Journal of Mekong Societies

Crisis as a Trigger for the Reproduction of Otherness: The Never-ending Discrimination Against Myanmar Workers in Thai Society

2023-06-09T11:12:57+07:00

This paper examines the othering discourse regarding Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand during the recent severe coronavirus outbreak around the workers’ communities. Adopting an othering online discourse (OOD) framework, the study analyzes the comments made by Thai netizens in the posts of the three most popular Facebook news pages. It argues that there remains in Thai society an undercurrent of discriminatory attitudes and even hostility toward migrant workers among certain host-country population groups and that these attitudes can resurface at any time if a migrant-related crisis is presented as imminent. The findings show different usages of othering discourse: the slanderous remarks expressed in the comment threads are demonstrated as the reinforcement of social stigma, victim playing, and even eliminating the undesired through overt malice. They also reveal the frequent use of name-calling, vulgarities, and consensus-building among Thai netizens, which potentially perpetuate self-perceptions of superiority and mistreatment of migrants. Such usages indicate that Thai netizens who comment on these news posts harbor ideas of stigmatization, stereotyping, and alienation against migrants, which are likely to contribute significantly to their continual exclusion from Thai society. The social implication of this study is that misleading media coverage can trigger online reactions such as vile comments about migrants, thereby lowering their likelihood of being positively welcomed into host communities.

Economic Status and Capital Management of Communities with Transnational Families in Northeast Thailand

2023-04-05T16:31:42+07:00

This article aims to present the economic status and capital management of communities in Thailand’s Northeast provinces of Khon Kaen and Udon Thani, where large numbers of transnational families live. A mixed research method was used. For the qualitative method, data were obtained from in-depth interviews with 30 key informants consisting of 20 representatives from transnational families and 10 experts. For the quantitative method, structured interviews were used to collect data from the sample group, who are citizens or representatives of households in the communities where 400 transnational families live. The study found that the economic status of most of the families is similar, with an average annual income of between 100,001 and 500,000 baht. Most transnational families are able to improve their economic status through remittances and support from foreign husbands, which contribute to accumulation of capital that includes money, land, and investments in various businesses. They are also able to enhance their social status in terms of becoming more accepted and playing a greater role in the community. Overall, capital management of these communities has a high level of community capital management, accounting for 54.25 percent, with physical capital being managed the most, followed by social, cultural, local knowledge and wisdom, economic, and natural capital, respectively.

Modernization of Chiang Mai’s Infrastructural Space: A Case Study of its Electricity and Telecommunications Systems

2023-06-13T10:34:26+07:00

Since the 1950s, Chiang Mai’s infrastructure has gradually developed and modernized, culminating in its recent endorsement of smart city policies in 2018. We will explore how Chiang Mai’s development has changed and affected its residents by examining data related to both its historical development and the early stages of its new transformation policies. The aims of this paper are the following: 1) to gather data, including an architectural survey, that maps the changes in Chiang Mai’s electrical and telecommunications systems from the 1950s to today, 2) to examine the city’s historical transformation since the 1950s through the notion of infrastructural space, and 3) to further illustrate the development of Chiang Mai’s infrastructural space in relation to smart city policies. This research utilizes qualitative methods and combines data from various sources, such as historical photos of Chiang Mai city and interviews with key informants, including the head of Chiang Mai Electrical Substation 1-2-3, a high-level electrical engineer, and the curator of the Telephone Museum Northern District. The following highlights can be illustrated: 1) the infrastructural space in the city lacks coordination and has become chaotic, 2) smart city policies seem to be dissociated from any historical development of infrastructural space of Chiang Mai city, and 3) The public and private sectors in Chiang Mai approach the development of infrastructural space differently.

The Dynamics of Dai Lue Vernacular Houses: A Comparative Study of House Forms and Spatial Organization in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China and Mainland Southeast Asia

2023-02-06T16:18:54+07:00

Although the traditional homeland of the Dai Lue ethnic group is located in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan province, Southwest China, the Dai Lue people have migrated to places in Mainland Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. Currently, Xishuangbanna society is undergoing major changes in lifestyle and culture, some of which are reflected in Dai Lue houses. This article focuses on Dai Lue house forms and spatial organization to understand the people’s lifestyle and culture through vernacular houses in different contexts. The study argues that both environmental and socio-cultural factors determine the houses’ building materials, construction, and settings. The findings show that the characteristics of Dai Lue houses in Xishuangbanna differ from those of traditional houses, while those in dispersed settlements better retain the traditional form and are changing more slowly.

