• Care for Dogs – Dog of the Month for March – Grover
Grover here is a cute, calm, smaller sized dog who loves attention and is a little sad at being left behind for so long at the shelter. He has been through a lot in his little life and now needs to feel the kindness of strangers. If you feel you can give his coat a brush every now and then, feed, walk and pet him daily _ you could be the one for him. Don’t be a stranger…Contact Care for Dogs, English (084 752 5255) Thai (086 913 8701) or e-mail: contact@carefordogs.org to make an appointment to meet at the shelter. www.carefordogs.org
• Plea for Books
“Books are a very serious problem in The Bangkok Hilton. Our building chief, Buncom Conwichet, is a xenophobe. He has a real hatred for farang and all things relating to them, books and magazines in particular, knowing that these are our sole means of ‘legal entertainment’. Ever since he came to Building 2 (D2), he has steadily reduced the shelf space in our excuse for a library. Whereas once we had around 1,600 books, we’re now down to 50-100, and even that small supply is under constant attack. We now have to keep books in our very limited locker space if we want something to read. Nevertheless, please do send me books, I beg of you. Once I’ve finished with them, I’ll pass them onto other needy inmates or smuggle them out of the building to other parts of The Hilton.” – Citylife received this letter and asks our readers to please donate whatever books they can. We will send a dozen books to Bang Kwang Prison each week in the hope that they don’t all get confiscated. Please either drop them off at our office, or if you have a box, call us up and we will try to come and collect them. For more information please call 053 225 201 or info@chiangmaicitylife.com.
• Argentine Tango Workshops
Tango teacher, Per Berseus, a Scandinavian who has studied with many great teachers, is here in Chiang Mai. 90 minute workshops for basics or advanced are available.
Date: Saturday the 20th
Email: llgalloway@gmail.com
• The Best Friend Library Chiang Mai
Located in Nong Bee’s Burmese restaurant on Nimmanhaemin Road, The Best Friend Library Chiang Mai is a non-profit information centre aimed at establishing awareness of Burma and its related issues. The library was established in cooperation with The Best Friend Education Project, a programme started in 1999 by a group of monks inside Burma, with the objective of spreading the truth about Burma’s socio-political problems and motivating people to become more involved in the struggle for human rights. Though the project at one point operated 15 libraries across Burma, most of these were closed during the government clamp-down that followed the Saffron Revolution of September 2007 and today, only three are still functional inside the country. In 2008, the first Best Friend Library Thailand was opened in Mae Sot by Ashin Sopaka and King Zero, two Burmese monks who had moved from Mandalay to the Thai border town. Last month saw the launch of its partner organisation in Chiang Mai, which contains English books, reports and materials pertaining to Burma, as well as publications in Burmese and Burmese ethnic languages for the city’s Burmese community. It is a place where people can educate themselves about Burma as well as discuss Burmese issues freely in a safe space. The library is looking for donations of books about Burma in English, Shan, Karen, Kachin and other languages or alternatively, monetary donations which can be used to buy new materials. For more information about the library or sponsorship, please email bestfriend.cm@gmail.com or visit www.thebestfriend.org.