Summer2007Bulletin

1. Mir Rakib Ahsan has worked for The Asia Foundation for seven years. He is currently a Program Officer focusing on Rights and Criminal Justice in The Asia Foundation’s Bangladesh office. Ahsan provides partners with technical assistance to help them develop and design research tools, training modules, and communication materials. He first began working with the Foundation on a Democracy Partnership Program in 2000 after a stint as a researcher with Save the Children-UK. Ahsan holds a Masters in Anthropology from Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka and a Diploma in Development Planning from Academy for Planning and Development. Ahsan first became aware of The Asia Foundation as a university student through the Books for Asia program. “Anthropology was a new discipline in Bangladesh when I enrolled in the university. At the beginning, my department collected most of the books from outside the country with high prices. Later we heard about the Foundation and collected books from Books for Asia.” Ahsan believes that research is a key ingredient to successful programs. “I believe without proper analysis of a problem it cannot be addressed accu- rately. As an anthropologist and as a social worker I have always had a special interest in identifying social problems that affect people’s lives and culture and to find out the root causes of the problems.” Promoting human security has been a cornerstone of The Asia Foundation’s work in Bangladesh in recent years. Ahsan contributes to this work through his lead role in the Foundation’s community-oriented policing program, talking with community people, civil society, national and local organizations, and the Bangladesh police. Ahsan’s work has helped reshape traditional police management and operational strate- gies through facilitating collaborative working relations between citizens and police. HEADQUARTERS 465 California Street, 9th Floor San Francisco, CA 94104 USA Tel: (415) 982-4640 Fax: (415) 392-8863 Email: info@asiafound.org WASHINGTON, D.C. 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Suite 815 Washington, D.C. 20036 USA Tel: (202) 588-9420 Fax: (202) 588-9409 Email: info@asiafound-dc.org The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women’s empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research. With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2006, the Foundation provided more than $53 million in program support and distributed 920,000 books and educational materials valued at $30 million throughout Asia. For more information about The Asia Foundation, visit www.asiafoundation.org. NOTES FROM THE FIELD MANAGING THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE “WILD WEST” CAMBODIA By Brooke Shull Until recently, the Koh Kong region of Cambodia was known as their “Wild West “— geographically isolated from the rest of the country, the surrounding Cardamom Mountains served as one of the last Khmer Rouge strongholds. The Cardamoms stretch to the western border with Thailand, and host dense forests and some of the world’s rarest wildlife species. The range forms the headwaters of several key watersheds, which support the majority of the region’s fisheries and agriculture activities. Along the main coastal estuary is one of the largest remaining mangrove preserves in Southeast Asia, which provides a sanctuary for fish and a cheap (but illegal) source of fuel for thousands of local fishing families. That combined with dozens of uninhabited islands and virgin beaches provides a setting that seems to be an ideal global tourism destination. For now, Koh Kong remains a transit area — a rest stop for people and goods traveling to or from Thailand. It is also one of 13 provinces in Cambodia where The Asia Foundation is initiating its Civil Society and Pro-Poor Markets (CSPPM) program, aimed at improving rural livelihoods among communities that are highly dependent on natural resources. BULLETIN REBUILDING THAILAND TSUNAMI RIGHTS & LEGAL AID REFERRAL CENTER 61-year-old Mrs. Pratum lives in Nha Khao sub-district of Krabi province, where she raises her 15-year-old grand- daughter and 12-year-old grandson. Some years before, her son divorced his wife, Aorajit. He abandoned all responsibilities for raising the children to his mother and ex-wife. Mrs. Pratum, already widowed, took care of the children, while Aorajit provided financial support by moving to work at a hotel on nearby Phi Phi Island, a popular destination for foreign tourists. Just prior to the December 2006 tsunami, Aorajit purchased two plots of land near Mrs. Pratum’s home, hoping to eventually settle there. However, when Phi Phi Island was devastated by SUMMER 2007 MIR RAKIB AHSAN Program Officer, Bangladesh TRUSTEES STAFF SPOTLIGHT P.O.Box193223 SanFrancisco,California94119-3223 www.asiafoundation.org PROGRAMS Afghanistan Bangladesh Cambodia China East Timor Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Korea Laos Malaysia Mongolia Nepal Pacific Island Nations Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan* Thailand Vietnam OFFICES ASIA Bangkok Beijing Colombo Dhaka Dili Hanoi Hong Kong Islamabad Jakarta Kabul Kathmandu Kuala Lumpur Manila Phnom