Elephant Family, a registered UK charity, believes our world is worth sharing. And in Asia, that means protecting endangered elephants and preserving their natural habitat.

Since its launch in 2002, Elephant Family has:

• invested £3 million in securing and restoring vital corridors of land.
• supported local communities to reduce incidents of human-elephant conflict and improve the welfare of captive elephants.
• worked hard to highlight the plight of the Asian elephant with UK-wide education programmes and publicity.

Below is a recent blog excerpt about Thai Asian Elephants from the Elephant Family:

Elephant Family recently teamed up with the Elephant Conservation Network (ECN) in Thailand in a bid to prevent a vital forest region and its elephants from becoming totally isolated from the Western Forest Conservation Complex (WEFCOM). This forest region is home to the largest population of elephants in Thailand – approximately 1,000 – and numerous other important species, including tigers. However, human encroachment – much of which is by city-based land speculators exploiting landless farmers as agents – is steadily trapping a population of 150-175 elephants within the south-eastern section of WEFCOM. This area incorporates the 868km² Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary, the smaller Chalerm Rattanakosin National Park, and the unprotected Srisawat Forest Reserve.

Salakpra was Thailand’s first wildlife sanctuary, yet was also the first place in Thailand to record conflict between people and elephants. Working with local communities, forest rangers and conservation officials, ECN is turning human-elephant conflict into human-elephant co-existence…

The work will build on extensive surveys already conducted by ECN, as well as conflict monitoring and mitigation measures they’ve been carrying out over the past five years. It will also tie in with their increasingly successful forest restoration research project and their alternative livelihoods initiative, which is helping forest users develop alternative incomes so that they do not need to depend exclusively on forest resources. So far, these micro-enterprises include mushroom farming, dried fruit production and sewing cooperatives, to name just a few. Read more here.

Want to learn more?

• Follow these links to learn more about Elephant Family and its partnership with the Elephant Conservation Network.
• Sign the petition.
• Check out the Elephant Family video on YouTube.

Krup kum ka!

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

Photo Credit: EARS

Louise Rogerson founded the Hong Kong-based  Elephant Asia Rescue and Survival Foundation (EARS for short) to promote responsible tourism and ask foreigners traveling to Asia to only visit ‘elephant friendly’ projects and sanctuaries.

Louise is originally from the UK but has made Hong Kong her home for the last 13 years. She has a lifelong passion for animal welfare and has worked with various animal rescue charities, most recognizably Animals Asia Foundation. She was able to fund such projects through creating Mandarin Orange in 2004, her own clothing label based in Hong Kong. While researching various animal charities she found an article on Boon Lott’s Elephant Sanctuary (BLES) in Thailand and in April 2010 visited BLES.

The informative EARS website lists the threats facing Asian Elephants, which include poaching, illegal logging, street begging and deforestation, plus steps you can take to help Asian Elephants. You’ll even see links to FAE’s Elephant Hospital and “The Eyes of Thailand” trailer. Click here to learn more.

You can also become a fan of EARS on Facebook.

-Windy Borman

Director | Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

Director/Producer Windy Borman filming at FAE's Elephant Hospital in Lampang, Thailand (Fall 2010).

It’s been a very busy fall for “The Eyes of Thailand” and I apologize if you feel neglected. During the radio silence the past six weeks, we’ve been able to get some big things in the works. Here is a snapshot:

• I filmed 20 hours of footage in Thailand and Laos in October/November, which included filming the elephant landmine survivors at FAE’s Elephant Hospital in Thailand and human landmine survivors at the Cluster Munitions Convention in Vientiane, Laos.
• This new footage will fill out the landmine side of the film and enable us to start editing the film in 2011! Don’t worry, we’ll update the trailer and post it in time for Elephant Appreciation Day!
• I’ve also been invited to appear on Pet Talk in southern Connecticut in February and I’ll post the link for all to see.

As always, if you’d like to join the conversation and view real-time updates on “The Eyes of Thailand”, please join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you for all your support and I look forward to sharing more updates with you next year!

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director | Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

I am happy to announce that Watermark Restaurant and Bar in Phuket, Thailand will host a fundraiser for the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) Elephant Hospital and The Eyes of Thailand documentary film on Saturday 11 December 2010. The event will feature:

A presentation on behalf of Mae Yao National Reserve
A wine tasting by G. Four Fine Wines with the chance for customers to
purchase their preferred label at a special price.

