Surviving in Bangkok

Yeah, that's right!  One way to survive in Bangkok is to smile a lot.  Maybe not a lot of Thais smile in Bangkok as it is another big city with all that goes with that.  Still they call Thailand "The Land of Smiles".  They all love a smile here and such a simple gesture can get you a long way.  That's the same anywhere, isn't it? 

I'm into survival mode thinking at the moment, not for me, but for the urban refugees in Bangkok.  They need to stay out of trouble and keep low so as to survive difficult times they know in living here and this is my topic at a UNHCR orientation for new arrivals to be held this coming week. 

I'm at a meeting during the week with UNHCR there and I am sharing on my present vision for helping the refugee population arising out of their increasingly dire predicament here.  I am about there not being enough help available to respond to the need and that it does not work helping just a few in the midst of such a high needs population as you are  not responding fairly and equitably to the whole population which then indulges in all sorts of undignified behaviour to get help.  In the whole process, these people can lose their dignity and sense of self-respect as they fight, cry and beg for help. 

I was dumbfounded by a UNHCR officer at the meeting who expressed his amazement that we talking about such a topic.  It may not have been on the agenda nor about policy but this is a bread and butter issue.  He may not have wanted this topic discussed but I got my issue aired and out there in that forum.  So I was happy. 

It made me think - "How true, Pope Francis!  The Church is not to become an NGO."