Informal Northern Thai Group Bulletin 11 December, 2016

1. MINUTES of THE 410TH INTG MEETING: Tuesday, 22 November, 2016. “Working

Together for Economic Sustainability: A Karen Project”. A talk by Somboon Panyakhom.

2. Next INTG meeting (411TH): Tuesday, 13 December, 2016, 7:30pm at the Alliance Française: “Translating Chinese Culture”. A talk by Cindy M. Carter.

3. January 2017 INTG meeting (412TH): Tuesday, 10 January, 2017, 7:30pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai: “What is the Use of Old Books?” A talk by Graham Jeffcoate.

4. EVENTS TO COME IN CHIANG MAI:

4.1. January, Wednesday 4 + Thursday 5, 2017 : « Hmong Studies Conference » at Chiang Mai University.

4.2. Thursday, December 15, 2016: A show and talk on « Hyper-Realism in Chinese Contemporary art » by Dr. XiaoYi Zhu at Wattana Art Gallery, Soi Wat Umong.

5. Reminder: INTG Website: New address (URL)

6. List of Future INTG meetings.

7. INTG CONTACTS: CONVENOR - SECRETARY - WEBSITE.

1. MINUTES of THE 410TH INTG MEETING: Tuesday, 22 November, 2016

“Working Together for Economic Sustainability: A Karen Project”

A talk by Somboon Panyakhom

1.1. PRESENT : Ashley [???], Hans Bänziger, Saengdao Bänziger, Diane Barber-Riley, Mark Barber-Riley, Mister Bill, Jack Eisner, Eric Eustache, Doug Fraiser, Meg Fraiser, Louis Gabaude, Frederic Gloor, Deborah Greenaway, Verity Grostein, Darryl Jones, Peter Kunstadter, Jean de La Mainate, Jean Sonagi Lee, Joseph Manickam, Eva Mazarenko, John Melton, Walter Meyer, Patrick Morel, Narumit Hinshiranan, Klaus Petterhausen, Geoffrey Pimlott, Lorri Pimlott, Aileen Roantree, Eric Thiry, Susan B. Walker, Sol Waters, Tony Waters, Rebecca Weldon, Jeff Wright, Alvin Y. Yashinaga. 35 signed. 43 were counted. 1.2. THE TALK

Background

The Karen Group Company Limited was founded by a group of Karen leaders living in Thailand and Australia on the 11th of January 2014 at Payap University in Chiang Mai. Rev.

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Saw Fuad Poka (Australia), Dr. Somboon Panyakom, Mr. Apirak Sakorn, and Mr. Lerpong (Thailand) came together and began to form an idea of reuniting Karen people from all over the globe. In order to contribute toward the development and strengthening of the Karen ethnic group, an organization called the GLOBAL KAREN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY was established. It included support of the Mission of the Gospel, Education, Mass Media, Health and Conservation of Karen culture.

Representatives from five countries: Australia, Burma, Finland and Thailand attended the first meeting to plan the strategic positioning of the organization. It was determined that an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and an action plan were essential to formulating projects and activities of the organization.

On 10 February 2015, meetings resumed to review the organization and a modification of the corporate strategic plan was made. The founding organization was renamed the Global Karen Development Corporation and the Karen Group Company, Limited was registered. It is a legal entity under the Civil and Commercial Code and the Ministry of Business and Trade on August 7, 2015. The Registration Number is 0505558007821 and has a registered capital of one million baht.

The first board members of the company are as follow:

1. Dr. Somboon Panyakom, President 2. Acting Sub Lt. Apirak Sakorn, Committee 3. Mr. Sanit Wongnitisataporn, Committee 4. Mr. Sawong Khrueawan, Committee 5. Mr. Noah Arkaniyarn, Committee

The vision and mission of the Karen Group Company is to be a manufacturer and

distributor of high quality processed food products that meet established standards of the global market. It has three major goals. The first is to produce processed food for sale in domestic markets and abroad. The second focuses upon developing support for the business process that will implement standards of commerce and production and unite the producers and management in common practices. The third goal encourages a commitment to social development and evangelism.

The Business Concept

The production of processed food that is clean and safe is a basic concept to be applied by the company. The quality and safety of the products must be above and beyond other competitors. The fundamental idea is to produce safe and healthy food. This begins, at the first level, by choosing raw material that is guaranteed organic. Once this has been accomplished, the groups of farmers and producers that are part of the company network, will then

process canned food and other products. At this level the process must meet international regulation. This is done by making sure the factory practices conform to food safety standards

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that are based upon Good Manufacturing Practice (G.M.P.). Once these policies are implemented, the business can be expanded into the ASEAN market, the USA, Europe and Australia.