Tempting Thai Tapas selection

‘All things Elephant’ special Auction

1000THB – Food & wine tasting included

To support this wonderful cause, tickets can be reserved
Call Peter 081 815 5570

Click here for more details.

For our fans around the world, if you’d like to support The Eyes of Thailand documentary featuring Soraida Salwala, the founder of FAE’s Elephant Hospital, and her quest to help two elephant landmine survivors–Motala and Baby Mosha–walk on their own four legs, you can also make a tax-deductible donation directly to the film by clicking HERE. It will take you to the secure online donation page for our fiscal sponsor, the San Francisco Film Society.

Krup kum ka! Thank you! And Happy Holidays!

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

The last two days have been a whirlwind of excitement, interviews and declarations. On Thursday, I had lunch with William Robichaud, Coordinator of the IUCN/SSC Saola Working Group, whom I met at the Wildlife Conservation Expo in October, and then I interviewed: Paul Hannon, Executive Director of Mines Action Canada (MAC); Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan of the Thai International Campaign to Ban Landmines; Jackie Hansen, the Project Organizer for the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitor; and, Mark Hiznay from Human Rights Watch. I got loads of wonderful information from each of the interviewees and great sound bytes for The Eyes of Thailand. I cannot wait to add these into the new film trailer!

On Friday, I had my “Michael Moore moment” when I arrived at the United States Embassy with 9 other U.S. citizens, including Larry and Jack from the cluster muntions field trip and Daniel Calder from Religions for Peace, to request a meeting with the consulate to discuss why the U.S. has refused to sign the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. I knew it could be a bit dicey, so I hopped out of the van with my camera rolling. The security guards immediately ran up to me and started waving their hands in front of the camera yelling “No Photo, No Photo”. I turned off the camera and explained I was a US citizen. After going through security, waiting for almost 30 minutes and surrendering all my electronics (including my camera), Peter Haymond spoke with the 10 of us for almost 20 minutes about the U.S.’s policies.

He explained that the U.S. has been one of the largest donors for cluster bomb removal in Laos, where we dropped over 270 million cluster bombs during our war with Vietnam but as much as 30% failed to detonate and remain threats to humans, livestock and community development. However, cluster bomb removal has to fight for congressional attention, just like all the other issues facing the country, if we want to continue cleaning up after our mess.

The best news Haymond shared was the Department of Defense is currently reviewing its landmine policy.  This means that with the right political pressure and public awareness, the U.S. may sign and ratify the Mine Ban Treaty in the next few years. This could be the right push the remaining non-signatories need to sign the ban and we could eliminate the use of landmines in our lifetime!

On Friday afternoon, I interviewed Fred Lubang from Nonviolence International, who gave me an interesting perspective on what is needed for all Southeast Asian countries, not just Thailand and Burma, to prevent more elephant landmine accidents.

The convention ended when over 100 youth leaders and landmine/cluster bomb survivors took the stage and read the Youth Declaration, reminding the state parties we are committed to banning and removing landmines and cluster bombs. This was especially poignant because while we were in Laos, two Laotian girls were in a cluster bomb accident: one died, the other is in the hospital with serious shrapnel wounds. Needless to say, I had goose bumps and there were definitely some teary eyes in the room.

There’s definitely lots of work to do to wrap the shoot, including digitizing and transcribing the 20 hours of new footage and updating the trailer for the website. If you’d like to support our efforts, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Eyes of Thailand or contact me directly to discuss sponsorship, grant and investment opportunities. We need to get the film out into film festivals in 2011 so it can start doing some good!

Kop chai lai lai!

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

One day before Veteran’s Day, I went on the UXO  Lao field trip. I was a little nervous reading the consent form, since I had to give them my blood type (just in case there was an accident), but I am happy to report that I returned with all my limbs and some amazing footage!

First, I was able to see cluster munitions that had been uncovered and prepared for removal and destruction. According to Edwin Faigmane, UXO Lao Programme Specialist, during the Vietnam War, the United States dropped over 270 million cluster bombs (more commonly called “bombies” in Laos), but approximately 30% (or 80 million) did not detonate and remain hazards for civilians, women, children and the environment. Detecting the anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions is a long, tedious process and UXO Lao is only able to remove about .5% each year. At the current rate and level of funding, it will take decades to remove all the UXOs (un-exploded ordinances) in Laos. One innovative solution civilians are considering to speed up the process is to sue the cluster munitions producers for the munitions’ failure to detonate upon impact! With a failure rate if 30%, they may have a legitimate case!