Communication Strategies Used by ASEAN Undergraduate Students in the ELF Setting

2023-06-27T12:48:45+07:00

With its deviations from standard English norms, speakers of English as a lingua franca (ELF) employ skillful use of communication strategies (CSs) to negotiate meaning and compensate for any deficiencies in their English repertoire during interactions. This mixed methods study aims to identify CSs used by ASEAN students at an international tertiary level institution in Thailand, in addition to exploring communication challenges they face in the ELF setting. Data was collected from an informal group talk, a self-report survey, and a focus group interview with seven undergraduate students from five different ASEAN countries. The findings show that the participants applied all five main types of CSs of which stalling, self-monitoring, and interactional strategies were reported to be used most frequently. Accommodation was found to be an emergent strategy in this context. Comprehension was the major difficulty faced by participants, particularly during those instances of ELF discourse where their interlocutors did not sufficiently collaborate in the negotiation of meaning. These findings suggest that CSs, especially stalling, self-monitoring, and interactional strategies, should be emphasized while teaching English for communication to aspiring ELF speakers. Students should also be made aware of and provided with exposure to varieties of English they are likely to encounter in ELF settings as a part of their listening and speaking practice.

Nurses’ Perceptions of English for Nursing Coursebooks at the University Level in Vietnam

2023-05-19T12:20:43+07:00

This article investigates nurses’ perceptions of English for Nursing coursebooks used in faculties of nursing at the university level in Vietnamese. A total of 221 nurses working at public and private hospitals participated in the study. A questionnaire and semi structured interviews were conducted to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The results revealed that the participants perceived that although the listening and speaking activities in the coursebooks encouraged communication, the listening exercises were insufficient. In addition, the reading texts were not specialized in terms of terminology for a nursing career, and the writing tasks focused mainly on filling out forms rather than writing medical documentation, such as nursing diagnoses. In addition, the topics in the coursebooks were neither diverse nor updated with new information, and Vietnamese cultural features were not included. Finally, it was difficult for the nurses to read or write journal articles because the coursebooks they had used did not include academic English. The results suggest that educators should re-design the coursebooks with the recommended guidelines to provide opportunities for nursing students to strengthen their English skills in medical contexts. The implementation of diverse topics and Vietnamese cultural features should be considered. Further research could focus on instructors’ teaching approaches to teaching English for Nursing coursebooks.

The Thai EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-being

2023-08-15T14:30:34+07:00

The study and promotion of well-being, particularly among adolescents, is well-documented within the western context. The EPOCH measure was adapted from the PERMA model as a tool to measure adolescent well-being. Cross-cultural and linguistically equivalent versions of the EPOCH model are necessary in order to help make a precise evaluation of adolescents’ well-being in diverse cultures. By conducting psychometric research on the Thai version of the EPOCH scale, we aimed to explore the five-factor model among Thai adolescents. To create and validate a Thai version of the EPOCH, the English version of the EPOCH was back-translated and distributed based on a snowball sampling method on social media. 368 respondents completed the Thai EPOCH. The responses were analyzed to assess the internal consistency of each of the subscales—engagement, perseverance, optimism, connectedness, and happiness. The results indicate that the Thai EPOCH has the potential to be a useful tool for assessing the well-being of Thai speakers.

An Ethical Matrix Analysis of the Thai Tapioca-chip Drying Yard Business

2023-06-09T11:25:43+07:00

The qualitative research described in this article analyzed ethical concerns in the efforts of the Thai tapioca-chip business to develop guidelines to address ethical problems and promote sustainable business practices. The conceptual tool known as the ethical matrix was employed to analyze data collected through in-depth interviews with purposively selected informants. Findings showed a map of ethical concerns of five interest groups, that is, cassava farmers, employees in tapioca-chip drying yards, communities and the environment in the neighborhood of these drying yards, customers, and tapioca-chip businesses. These concerns were categorized according to the ethical principles of well-being, autonomy and justice. Through the lens of the Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), these concerns were further classified into two groups under the layers of ethical and philanthropic responsibilities. The overview of ethical concerns in the Thai tapioca-chip business revealed a significant element toward the development of business sustainability. This was the element of corporate citizenship based on empathy that the tapioca-chip drying yards had for cassava farmers and communities.