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Lawrence M. Hynson III
Professor of Sociology & International
Studies
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Field: Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies
Host Institution: Prince of Songkla University,
Hat Yai, Thailand
Dates of Grant: June 28 - August 8, 2005
Apichart Chandaeng, my co-worker, asked "So
what's the formula for peace?" A second
co-worker, Chokchai Wongtanee, took another
bite of Kaeng Khiao Wan Nuea, green curry with
chicken. Pausing to savor the taste Chokchai
then said, "peace is about friends and
food." He added, "it's just having
fun being together." The professor in me
spoke up: "What you are saying is that
peace equals friends plus food plus fun."
That conversation came only after three weeks
of intense work at the recently established
Thai Peace Institute at Hat Yai. Aside from
this main administrative campus, there are four
other campuses (http://www.psu.ac.th/psu/indexeng_new.htm).
As a Fulbright Specialist, I worked with
Apichart and Chokchai, two recently hired junior
faculty members, and three staff members. We
were tasked to develop strategies for resolving
conflicts in the Southern Thai region. We used
documents and proposals of top university administrators
and faculty. We met with faculty committees
from the Prince of Songkla (PSU) campus at Pattani.
Eventually, we formulated the curriculum for
the proposed Master's of Science degree to be
offered beginning in the year 2007. We devised
course requirements, created four specialty
areas, and proposed elective courses. We completed
this task before the two new faculty members,
my wife and I visited the Prince of Songkla
University at Phukett for the remainder of our
time in Thailand.
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To create a relevant curriculum, we traveled
outside the Prince of Songkla Hat Yai campus.
Having begun our journey in Bangkok, we already
knew about Wat (temple) Pho and the Grand Palace
where the King and Queen live. We had seen why
Thailand is described as the 'Golden Paradise."
Royal temples and shrines with their vaults
and peaked gable ends literally glitter with
reflective titles and gold-plated coverings.
Now we learned about Southern culture at the
extensive Institute of South Thailand Studies
Folk Museum on Koh Yaw Island in Lake Songkla.
We discovered the textiles in the island's weaving
village and had lunch eating deliciously prepared
fresh fish. Here we visited fishing communities
noted for their hand-painted, lavishly decorated
"kaw lae" boats. We rode a small funicular
to the top of Khao Tang Kuan hill. From the
hilltop we saw a panoramic view of the city
and Sonkhla Lake. On top we saw the famous Sala
Vihan Daeng, the royal pavilion constructed
during the reign of King Rama V.
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Before leaving Southern Thailand and Hat Yai,
the VP for Planning and Development, Boonsom
Siribumrungsukha, requested my continued involvement
with the two new faculty members, participation
in Canada as these two pursue Peace Studies
(Royal Road University), and recommendations
for five additional Peace Studies faculty members.
Oklahoma State University signed a Memorandum
of Understanding in 2003 that began and will
continue this process.
Next we traveled to the PSU campus at Phukett
and witnessed the destruction of tsunami. The
two professors and I took an hour and half boat
ride to Phi Phi Don and stopped at Bamboo Island
where I snorkeled and enjoyed the coral reefs
offshore. We had lunch at Phi-Phi Don and explored
the island. We saw the Tsunamic devastation
of the beach/bay (Ao Lo Dalam). Our cruise came
back to Maya Bay where the movie 'The Beach'
was filmed! Then back to Phukett Island where
our journey eventually ended.
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The Thai meal combines spices--sweet and sour.
The taste may be hot or bland. Their idea is
to use food to create harmony and strengthen
relationships among family and friends. That
is the guiding principle-harmony. Although the
food always tastes good, it satisfies the eyes
and the nose. We leaned to eat hot spicy food
with steamed rice. Our favorite dishes were
Kaeng Khiao Wan Nuea (green curry with chicken),
Thot Man Pla (curried fish cakes), Kai Yang
Khao Niao Som Tom (barbecued chicken with sticky
rice), Po Pia Thot (spring rolls) and for dessert
Bua Loi Phuak Taro Balls in coconut cream.
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At Hat Hai I presented global examples of the
peace process to a Pattani faculty committee:
anthropologist Rawewan, political scientist
Srisompop and sociologist Wattana. We discussed
their research and their formula for peace.
"Improved quality of life leads to greater
trust," I stated. "Based on global
case studies, international economic development
is the foundation for peace." Thailand's
former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun states
it differently. He advocates respect for cultural
diversity as a formula for peace in the Southern
Muslim-dominated provinces of Yala, Pattani
and Narathiwat.
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We also found our own formula in our many travels
through the Southern, Northern, and Central
regions of Thailand. We found peace at meals
where we especially enjoyed our new Thai friends
and the variety of foods they ordered. We had
fun being with them. We learned that peace comes
in many forms. It began with the Thai greeting
"Sawat'di Crop" and ended with a delicious
dinner and an unbelievable sky.
For more information visit my homepage at http://fp.okstate.edu/lhynson/
E-mail me at lm.hynson@okstate.edu
about this project and/or peace efforts in general.
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