Next, the UXO Lao personnel exploded two types of munitions for us to see.  The first was a pile of cluster bombs.  The twenty explosions echoed across the Laotian plain and sent a huge black cloud across the valley. The second type was a white phosphorous bomb, which sent a huge flame and white plume into the sky. I knew teh explosions were coming, but I still jumped a little bit at the sound and force.

After the explosions, I spoke with two U.S. veterans who were also on the field trip. The first, Larry, was a conscientious objector that was drafted as a doctor in Vietnam. He explained that he had to operate on a soldier that lost two legs from stepping on a landmine and he’s never forgotten the sound of the bomb explosions.  Next, as we looked at the Cluster Munitions exhibition, Jack’s eyes started to water. “This is hard to watch. I can’t imagine what this would be like to see the [bombies] rain down on you and your children”.

When I see the pock-marked land, hear the explosions and feel the sad energy of the bombie-ridden land, it’s hard to understand the U.S.’s hesitance to sign the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. I think Larry put it best when he said, the U.S. has a “moral and spiritual responsibility” to remove all the landmines and bombs we’ve dropped in other countries.

I know the gun lobbyists and weapons manufacturers want to protect their “right to bear arms”, but the people, women, children and other species also have a right to bear arms–their own.

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

Jesus Martinez & Song Kosal discuss Victim Assistance for survivors of landmines and cluster munitions at the Youth Leaders Forum.

Yesterday I filmed an interesting conversation about Victim Assistance and the political and social difference between the words “survivor” and “victim”.  According to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), around 10 percent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. They are the world’s largest minority, and yet only 45 countries have anti-discrimination laws. The Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) hopes to change that, and fill a hole in the Mine Ban Treaty, by requiring ratifying countries to provide Victim Assistance to victims of cluster munitions and landmines.

Sounds good, right? Except for the fact that it is legally referring to survivors as “victims”.

To its credit, the CCM defines “victims” as the victim of the cluster munition/landmine, their family and the community. I have a knee-jerk reaction toward the word “victim”, so I asked the two survivors, Jesus Martinez and Song Kosal, who spoke to the Youth leaders Forum what they thought about the word “victim”.  They both agreed that “survivor” is a more empowering word and they each consider themselves a survivor, but they understand that politically “victim” has more weight and urgency when the delegates hear it, so they’ll continue to use “victim” while lobbying for Victim Assistance within the CCM.

After the enlightening discussion, we attended the Lao PDR Official State Reception at the Prime Minister’s Courtyard. It was very swanky and I suspect I’ll have to win an Oscar before I’m invited to another State Dinner! However, I couldn’t help but notice the lack of Victim Assistance present.  There were no disability ramps, toilets or parking spaces and some survivors were literally having to be carried down stairs.

However you call it, there seems to be lots of room for improvement!

-Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

The red dots indicate the location where the U.S. dropped cluster bombs in Laos during its 8-year war with Vietnam.

According to The Irrawaddy, during the U.S.-Vietnam War, the conflict spilled over into Laos, which led to U.S. warplanes dropping more than two million tons of bombs (or 270 million explosives) over Laos. This, according to UN data, is more than all the explosives dropped in Europe during World War II.

These air strikes, which saw U.S. planes launch nearly half a million bombing missions from 1964 to 1973, targeted the destruction of the North Vietnamese troops’ supply route called the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which also passed through eastern Laos. Most of these explosives were cluster munitions, better known in Laos as “bombies”. After being dropped from larger bombs that contained 300 to 600 cluster bombs, these bombies fanned out across a wide area on undulating terrain (see map above). Close to 30 percent of these bombies failed to detonate and “approximately 80 million bombies remained in Laos after the war,” according to the National Regulatory Authority for Unexploded Ordnance/ Mine Action in Laos.

Consequently, four decades later, U.S.-made cluster munitions continue to exact a heavy price on civilians in Laos.  Over 50,000 people have been killed or injured as a result of unexploded ordnance (UXO) accidents between 1968 and 2008, states the UXO regulatory body.

