:"There, I once spent the night in front of that house." He added that the owner of the house did not chase him away because he didn't make any mess and left early the next morning. Mr Khaek sometimes fishes in the moat.
       He stays at the hotel, and has now stopped
       drinking. In the past it was his habit to spend the money he got from collecting recyclables and doing odd jobs on alcohol,but he is determined to change.
       "I can quit drinking because I am aware that it is useless to drink," he said."Apart from that I have friends and we have many activities for ourselves and for others."
       Mr Khaek was once arrested with two other homeless people and they were taken to a government shelter in Chiang Mai where many facilities were provided.
       "I don't want to stay there because I don't want to be caged. I want freedom and real friends," he said. Even though Mr Khaek, Mr Ti, Mr Lop and the others want to have a place that they can call "home", they also want freedom, to live by rules they set themselves. They also want to encourage and give each other moral support.
       "When someone feels like drinking they have us to pull them back. If anyone wants to steal something they think about the group,because they know that behavior will bring troubles to us and it won't be accepted. They will have to go back on the street again," said Mr Tom."We want to tell society that even though we are scavengers, we are not garbage ourselves. We don't have houses like you do but we have dignity and we are human like you," he said.