Closing Entry by the Editor-in-Chief

Written by: Nadiah Ahmad.

Chiang Mai posed for many of us an opportunity to get away from the familiar and learn about, what seemed like, an unknown and mysterious backyard. Thailand, a country situated just above Malaysia, was a place many only associated with Bangkok and Phuket, and so the location was in itself enticing.

When I signed up for the trip, I did not know anyone in Monash beyond my ridiculously tiny social network. Many of the travellers were already acquainted with each other, having shared classes or similar social groups. When I was given the task of chief editor I shuddered at the notion of organizing a bunch of art students who, by definition, should not be prone to the notions of organization and deadlines – I, for one, still struggle with them. But having said that, I was pleasantly surprised at the work ethic that came with each team, and so felt assured of the workload given to us.

We arrived inquisitive, though slightly sleepy, at Chiang Mai Airport, and the transportation that greeted us was both unexpected and exciting; pick-up trucks with roofs, and which soon became our main mode of transport around the city, was one of the pivotal settings for the groups of us to get to know each other. It was also a place for Abeer to release her frustrations and boredom by singing the Sesame Street theme song.

Days passed rather slowly for us, early mornings and late nights; when it was three pm, we hoped for it to be six. Even so, each hour we spent, we learnt, laughed and sang. Work was done, though admittedly, not always on time. But the times we shared, we shared willingly. Getting to know one another was part of the incentive and became one of the main reasons we did not want to leave the country. Our student guides assimilated themselves to be one of us; they shared stories and experiences with us and vice versa, and because of that, they have left a lasting impression in our hearts and minds.

There are a couple of things that must be highlighted to single out this trip from others, making it (and this is my biased perspective) the BEST student trip EVER. One of which is, unlike the previous ones, the lack of a definitive setting in which previous travellers saw as mandatory – the cyber cafe. I have heard stories of previous travellers bonding over the brightly lit computer screens at cyber cafes. Though a few of us did do our work as one, most of us (and by the end of it, all of us) were instead stationed within the confines of our rooms or the makeshift studio at the guesthouse to finish our work.

We instead bonded over football, Singha beer, saman, banghra, talks about the trauma of sex shows and Muay Thai, and a group effort to get a couple of travellers emancipated from their denial of mutual infatuation. Considering the circumstances (or lack thereof), the travellers ended up seeing each other as more than just course mates; indeed, we are all now friends.

Another peculiar factor present within our group was the multiplicity of nationalities amongst the travellers. We had Malaysians, Indonesians, a Sri Lankan, an Indian, an Aussie, a Zimbabwean and a Chinese whose eagerness was infectious. It was interesting to see everyone break out of their national shells, and embrace each others’ idiosyncrasies. It was not only a trip to learn about Thai culture, but the culture of our fellow travellers, and most of us gained a plethora of knowledge, not excluding suave dances moves.

Dr. Yeoh, our Pathfinder and head honcho, set out planning this trip for us to learn about the world in ways we could not have in the pages of our course readers. He wanted us to learn by experiencing, by watching and hearing stories of struggles and triumphs. Personally, I think he wanted to reassure us of our ideals, and to hopefully retain them once we are released from the confines of our Monash gates. I wish for his plan to work, for the world is a reality that needs a necessary dose of idealism, which then hopefully this bunch of travellers can provide.

EMPOWERing Sex, EMPOWERing Women

Written by: Nadiah Ahmad.

Chillie love lips

There is a bar that sits on a street, conspicuously enticing with its bright lights, an open air concept and a plaque that reads “Can Do Bar”; it not only serves drinks to its customers but also sex. This is a place many sex workers call home, while simultaneously becoming the setting for an organisation that sets to tell the story and struggle of sex workers in Chiang Mai. Owned by EMPOWER (Education Means Protection of Women Engaged in Re-creation), a sex worker organisation, it was first established as an informal gathering of sex workers in Bangkok, where friends would exchange and discuss ideas about life and love, and learn foreign languages to better understand the needs and wants of customers they deal with on a daily basis. What originally started with a humble beginning, is now a thriving non-profit group that has offices across Thailand. Though the organisation was in itself an accidental appropriation, its existence in Thailand’s society is not. Thailand’s sex work industry is a large and booming one, and for it to not be protected legally and formally would seem absurd. However, this is exactly the case.

Reflections of empowerment

EMPOWER is owned by, run by, and protects sex workers. Unlike other non-profits that are mostly headed by those who are isolated from the lived experiences of what they are fighting for, women of EMPOWER are those who have gone through the abuses of the such work; this then makes them the best people to advocate for the protection of sex work and sex workers alike. Liz, the translator and coordinator of the session, explains that EMPOWER wants to be the centre in which sex workers can come and feel like they are part of a community. Apart from the bar (which employs two full time bar workers, and about 20 or so sex workers), EMPOWER also provides language courses, computer and typing classes, as well as sex education. The organisation has an outreach program to increase awareness about sex work, sex workers and the health and safety issues within the community. EMPOWER is also opening a sex workers’ museum to educate the public about the history of sex work in Chiang Mai; clearly, to EMPOWER, benefits should not only be confined to the workers, but also to the wider public who may have forgotten the historical significance of this form of work. Therefore educating them about it would emancipate them in some way from the reality in which they live.

