Matthew McDaniel

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Matthew McDaniel (born in 1958; former carpenter in Oregon) is a human rights activist working to improve human rights for the Akha people of Thailand and Laos.^[1] He lived in Thailand for many years. On April 18, 2004, he was arrested at Thailand's border with Myanmar by Thai immigration authorities and later deported. ^{[2] [3]} He then lived in Laos for a while, and now lives in the USA with his Thai Akha wife and their children. ^[4]

McDaniel is opposed to what he claims are "mission efforts to rewrite their history and eradicate their culture which includes a language and oral history and makes up their unique identity". He opposes coercive missionary conversion tactics, and the removal of Akha children from their families and villages.^[3] His activism has stopped charities such as Rotary International from supporting questionable missionary groups. McDaniel also asserts that UNESCO is working with the US missionaries who are "destroying Akha culture". A January 2003 Village Voice article ^[5] writes: "Yet de la Paz is not the evangelicals' fiercest critic in Chiang Rai. By almost all accounts that title goes to Matthew McDaniel, a 44-year-old former carpenter from Oregon."

The article also reports: "Since moving to Thailand 15 years ago, McDaniel has started a small nongovernmental organization called the Akha Heritage Foundation. With an annual budget of $6000, the group provides services that range from the establishing of fish farms and publishing books in the Akha language to documenting human rights violations."

He accuses the "US Drug War" and the UN Office of Drugs and Crime for helping cause the arrest, dislocation, prosecution, starvation, death and extra-judicial killings of Akha people. ^{[6][7] [8][9]}

[edit] Motivations

The following is from an interview with Matthew McDaniel reported in the November 12, 2007 edition of the Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon:

Question: Where did your passion for the Akha come from?

Answer: I was on a bridge that connects Burma and Thailand, and I saw a policeman riding his motor bike and come up behind a little child walking down a dusty street begging for money for his mother. As the policeman went by on the motor bike, I saw him grab the child by the back of the head and slam him face first into the concrete. The little boy later died.^[10]

[edit] United Nations

On 18 May 2006 Matthew McDaniel and his Akha wife, Michu Uaiyue, presented a statement at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.^[11] The full Michu Uaiyue statement (translated by Matthew McDaniel) is here: [2]

From the description page for the May 26, 2006 United Nations satellite television feed^[12] is this info about the statement:

4. SOUNDBITE (Akha) Michu Wurh Zurh, Director Akha Heritage Foundation translated by her husband Matthew McDaniel (English):

"She says that because the Thai forestry department has taken about all the land there is no food and a lot of people have to go to places like Bangkok and work in slave jobs in order to get money to survive because of the food situation that the Thai government has created for the Akha people."

5. Close up Michu's son in Akha outfit

6. Close up, Jerry Eaglefeather plays on the flute for 4 Akha children, ages 7, 5, 3 and 1

7. Close up, Akha children applaud

Below are some photos taken by Matthew McDaniel in May 2006 at the United Nations. Click to enlarge them, and to see the captions. Click again to enlarge further.

[edit] References

1. ^ "The Akha Heritage Foundation - akha.org". Matthew McDaniel's website.
2. ^ "American Activist Jailed in Bangkok Awaiting Deportation". By Antonio Graceffo. April 2004. Hackwriters.com
3. ^ ^{a b} "Thailand's gold rush for God". By David Fullbrook. May 15, 2004. Asia Times.
4. ^ McDaniel's new wheels" . September 6th, 2007 by Nicholas Farrelly. New Mandala.
5. ^ "Cross Purposes. Federally Funded Missionaries Threaten a Southeast Asian Culture". By Steve Hargreaves. The Village Voice . January 29 - February 4, 2003.
6. ^ The US Drug War Against the Akha. Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide. Akha.org page by Matthew McDaniel. With many links.
7. ^ "US-Thailand's 'License To Kill'. 2274 Extra-Judicial Killings In 90 Days". The Akha Journal of the Golden Triangle. By Matthew McDaniel. Vol. 1. No. 2. October 2003. Relevant section of journal 2: http://www.akha.org/upload/journal/akhajournal2p6.pdf - Cover and first part of journal 2: http://www.akha.org/upload/journal/akhajournal2p1.pdf - Link list for all parts of the journals.
8. ^ "A Jolly Good Drug War". By Matthew McDaniel.
9. ^ Photo gallery . Thailand, Laos. USA and UN-aided drug-war deaths, torture, starvation. Captions by Matthew McDaniel.
10. ^ "Keizer man a crusader for Thai tribe" . By Thelma Guerrero. 12 November 2007. Statesman Journal.
11. ^ Statements during the 2006 UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues . See the linked statements for Thursday, 18 May, 2006 (morning session). PDF file of Michu Uaiyue statement translated by Matthew McDaniel: [1]
12. ^ UNifeed Story: UN / Indigenous Forum. United Nations satellite television feed. Dateline: 26 May 2006, New York City.

[edit] See also

• Akha

[edit] External links

• Akha hill tribes. Regional map. Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Burma .
• "Missionaries Suck" Article in Portland Independent Media Center by McDaniel asserting forced relocation of Akha children by missionaries and "elimination of the Akha Way".