Today I visited COPE, which stands for Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. COPE is the only provider of prosthetic, orthotic and rehabilitation services in Laos and provides prosthetics and mobility devices for those people who require them, free of charge if they cannot afford to pay for them.

I highly recommend visiting COPE’s Visitor Center when you are in Laos to get a sense of the personal stories behind the above statistics. My favorite elements were the hanging displays of “bombies” and home-made prosthetic limbs survivors have made prior to being fitted with a COPE prosthesis. I also learned that a growing child may a new prosthesis every 4-6 months, whereas an adult may need a new one every 1-2 years. This made me feel better about Mosha’s and Motala’s prostheses. These two elephant landmine survivors at FAE’s Elephant Hospital have received multiple prostheses from the Prostheses Foundation in Thailand since 2008 and 2009, respectively.

I’m glad to hear there are multiple NGOs (Non-government Organizations) assisting survivors of landmine and cluster munitions, but I can’t shake the fact that if all countries signed the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which require them to destroy their stockpiles and remove all mines and UXO from their lands, we wouldn’t need to treat new victims every year.

To find out if your country has signed the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions, click here.

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

Ho Pra Keo (Vientiane, Laos)

Today I attended a workshop called “Weaponery 101″ presented by a former U.S. military/Department of Defense employee who know works for human rights.  (He presented the information off the record so I cannot mention his name or give too many details, but suffice it to say that it was very enlightening!). The presentation largely focused on cluster munitions, which, are lots of small bombs contained within a larger one. They are designed to detonate on impact, but if they do not, they can then act like a “landmine” because they are lodged in the ground, can be covered by rocks, mud and other vegetation.  I also learned that the same company from China that makes Christmas light fuses also makes the fuses for cluster munitions. No wonder so many don’t work!

The Cluster Munitions Convention is the largest event Laos has ever hosted, so Vientiane is a flurry of activity. In the afternoon, I filmed the parade in front of the Royal Palace, and even found a wat (temple) that has a goldleaf image of the Buddha riding a three-headed elephant after achieving enlightenment, which speaks to the Laotian and Thai fondness for Asian Elephants.

I wrapped up the day by meeting my mentor, Fred Lubang of Nonviolence International. He’s very enthusiastic about The Eyes of Thailand and has offered to help me find Thai and Burmese delegates to speak to me on camera about the elephants stepping on landmines along their borders. We’re also discussing screening opportunities in Southeast Asia for when we release the film in 2011!

All in all, it was a very productive day and I’m still here for a week, so stay tuned.

Best,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

The Convention on Cluster Munitions, CCM, prohibits all use, stockpiling, production and transfer of Cluster Munitions. Separate articles in the Convention concern assistance to victims, clearance of contaminated areas and destruction of stockpiles.

The Convention was adopted in Dublin by 107 states on 30 May 2008 and signed on 3 December the same year. The Convention became binding international law for the States Parties when it entered into force on 1 August 2010. The First Meeting of States Parties will take place in Vientiane, Laos, 8 – 12 November 2010. Future States Parties will accede to the Convention by submitting their ratifications to the United Nations headquarters in New York. As of October 2010, 108 states have joined the Convention and 42 countries are stat parties.

Over 40 youth leaders between the ages of 18-30 from all over the world are participating in the Mine Actions Canada (MAC) Youth Leaders Forum. I have met landmine survivors from mine-affected countries, landmine and cluster bomb removal advocates, occupational therapists and journalists from countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Cambodia, Nepal, Canada and the U.S. I’m trying not to feel embarrassed and constantly apologize that my country, the United States of America, has not signed the Mine Ban Treaty or the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. Not only have we not signed these treaties, but we are one of 11 countries that have used cluster bombs, one of 19 that has produced cluster munitions, and one of 48 with landmine and cluster bomb stockpiles.

The good news is the U.S. has enacted an “indefinite unilateral export moratoria” and after 2010, it will no longer use cluster munitions that result in more than 1% unexploded ordinance.  Which means we won’t export any cluster bombs and will only make more efficient ones… Having met several landmine and cluster bomb survivors and filmed four elephant landmine survivors in the last week, it’s hard to see that as “the glass is half-full”.

Sincerely,

Windy Borman

Director/Producer, The Eyes of Thailand

P.S. If you’d like to follow our tweets from the convention, search for the following Twitter hashtags: #ylf #cmc #banlandmines #banclusterbombs