The most prominent struggle sex workers face is the lack of legal protection that comes with engaging in such an employment. The government does not recognize sex work, and so those who work within the industry get little to no protection. Even so, Liz says that there are informal standards that sex work and workers are meant to adhere to; many of these are disadvantageous to the workers, and only profit the employers. Thus as a working example, the Can Do bar, established in 2006, runs by a set of standards that are beneficial to workers, employers and customers alike.

Travellers with Liz and friends

Through this, EMPOWER hopes that more bars emulate these standards and so will make sex work more protected sans legislation. Of course in the long run, EMPOWER would like to see the equal treatment and protection of sex workers across Thailand, but this hope is for the indefinite future; for now, EMPOWER is practical in its attempts to safeguard the interests of its people through its efforts that teach how to survive and work without threats.

It all then seems rather fitting: an organisation for sex workers, by sex workers. There is a subtle feminist agenda that runs through the whole concept of EMPOWER as Liz explains they do not look to protect male and transgender sex workers, but do work closely with organisations that do. Or maybe it is just realistic, as females dominate the sex industry more so than any other gender. Looking at the emblem of the tin can that opens itself with a can opener becomes the symbol of an empowered sex worker able to work for herself, out of harm and out of will.

The can-do can

And They Ask, Wat Sum Pow?

Written By: Nadiah Ahmad.

We braced ourselves before entering the crowd of locals and foreigners at the night market on Rachadamnoen Road, situated just down the alley from where we dwell. A friend and I took a left turn, but the rest decided not to; and so the immersion began. Stalls lined the edge of a wide street that stretched far too long for my poor eyesight to comprehend, on a road far too complicated to pronounce.

As I tried to grasp the atmosphere, I was caught off-guard by a bunch of promoters wearing white. Their t-shirts had, “I <3 JPN” (or so I think) printed on them. Perplexed at what exactly they were chanting, I soon realised that Thai night markets were not, in many ways, the night markets I had always been used to in KL; namely the fact that these markets are not just for micro-entrepreneurs to supply to the demanding, but it was also a public space for those who wish to exhibit their creativity.

Starbucks indicates regular presence of  tourists

We walked further down the road, past temples and then across the road to where remnants of the old Fort wall still stood majestically reminding the city and its people of its history. Behind the orange-moss wall, the capitalistic emblems of Starbucks, McDonald’s and 7-Eleven shone light on a section of the market that seemed to only cater to tourists; sarongs, Thai silk and lanterns occupied many tables within the vicinity and I suddenly became nauseous at the thought of being too much of a tourist.


We quickly headed back to where the locals were and then another mini epiphany dawned upon us; the ethics of cleanliness that has been conditioned into the minds of the Thai people is worthy of envy. There was no dustbin in sight, and yet the streets were considerably clean with no smell of decomposing half-eaten fried foods. Our inner moral police told us not to be non-Thai by littering. And so we straddled along, garbage in hand and watched four blind men playing in a band; all in line, probably singing about sunshine. How refreshing.

Sunday Market lays on both sides of the now derelict fort wall

I further indulged in the notion of buskers, watching those who played with their traditional instruments, as it struck a chord with the pseudo-musician in me. I loved the fact that the noises that engulfed the market were not that of shouts or loud generators, but of music. However I was suddenly brought back to reality by the image of a young girl of about four or five in her tribal garment dancing by one of the brightly lit stalls. The female owner of a particular stall was engrossed in the little girl’s dancing while I became engrossed in the idea of a child being made to dance for money. We decided some sense of serenity was needed to exorcise our exaggerated thoughts of child labour abuses and thus promptly made our way to the nearest temple.

The temple compound housed makeshift stalls for Thais to sell their goods, and this I found the most peculiar. For I always assumed a place of worship is for nothing but just that; my Malaysian mentality of compartmentalising thus was being challenged. The stalls sold goods that both Thais and foreigners would find useful alongside plentiful food stalls.

The Buddhist lifestyle integrated with everyday consumerism

We heard the chanting of a monk, while ladies prayed outside ever so intently and sincerely; I felt like I was intruding. We saw Thais buy sushi while westerners purchased Pad Thai, locals buying foreign food, foreigners buying local food; all of this happened amongst the statues of Buddha that looked on with blessings in tow. And if it was not Buddha who protected us, there was always the tourist police.

Profile: Nadiah Ahmad

Hello I’m Nadiah. I graduated last year with a BA in political studies from Otago University in New Zealand, and now I’m in Monash doing my honours; so unlike my fellow travellers, I’m relatively new to the university. I’ve been given the highly unattractive task of heading the editorial team for this trip, but I’m looking forward to the late nights, and amping up my annoying traits to get the pieces edited and posted on time. I don’t like cheese, but I like Cheddar – smoked cheddar. Oh yeah.