Processed foods currently include canned frog curry, canned eel soup, and canned crispy catfish curry. Each of these products has already been made and tested. It has been established that they satisfy standards in cooperation with the Institute of Food Research and Product Development Center at the Faculty of Agriculture at Chiang Mai University. Manufacturing and market testing was also made with the Department of Livestock Development in Chiang Mai.

The objectives of producing the processed food included, one, developing manufacturing processes that meets the international standard, two, maximizing the prospect of market expansion and, three, building a more efficient management process. Strategies for success were developed to attain the objectives. Regular evaluation indicated areas of concentration

The management within the organization needed to be more efficient. Decision-making must be decentralized to empower lower-level employees. This will facilitate the workload of the management team.

Manufacturing must be of high quality. Processed food must satisfy international standards, in particular, standards for food safety. These are essential in order to achieve recognition by high-end consumers.

Marketing is paired with an original brand design. It is known as Karen Delight. The name ensures that the Brand will become widely recognized in ASEAN markets, as well as those in Asian grocery stores in America, Europe and Australia.

Finally, financial systems and accounting have been put in place that implement accepted process and standards.

Target objectives include the following:

1. To be certified by the Ministry of Health in the manufacturing process. 2. To develop food processes that produce wider varieties of products. 3. To expand the market toward customers from ASEAN, USA, Europe and

Australia by the year 2561. 4. To achieve local market share of 5% in the years 2559-2561.

Corporate Strategy focuses upon growth (Growth Strategy) in order to expand the food

processed business to a wider market in many directions. The business strategy emphasizes product variation (Differentiation Strategy) to create new Value Added products to meet the consumer’s new demands. These determine the development of production systems, following the G.M.P standard.

In the field of marketing, the areas targeted are ASEAN, Europe, America and Australia. One of the ways in which this is being done is to properly publicize products so that consumers know that they are made by following safety and production standards higher than

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the other competitors. Compensation systems then can be improved in accordance with the standard.

Good, healthy products manufactured and marketed according to international standards by a company managed according to modern, ethical concepts make possible the vision and mission of the leadership of the Karen people, that of sustainable social and economic development within a just society.

For those interested in being a part of this exciting business and sharing in the mission with the Karen Group

Company, we invite you to join in the partnership and invest in the company in order to promote the mission of uniting the Karen people from around the globe.

Contact details:

Karen Group Company 27 Nong Prathip Rd. Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai 50000, Chiang Mai, Thailand Phone: In-country: 053 242 906 Phone: International: +66 53 242 906

Dr. Somboon Panyakom

spanyakom@gmail.com Cell phone: In country: 086 586 1358 Phone: International: +66 86 586 1358

Website under construction: http://www.karen-group.com/

2. Next INTG meeting (411TH): Tuesday, 13 December, 2016, 7:30pm

at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai:

“Translating Chinese Culture”

A talk by Cindy M. Carter

The talk: The translation of contemporary Chinese culture for a global audience holds different significance for different groups of people. For China’s leadership and cultural policy-makers, it signifies an opportunity to expand Chinese soft power and cultural influence, and to trumpet the achievements made by China over the last several decades. For China’s independent filmmakers, authors and artists, it signifies a conduit to a global audience, a means of attaining more artistic and financial freedom, and a space in which to explore a broader range of topics.

In this presentation, translator Cindy M. Carter will present three case studies, drawn from her diverse translation practice, to illustrate some of the opportunities and challenges associated with translating contemporary Chinese literature and culture for a global and increasingly interconnected audience.

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The speaker: Cindy M. Carter is a translator of Chinese poetry, fiction, non-fiction and film, and is a co-founder and contributing editor of The Paper Republic, a website dedicated to Chinese literature in translation. After studying Political Science, Economics and Japanese at the University of California at San Diego, Ms. Carter lived in Japan for several years before relocating to China in 1996. In the last two decades, she has translated over eighty Chinese documentaries and feature films, dozens of poems and short stories, two novels, and numerous essays and works of art and literary criticism. She is currently studying Thai at Payap University in Chiang Mai.

3. January 2017 INTG meeting (412TH): Tuesday, 10 January, 2017, 7:30pm

at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai:

“What is the Use of Old Books?”

A talk by Graham Jeffcoate

The talk: Collections of rare and historic books are being digitised across the globe on an almost industrial scale. The Google Book project is working with state and university libraries to create a mega-library of our printed heritage. National projects have also digitised large quantities of books, periodicals and newspapers to make them accessible via the Internet. So does this mean we can discard or mothball the huge print collections we keep in our traditional libraries? After all, storing and preserving them is expensive - and the texts are now mostly available on line. In this talk, the speaker shall argue that our printed heritage in physical form is in fact as important now as it ever was. In fact we're only now beginning to understand old books for what they are.

