Obama, BP's Mess and America's Mess

Obama is furious about BP's mess in the Gulf of Mexico and rightly so. Lucky for him it was not an American oil company. Mind you, he seems to be overlooking the fact that BP bought Amoco, American Oil Company, in 1998 and all its American assets including personnel who were prominent in this current fiasco. Is Obama in this new political zest for cleaning up America's mess overlooking American military waste in Indochina that has been adversely affecting lives there for 40 years, not just reducing their income but reducing their lifespan? What if Laos, Viet Nam and Cambodia decided it was time to put their foot on America's neck and insist they clean up their mess and not one penny to be picked up by their governments and taxpayers and every one affected by the contamination by UXO's sue the American government for loss of life and livelihood in a xenophobic frenzy? Ha, that'll be the day Democracy reaches the United States of America.

Educating Nate Thayer by Al Rockoff and Project Pineapple

Nate Thayer came over to say hi. There were only staff in the FCCT, Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, no customers. He didn't need to introduce himself by name. This is the man who interviewed Pol Pot after an 18 year absence, the same year he died. He also interviewed Duch, the executioner of thousands in torture camps, found by photographer Nick Dunlop working for ARC, American Refugee Committee. Duch is presently being tried for Crimes Against Humanity, awaiting sentencing. I worked for ARC 1998-1999 on the Cambodian border supplying two refugee camps with water.

It was during the Red Shirt occupation of down town commercial centre of Bangkok in which FCCT is located that we met and hung out for a couple of weeks last month, May. I rode my bike through two Red Shirt check points to an empty car park surrounded by a linked barrier fence. The bike is of course not the Minsk which I sold in Phnom Penh last year but my old faithful Yamaha DT 200. Built for dirt track, it works well in this city riding through the sunken manhole covers and drains, mounting the high kerbs when the traffic jam is too dense to get through. Whizz along the pavements through accommodating pedestrians. Everyone does it, if they've got big wheels.

In pursuit of Pol Pot and other stories, Nate had made a heavily armed elephant ride, a convoy of four, the only way to safely travel through Cambodia's Ratanakiri Province during the Khmer Rouge strife. This is the intersection point. I too had ridden my Minsk along unpaved trails somewhat improved through the same territory only last year in search of a different story, one generation earlier. The Viet Nam story of the Ho Chi Minh Trail and it being carpet bombed with clusters.

"Clusters bombs?" Nate questioned, being more familiar with the widespread use of landmines in the Khmer Rouge war mongering days. "Yes" chipped in Al, "along the Ho Chi Minh trail in the north east and around Phnom Penh too". Al Rockoff is an old Cambodia and Viet Nam hand, a respected photographer. He's the one played by John Malkovich in the Killing Fields. Have a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Rockoff

So there you are. Project Pineapple's purpose was to raise awareness of the Cluster Bomb issue. A well worn journalist such as Nate who was focused on the Khmer Rouge problem with Pol Pot and Duch was surprised to learn of their use in Cambodia. Imagine the ignorance remaining in the minds of most who have far less possibility to be aware.

So children in the carpert bombed areas continue to die every month, around 10 'on average'. Now at least one more is aware of this little publicised fact, Nate Thayer.

To read Nate's story go to: http://www.cybercambodia.com/dachs/killing/polpot.html

Among his peers, Nate Thayer is known as "a man with a mission, a mobile, and an AK-47". In his yet to be published book, Sympathy For the Devil, he recounts his search for Pol Pot, Duch and other tales. Nate kindly offered me some sections of the manuscript over which to cast an eye. A good read.

One Year Anniversary, the Minsk

It has just passed. At the end of May last year I rode into Phnom Penh to end the over 7000 kilometer ride along the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos, Viet Nam and Cambodia to help raise awareness of the Cluster Bomb issue. It was planned only to be about 3500 kilometers but with invitations and detours it extended. Ride one, get one free.

The final few hundreds of meters brought me to a guest house not far from Phnom Penh Post. To my surprise, I saw two other Minsk motorbikes sitting outside. Chatting with the guys they said a friend was arriving soon looking to buy one too. Saddle sore, I gladly offered my Minsk.

Next day while hugging the toilet with my only bout of bad belly, another guy whom I'd helped repair his Yamaha turned up with Aussie Tom looking for a Minsk. After talking to his Dad back home and viewing this blog he agreed to buy it.

Next day, yahoo, I was on a bus to Angkor Wat. It was raining so, yahoo, I didn't have to take shelter. I could doze without the possiblity of being wiped out by ten wheeled truck, yahoo. I was grateful to Tom for relieving me of my extended marathon.

Earlier this year I was on a trip in Indonesia. While walking along the beach road in south Kuta, Bali, noticing the developments from three years earlier, through my day dreaming I heard, Robert, then more loudly, ROBERT, as a hand came down on my right shoulder. It was Tom. A great reunion with him and his brother.

Tom was refused exit by the Cambodian border guards. He was aware of the 1500 kilometer detour I had to make coming from the Vietnamese side. He ignored the guards and pushed the Minsk through to the Vietnamese side. The Cambodians called him back only to stamp his passport. Ha, attaboy, he was on his way. The Minsk had Vietnam plates so possible to do it that direction.

After two months of touring Vietnam with his two friends, Tom sold the Project Pineapple Minsk in Hanoi. Who knows where it is now. Anybody know?

