Experience at Huai Ongkod

The Department of Commerce of the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy of Chulalongkorn University has had a chance to witness the operations of the Royal Development Projects through the assistance of Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul since when he was Secretary-General of the Royal Development Projects Board.

Dr. Sumet kindly spared his time to accept the Department's invitation to give special lectures on the Royal Projects several times. The lectures were organized by the Department with an objective to disseminate the information of the projects to the public. The Department also had an opportunity to take students to participate in the afforestation activity at the Huai Sai Royal Development Study Center, Phetchaburi Province. Those who participated were the third and the fourth year students of the Department as well as the BBA international program. They were impressed by the achievements of the project and the visit had given them a memorable experience.

As we became more involved with RDPB, we became more acquainted with Mr. Lalit Thanomsing who took care of the Royal Development Projects in the Western Region. When we heard from Mr. Lalit that the people in the area of the Royally-initiated Huai Ongkod Project, Kanchanaburi Province, hardly had interests and eagerness to get involved in the development guidelines that the Rural Development Foundation suggested, we accepted without hesitation his proposal to conduct a research on the people's behaviors, needs and interests.

A group of professors from the Faculty led by Dr. Achara Chandrachai who taught business research started doing a field research to obtain basic information of the Huai Ongkod area on 12 August 1999 (We were excited to actually be working for the country on the Queen's Birthday!). Even the first day of the trip was unforgettable. On the way to the site, we stopped for breakfast and then realized that the van was broken down. On the side of the road, we sat there waiting for Mr. Lalit to find a pick-up truck to take us to the site.

We went to Huai Ongkod again for the second field research trip in October which was the University's holiday. Despite the break, professors and students, both undergraduates and graduates, were willing to work on this field research. All we cared about was not the money but the transportation, accommodation and meals. We owed many thanks to a person who took good care of us, Prof. Chari Tulayananda, a member of the Chaipattana Foundation committee, who was also the Chairman of the governing board of the Royally-initiated Huai Ongkod Project.

The research topic was "The Research on the People's Attitudes towards and Needs from the Royally-initiated Huai Ongkod Project". The field research took place between 16-18 October 1999. The team comprised 6 professors and 62 students. It was such a great fun for us all since the students were not that tough in terms of outdoor activities. They were not familiar with working under hot sun and rains. The students were asked to do short interviews with the villagers in 4 villages which are Baan Kao Hin Tang (Moo 2), Baan Kao Lam (Moo 3), Baan Moung Tao (Moo 4) and Baan Baramee (Moo 5). The method was to walk to the villagers' houses, knock on their doors and conduct on-site interviews.

The planning for the information and data collecting process was done in the evening of the first day we arrived. The students were divided into small groups and each was assigned to interview certain houses (the project staff insisted that every household be covered). To save our energy for the next day's tough work, we went to bed early. Two large rooms were provided for students, one for girls, the other for boys. Two small rooms were arranged for professors, three in each room with two graduate students. This mission really seemed to bring us close together.

Early in the morning, everyone had to be prepared for a tough mission by having heavy breakfast. The buses took us to the site, then left us to work on our assigned tasks. They came back again during lunchtime to drop off lunch packs. Since the schedule was tight, we could not waste any time over lunch.

The students were trained how to conduct the interviews as well as how to approach and greet the villagers in a friendly simple way. Even to the children, the students had to find their ways to approach them. Offering them candies was one of the ways we found successful. The students were informed about the outfits that were suitable for this mission. Still, some of them took this suggestion lightly. Due to the unexpected drizzles plus tough "walking", some of their pretty outfits were tainted with mud and dirt. Umbrellas and hats were unprepared for the wet weather, so this new grubby experience turned out to be a kind of fun. Fortunately, no one became sick during this trip.

After all the hard work, the results of the research finally came out. They were quite satisfactory, valuable and impressive. The villagers were somewhat satisfied with the overall project. Their standard of living has been improved. Apart from the villagers, the monks, the staff of the project and the heads of the villages provided us useful and interesting information.

However, the invaluable and more impressive thing that we earned from this mission was the whole new experience in meeting with the villagers. We often obtained information and data from the executives of large companies or the Stock Exchange of Thailand in Bangkok. Never before had we experienced this kind of interviewing.

To meet and to talk with the villagers, farmers or planters was a unique opportunity to know "Thai" people who are different from us in many aspects. It was also a wonderful opportunity to learn that land, water resources and money (which they don't have much) are valuable and mean a great deal to them. This understanding would make the people at the top-level management take into consideration this sector of "Thai" people when they formulate a development plan of the country.

One of the impressions received during the interviews that the students shared mostly during dinners were kindness they received from the residents. Some students told us that:

      - The students always had to wait before and after the interviews for the villagers to catch some fish for them to take home. Some villagers did not even want to come up from the pond to be interviewed; they were concentrating on catching the fish to give to the students.
      - One villager while answering the questions was sharpening the knife. Although the students were frightened, the interviews had to go on. When the students finished with the interviews, that villager, holding the knife in his hand, did not let them leave yet. The students finally found out that he wanted to give them some bananas using that knife he sharpened to cut them off the bunch.
      - One male villager turned his back to the female students throughout the interviews. Until the end of the interview, he said that he was too shy to talk to the pretty students from Bangkok face to face.
      - Most villagers had a positive attitude towards the staff project as well as the students who were deemed to be friendly and polite. They extended warm hospitality to the staff and students by offering farm products, and even took it easy by asking for more snacks after already being given some.
      - Two female students told us that the family members of one household did not want them to leave. They wanted them to stay longer or if possible, forever. One of the students said "At first, I was really glad and impressed. I thought they liked me until he told us that, there were plenty of flies, but they were gone when we came. Oh dear! They thought we were only flies repeller".

Having a chance to work with the RDPB and Project staff, the students have witnessed sincerity and sacrifice of the staff in their work. Unfortunately, we did not have an opportunity to share these impressions and experiences that we gained during the field trip at the research findings presentation on 29 November 1999 at Chulalongkorn University's Assembly Hall. Although this field research seems to be very small when compared to the everyday hard work that the staff dedicated for the people, the invaluable experiences and impressions will always be remembered.