Penh Seoul Tokyo Ulaanbaatar UNITED STATES San Francisco Washington, D.C. * In Taiwan, The Asia Foundation operates through a partnership with the Asia Foundation in Taiwan, a locally incorporated non-governmental, non-profit organization. W W W . A S I A F O U N D AT I O N . O R G See Rebuilding Thailand, continued inside... See Managing the Environment, continued inside... BOARD OF TRUSTEES William L. Ball, III, Chairman of the Board Michael H. Armacost, Vice Chairman of the Board Douglas Bereuter, President Susan J. Pharr, Secretary Paul S. Slawson, Treasurer Terrence B. Adamson David R. Andrews Mary Brown Bullock Alexander D. Calhoun, Esq. William H.C. Chang Gina Lin Chu Theodore L. Eliot, Jr. Thomas S. Foley Jared Frost Harry Harding Ta-lin Hsu James Andrew Kelly Ellen Laipson David Michael Lampton Chien Lee Lee Hong-Koo Surin Pitsuwan Milbrey Rennie J. Stapleton Roy Leslie Tang Schilling Robert A. Theleen Judith F. Wilbur Linda Tsao Yang Alice Young TRUSTEES EMERITI: William S. Anderson A.W. Clausen Ernest M. Howell Chong-Moon Lee Lucian W. Pye Robert A. Scalapino Walter Shorenstein PRESIDENTS EMERITI: William P. Fuller Haydn Williams VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: http://www.asiafoundation.org/ Contact/yourinterests.html to update your contact information. And help us improve our website by taking our online survey, available for a limited time via our home page. Non-ProfitOrg. U.S.Postage PAID SanFrancisco,CA PermitNo.6041 “I have always had a special interest in identifying social problems that affect people’s lives and culture and to find out the root causes of the problems. ” 61-year-old Mrs. Pratum lives in Nha Khao sub-district of Krabi province, where she raises her 15-year-old grand- daughter and 12-year-old grandson. Some years before, her son divorced his wife, Aorajit. He abandoned all responsibilities for raising the children to his mother and ex-wife. Mrs. Pratum, already widowed, took care of the children, while Aorajit provided financial support by moving to work at a hotel on nearby Phi Phi Island, a popular destination for foreign tourists. Just prior to the December 2004 tsunami, Aorajit purchased two plots of land near Mrs. Pratum’s home, hoping to eventually settle there. However, when Phi Phi Island was devastated by 29891-50680DL-v2 8/21/07 11:50 AM Page 1

2. THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BURNS is the leading institute of Vietnam specializ- ing in burns with the aim to provide highly qualified research, treatment, education and guidance of the activities for burn prevention and monitory nationwide. The Institute was established on December 1, 1964 as the Department of Burns at the Militant Hospital 103. In April 25, 1991 under the Decision No. 142-CT by the Vice-chairman of Council of Ministers, it was converted to the Le Huu Trac National Institute of Burns, named after one of the greatest doctors in Vietnam’s history and became one of the two practi- cal hospitals of the Militant Medical Institute of Vietnam. For more information, please visit: www.vienbongquocgia.org.vn or www.vnburn.org.vn the tsunami, Aorajit tragically was among those who did not survive. Mrs. Pratum and the children were dis- traught over the loss of Aorajit, and Mrs. Pratum also faced the burden of raising the two children without the financial income that she had come to rely on from Aorajit. To make matters worse, almost immedi- ately after Aorajit’s passing, Aorajit’s sister tried to claim Aorajit’s land even though legally the children were entitled to it. The Asia Foundation’s Tsunami Rights and Legal Aid Referral Center (T-LAC) met Mrs. Pratum on a door-to-door cam- paign in Nha Khao. With funding from the World Bank and the Japan Social Development Fund, T-LAC provides free legal aid and counseling throughout Thailand’s six tsunami affected provinces. Once Mrs. Pratum explained her tragic story, T-LAC provided her with free legal services, including a lawyer, to help her file for legal guardianship of her grandchildren and to ensure that they received their inheritance. T-LAC and The Asia Foundation also used counterpart contributions from the AIG Disaster Relief Fund to supply Mrs. Pratum with capital to start a small pig farm. This allowed her to purchase five pairs of breeding pigs, construct a pigsty, and purchase forage supplies for the pigs. The income generated from the pig farm is now providing enough money for her and her two grandchildren to live. Mrs. Pratum is just one of 1,354 people assisted by T-LAC since it opened. The Foundation also provides economic and vocational support to tsunami sur- vivors with funding from the AIG Disaster Relief Fund, Give2Asia, and other generous donors. It’s striking to visit a place so rich in natural resources and to find so much poverty. The majority of the population lives in rural, isolated villages and relies heavily on fishing for daily survival. On average, poor villagers earn about one to two dol- lars per day, depending on weather and seasonal variations, the amount of fishing gear the family owns, and family members’ health. Some families own small boats and fishing gear, while others bor- row equipment from neighbors or have