Heaven and Earth Movie Based on Le Ly's True Life Story

Le Ly was at the photo shoot when I met Oliver Stone for the first time. Well, actually in was the second time. Back in 1992, Heaven and Earth starring Tommy Lee Jones was being shot in Phuket. I was selected, while playing an 'extra', for a walk by so Stone could decide if I was suitable for another part. No is the answer.

Le Ly invited me to the Open Forum, Psychosocial Response to Disasters Focus on Children in Asia held next day after Stone's FCCT presentation. Her traumatic experiences while a child, her due recovery and ability to deal with life in such a positive and constructive manner proved to be inspirational to the forum.

She founded East Meets West Foundation then moved on to found Global Village Foundation focusing on sustainable community, development projects, www.globalvillagefoundation.org

Some of this work covers areas affected by Cluster Bombs in Viet Nam

Oliver Stone Talks to Project Pineapple Again....

Oliver Stone made his speech at the Foreign Correspondence Club of Thailand, FCCT, on 25th January 2010. Stone made thought provoking observations and assessments with eloquent words such as "the highest stance to have is to co-exist in our existance". Surprisingly, he even quoting Winston Churchill's
"Through the need to sweat and toil we will kill. Keep my conscience awake and not fall asleep".
Stone went to to say he is "trying to undo some of the knots" like the "recent debacles in Iraq".

Then he said "The Bomb is very much with us now. It will threaten life on this planet".

Indeed, Mr Stone, but not just 'that bomb'. There are millions of these little Cluster Bombs still killing young kids every month after the 'American War'.

At this time, the Cambodia Tribunal is hearing the case against Duch, head of Special Security for the Khmer Rouge, charged with Crimes Against Humanity for systematically torturing 15,000 prisoners and the execution of 12,000. Around 1.5 million died during the Pol Pot era in Cambodia.

During the American War, or Vietnam War, around 3 million died many due to carpet bombing by Cluster Bombs.

I asked Mr Stone what his thoughts were on this incongruity and to put it into his perspective.

"We have an enormous story to tell. We cannot deal with all the injustices in the world. When making a movie, it has to catch the audience's attention. I get so many letters about injustices in the world. It's just too much" he said, grasping his forehead, rubbing it anxiously.

In 2007 Stone abandoned due to lack of funding, the making of 'Pinkville', the story set around the events of the My Lai Massacre. The movie was to have starred Sean Penn and Channing Tatum. On March 16, 1968, more than 500 Vietnamese (or 367, depending on the source), including unarmed women, children and elderly, were slaughtered by American soldiers who were given a "search and destroy" order.

Perhaps Mr Stone would be able to thread something of the Cluster Bomb issue into that movie were he able to be refinanced.

Oliver Stone Talks to Project Pineapple.... Just

Oliver Stone was in Bangkok for a Bridges - Dialogue For Peace event on 25th January this year, 2010. Along at the press photo shoot in the Dusit Thani Hotel, across from where the Red Shirts are now, a few questions were accepted but I didn't get one in then. Only after he stood up and was moving towards the exit I managed to show him this Blogspot address for Project Pineapple and asked him to please take a look.

"It's about Cluster Bombs" I said. "Of course" observed Stone, director of movies such as Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Heaven and Earth, not to mention the highly relevant 'JFK', replying with the awareness of someone intimately knowledgeable of the American War and all associated issues.

Many have asked why this is called Project Pineapple, thus some elementary photo explanations in this blog. Stone, familiar with the jargon, he knew straight away.

A Project Pineapple Rider (almost)

Bjorn Holland got in touch as Project Pineapple was in it's planning stages. But for incompatible timing Bjorn would have joined the ride for part of the way. He too was and still is concerned about Cluster Bombs in Laos.

Here is a recent email from him. Look at his amazing journey that he continues on after his spell through Indochina.

Click too the Charity banner on his webpage:

http://www.panomoto.com/

Around The World By Motorbike


from Bjorn Holland
to rkinnear
date Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 5:21 AM
subject Re: Around The World – News from Bjorn
signed-by gmail.com
hide details Apr 10 (10 days ago)
Hi Robert,

Good to hear from you! I got to say, I'm jealous for your location (Bangkok) – so close to some really great countries and fantastic riding opportunities! Especially Bali & Lombok must have been great. Did you go diving there?

Regarding cluster bombs: I had news from Handicap International in the UK that the UK government has signed a ban of cluster bombs just recently. So at least there's progress..

At the moment I'm in Cochabamba / Bolivia. I've got to say that after the rather boring straight roads in Argentina & Paraguay, I now really enjoy the off-road mountain-tracks here in Bolivia. It's a constant rumbling & rattling on the bike, as there's hardly any tarmac in this country. For the past week or so I followed the Che Guevara trail – which is basically the route he took after the revolution in Cuba, when he tried to set up Guerilla camps in Bolivia back in the 60s. I visited the place where he was captured, and also his original grave (next to an airport runway, where he was secretely buried for about 30 years before his body was sent back to Cuba).

As winter is closing in over the next few months here in S-America, I'll try to get into Colombia for some better climate and some more Spanish lessons. Literally every traveller I've met has been raving about Colombia, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing it myself.

Best wishes
Bjorn

PS: I've changed my blog a while ago into a "photo diary", which I update every few weeks.

http://www.panomoto.com/

Around The World By Motorbike