The speaker: Graham Jefcoate is the former Head of Early Printed Collections at the British Library, and has led major research libraries in Berlin and in Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

4. EVENTS TO COME IN CHIANG MAI

4.1. : January, Wednesday 4 + Thursday 5, 2017

« Hmong Studies Conference » at Chiang Mai University

Dates : 4-5 January 2017 Application deadline: 26 December 2016 Venue : UNISERV CMU (Green Nimman Hotel), Opposite Chiang Mai University Convention Center The Fourth Hmong Studies Consortium International Conference on "Memories, Networks and Identities of Transnational Hmong" will be held in Chiang Mai on January 4-5, 2017, at UNISERV CMU (Green Nimman Hotel), Opposite Chiang Mai University Convention Center. Anyone who wants to attend can, but everyone needs to register online before December 23, 2016. All information regarding the conference and registration can be found on the conference website at: http://hmongstudies.in.cmu.ac.th/

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4.2. Thursday, December 15, 2016, 6pm: A show and talk on

« Hyper-Realism in Chinese Contemporary art »

by Dr. XiaoYi Zhu

at Wattana Art Gallery, Soi Wat Umong

The topic: Compared to the west, the rise and evolution of hyper-realism in Chinese contemporary art has a completely different social background and cultural bearing. It is a product of combining traditional Chinese and western art in a certain historic period. These hyper-realistic art works change and reshape aesthetics in China in a continuous way, and are endowed with different themes and connotations in different social backgrounds. The lecturer: Dr. XiaoYi Zhu graduated from Chinese Central Fine Arts Academy with a B.A. in Fine Arts History and Theory (1996). She holds a M.A. in film theory from the Beijing Film Academy (2000). She received her Ph.D degree in Beijing Normal University majoring in Chinese Contemporary film study (2007). She works as an independent curator focusing on Chinese contemporary arts and film. She also teach art and film history at Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China. Dr. XiaoYi Zhu has curated Chinese film screenings and art exhibitions in New Zealand (Wellington Chinese Film and Photography Festival,) France (Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival), Spain (Bilbao Film Festival,), U.K. (London Chinese Film Festival), Canada (Toronto

Worldwide Short Film Festival, Reel Asian International Film Festival and aluCine Latino Film Festival, IndexG Gallery) etc. She is currently a visiting scholar at Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University.

5. REMINDER: INTG WEBSITE: NEW ADDRESS (URL)

Please note that, since last month, the INTG WEBSITE is available at:

http://www.intgchiangmai.com

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6. List of FUTURE INTG MEETINGS

Tuesday, 13 December, 2016, 7:30 pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai : “Translating Chinese Culture”. A Talk by Cindy M. Carter.

Tuesday, 10 January, 2017, 7:30 pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai : “What is the Use of Old Books?”. A Talk by Graham Jefcoate.

Tuesday, 7 February, 2017, 7:30 pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai : “Kindred Spaces: Painting. Across Worlds”. A Presentation by Amy D'Apice.

Tuesday, 21 February, 2017, 7:30 pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai: “Sansai Mahawong 1969/2017: Changes in a Northern Thai Village”. A Talk by Michael & Kay Calavan.

Date to be scheduled in March, 7:30 pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai: A Talk on the Chiang Mai World Heritage Project by Acharn Komson Teeraparbwong.

Date to be scheduled in April, 7:30 pm at the Alliance Française, Chiang Mai: A Talk on « Rong Wongsawan - the modern Thai writer and National Artist » by Tony Waters.

7. INTG CONTACTS : Convenor - Secretary - Website

1) Convenor : Rebecca Weldon : e-mail : <rebecca.weldon@gmail.com>. Mobile : 087 193 67 67.

2) Secretary : Louis Gabaude : e-mail : <gabaudel@yahoo.com>. Mobile : 087 188 50 99.

3) INTG Website : Clarence Shettlesworth: e-mail : <nugentsr@gmail.com>. Mobile : 081 980 6909.

Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG)

32 years of Talks! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

T RANSLATING

CHINESE

CULTURE

A Talk by Cindy M. Carter

Tuesday, 13 December 2016, 7:30 pm

At The Alliance Française - Chiang Mai

138, Charoen Prathet Road, (Opposite EFEO)

Informal Northern Thai Group (INTG) 32 years of Talks!

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

W HAT IS THE U SE

OF O LD BOOKS ?

A Talk by Graham Jeffcoate

Tuesday, 10 January 2017, 7:30 pm

At The Alliance Française - Chiang Mai 138, Charoen Prathet Road, (Opposite EFEO