to collect shellfish by hand. Nearly all of their daily income is spent on food, shel- ter, and sometimes education fees if their villages have schools. The local economy slows dramatically during monsoon sea- son, when travel becomes difficult and there are fewer fish to catch. Koh Kong is starting to attract much- needed investment, but local officials and citizens are struggling to manage growth and mitigate the negative impacts of development. Poor families are particularly vulnerable to losing their land to commercial development, and the natural resource base that they depend on for all of their subsistence and economic activities is shrinking as a result of ecological degrada- tion and increased competition. It is in this context that The Asia Foundation is implementing the CSPPM program. The Foundation, working through international and local NGO partners, will support local civil society initiatives aimed at increasing citizens’ stake in development and natural resource management decisions. Through construc- tive dialogue between civil society, the private sector and the local government, the Foundation hopes that local communities in Koh Kong will receive more benefits from future tourism and commercial development, and that they will play a greater role in managing the natural resources that they depend on. Brooke Shull is a Program Officer for The Asia Foundation’s Environment program. MANAGING THE ENVIRONMENT (CONTINUED FROM COVER) After only five years of independence, East Timor is in the early stages of building its democratic political system. The Asia Foundation is supporting these efforts through a program to build the capacity and resources of East Timor’s parliament. The Members of Parliament (MPs), many serving for the first time, need access to more information on the issues being debated and on their legislative role more generally. Newly elected MPs from the June 30, 2007 elections will begin their five-year terms in September. Through support from the U.S. House of Representatives Democracy Assistance Commission (HDAC), The Asia Foundation will help to create a func- tioning and well-equipped parliament library, and an information and research service for MPs. This program will create the parliament’s first stand-alone library and information facility, providing equipment, including computers, basic infor- mational materials, and furniture. The program will also increase the knowledge and expertise of MPs, to improve their understanding of their role in democratic governance, better quality legislation, and more effective oversight of the government. Through cooperation with the U.S. Library of Congress regional office in Jakarta, which is providing technical advice to this program, the Foundation will upgrade information technology (IT) resources and services available to MPs and parliament staff. The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program will provide a core set of English-language materials along with other relevant reference materials. The Foundation is also coordinating training for the library staff by the Library of Congress-Jakarta, the U.S. Development of State’s regional librarian, and a local Timorese training institution. EAST TIMOR PARLIAMENT’S FIRST LIBRARY AND INFORMATION CENTER C H I N A : D I S A S T E R P R E PA R E D N E S S More than 90 representatives from Chinese government disaster management agencies, Chinese and international enterprises and non-government organizations attended The Asia Foundation’s Private Sector Disaster Management Workshops in Beijing and Shanghai in early June. The workshops launched a two-year project to enhance private sector participation in and contributions to community-level disaster preparedness, risk reduction, and relief initiatives. The project encourages greater collaboration among government agencies, private enterprises, and local charities and relief organizations. This effort is being supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Next year, the project will also include training workshops in disaster preparedness for the private sector. Ultimately, the project aims to create a collaborative model of community-based preparedness and mitigation initiatives that can be replicated outside immediate project areas. V I E T N A M : I N N O VAT I V E A N T I - T R A F F I C K I N G P R O G R A M The Asia Foundation is launching a two- year, $300,000 project to combat human trafficking in Vietnam. