'The Isthmus' will help open Thai eyes to our Asean neighbours
ACCORDING to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, it was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, and can summarise its aims and purposes as follows:
- To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development;
- To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries;
- To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
- To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
- To collaborate more effectively for greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade;
- To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
- To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes.
To realise whether we do understand our Asean neighbours is to investigate ourselves after seeing “The Isthmus” film. What is your understanding and perspectives on our neighbours after seeing it?
This film inspired me to see, learn and understand our neighbours at heart. I asked myself: How can we enhance ourselves for the future of Asean community integration?
This film gives an analogy to learn about your understanding, belief, and faith about your view of Asean neighbours.
The synopsis of the film “Isthmus” is: “A Thai mother, Da, decides to take a trip to Ranong after her Burmese maid Gee dies and the Thai woman’s 8-year-old daughter suddenly loses her ‘mother tongue’. She goes to the Thai-Burmese border town in search of the only relative of the maid, feeling that her daughter still retains a strange bond with the spirit of the maid. With the aid of a Burmese doctor at the centre of the Burmese community in Ranong, they encounter the world of Burmese labourers. The search over a few days for their maid’s relative becomes a spiritual and psychological exploration of their own lives.”
This film is written, produced and directed by Sopawan Boonnimitra and Peerachai Kerdsint, |professors at Chulalongkorn and Bangkok universities, respectively.
The directors said, “Instead of focusing on common assumptions about the Burmese, we want to focus on the relationships, the subject of loss, how people are coping, and particularly the effect these conditions might have on the children and on the lives of those who have been ignored, whether through life or death”.
According to the “Isthmus” directors, the screen shots portray different lives and how they construct meaning out of their own particular space and what they call ‘home’ a term that has recently been used to such dividing effects between different groups of people. They focused on the area of Ranong, where the Kra Isthmus is located. This is the narrowest strip of the peninsula, shared by two countries, which should have brought the citizens of both nations closer. But in reality we are further apart. This area is full of cultural, racial, and religious diversity.
This film is not only about the Burmese but also about ourselves, at a time when we are experiencing an identity in crisis and perhaps we need an outsider to remind us of who we are, as emphasised by the directors.
“Isthmus” uses non-professional actors and actresses who work in Ranong. These Burmese have been living and based in Ranong longer than in their own country.
The intention of this film is to focus on ‘the language’ and our ability to understand what’s going on around us. Every language has its own limits and relies on ‘differences’, so what we are talking about now is not only the language but also about ‘differences’, whether to do with race, beliefs, religion or culture.
By means of behaviour and the way of living, we have different eyes, tastes and voices. Somehow, we are all folk of Asean, but of various ethnic type.
To get rid of any prejudice or historical misconception, this film reflects the viewpoint of learning to live together, which is the heart of education.
Yes, as Thais, we have our Thai identities and may find it hard to harmonise with our neighbours. Well, have we ever attempted to sit in the shoes of others and investigated the Thai mindset – seeing the world through the eyes of people from Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia and so on?
The power of story-telling is not only to tell about the existing facts in Ranong, but also other similar migrant areas where Laotians, Cambodians,and Burmese workers live in Thailand.
Human relations or Asean neighbourly ties are a fundamental prerequisite before we are go to the Asean Economic Community (AEC) at year-end.
Seeing this film can promote awareness and tolerance of marginalised citizens, migration and diaspora. Most of us are involved or see migrant workers daily, such as a nanny in your house, a service person in a restaurant, etc. So why don’t we try to understand them via our eyes? We may understand ourselves through seeing this film.
For an educational viewpoint, see it to learn more about life, socio-culture and the struggles of our neighbours. It may create awareness and influence us to explore more on multicultural and socio-cultural aspect of the Asean community.
‘The Isthmus’ is showing at House Rama RCA until February 11 at 6:45pm.
PRIYAKORN PUSAWIRO, Dr. -Ing.
Learning scientist, Computer Engineering Department
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