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Government of Vietnam and local organizations in five provinces most affected by human trafficking. Funded by the U.S. Department of State Office to Combat and Monitor Trafficking in Persons, the project will pilot new methods for pre- venting trafficking in Vietnam, including public education on safe migration, peer counseling, and theater performances to educate girls about trafficking. P H I L I P P I N E S : E L E C T I O N S Unresolved questions about the conduct of the 2004 elections led to political crises in 2005 and 2006. Thus, for the May 2007 Philippines elections, The Asia Foundation launched a comprehensive program to increase the chances that Filipinos would find the results credible. As part of this work, the Commission on Elections, Department of Education, and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) produced a first-ever simplified joint handbook for use by teachers at the precinct level. The Foundation also helped PPCRV create partnerships in Muslim areas of Mindanao. Memoranda of agreement were signed between PPCRV and 12 Muslim NGOs, as well as with the Muftis (religious lead- ers). The Foundation partnered with the Bangkok-based Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) to bring 21 election observers from six Asian countries for deployment throughout the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). I N D I A N D I P L O M AT S S T U D Y T O U R This summer, The Asia Foundation spon- sored an observation program for four diplomats from India’s Ministry of External Affairs, each from a different region within India. Their visit focused on U.S. public policy and its implications for our bilateral relationship with India. This program is part of the Foundation’s efforts to help strengthen U.S.-India relations through dialogue between Indians and Americans. The diplomats completed a two-week course on U.S. Foreign Policy at George Washington University, then visited Chicago and Nebraska, and completed the exchange program in California. S T U D Y O N A M E R I C A’ S R O L E I N S R I L A N K A’ S P E A C E P R O C E S S In May, The Asia Foundation launched a study analyzing U.S. involvement in Sri Lanka’s peace process from 2002-2006. The report, released amidst renewed fight- ing in Sri Lanka’s civil conflict, was writ- ten by Jeffrey Lunstead, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka from August 2003 to July 2006. The study is a follow-up to a previous landmark study, which analyzed the interaction between members of the international community and the Sri Lankan parties to the conflict. Sri Lanka’s civil conflict has taken approxi- mately 65,000 lives and has been ongoing for over 25 years. In February 2002, a ceasefire was established between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. In 2003, the United States was designated as a Co-Chair to the Sri Lankan Peace Process – along with the European Union, Japan, and Norway – to provide incentives to both parties to stay committed to the peace process. Both studies are available at: www.asiafoundation.org/Locations/ srilanka_publications.html PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: RECENT ACHIEVEMENTSREBUILDING THAILAND (CONTINUED FROM COVER) Each year, an estimated 15,000-16,000 people are severely burned in Vietnam. The number of burn injuries ranks second only after traffic accidents. Burn cases often worsen because families and local practitioners do not know how to admin- ister first aid to burn victims. In June, The Asia Foundation and Le Huu Trac National Institute of Burns (NIB) launched a one-year project to reduce the number of burn accidents in Vietnam through effective prevention education and development of improved skills for local care givers. Using a comprehensive approach designed to raise community and citizen awareness of prevention while providing local health workers with training to enhance their treatment skills, the NIB, with support from The Asia Foundation, will partner with local and pediatric hospitals to conduct needs assessments, develop workshops and educational and training materials on prevention and treatment for local educators and health workers, implement nationwide awareness campaigns through local and national media, and support hotlines for burn accidents. The project is supported by the AIG Disaster Relief Fund and Give2Asia, a U.S.-based public charity founded the The Asia Foundation to promote targeted philanthropy in Asia. FIRST-EVER COMPREHENSIVE NATIONWIDE BURN PREVENTION PROGRAM IN VIETNAM The Asia Foundation established the Books for Asia program in East Timor in 2003 to increase local institutions’ access to information in a broad variety of fields. Since then, the program has distributed more than 15,000 books in East Timor. The Tsunami Rights and Legal Aid Referral Center, which opened in March 2006, is located in Krabi Province and administers comprehensive free legal services and counseling throughout the tsunami ravaged southern Thai provinces of Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, and Satun. Get “In Asia” Weekly Insight and Features from The Asia Foundation. Read and subscribe now: www.asiafoundation.org/ in-asia/ Through cooperation with the U.S. Library of Congress regional office in Jakarta, which is providing technical advice to this program, the Foundation will upgrade information technology (IT) resources and services available to MPs and parliament staff. The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program will provide a core set of English-language materials along with other relevant reference materials. The Foundation is also coordinating training for the library staff by the Library of Congress-Jakarta, the U.S. Department of State’s regional librarian, and a local Timorese training institution. 29891-50680DL-v2 8/21/07 11:50 AM Page 2

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