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  • News & article

    Eight cats, 10 dogs and a motley crew

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 26/11/2017

    » She's a gentle mum, an Auntie Mum who is now of an auntie age. For 64 years she has lived in our Klong Toey slum. Her name is Pu Glin, a common name from days gone by. It means the fragrant aroma of sweet flowers.

  • News & article

    Money can't buy Miss Tip's love

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 07/05/2017

    » We never knew mum when she was young and not yet ravaged by cheap booze and hard hot years under the Southeast Asian sun doing unskilled sweatshop labour, living wherever there was work on the decks and holds of rusty out-of-date cargo ships in the Bay of Bangkok.

  • News & article

    The broken wings of a fallen bird

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 24/04/2016

    » Galong, born with Down's syndrome, was of indeterminate age. He lived on the streets and worked as a "doorman" at a low-budget karaoke joint near the Pratunam market. Always a proper gentleman, he greeted us, shook our hands and in his gravelly voice asked, "How are you?"

  • News & article

    A hair-raising tale from Klong Toey

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 11/10/2015

    » The "three grandmothers" is the most famous story in the old part of the slum known as the Klong Toey slaughterhouse. The kindergarten kids love the story and ask the teacher over and over to "tell us again" before their afternoon nap at school.

  • News & article

    Ducking for cover

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 20/04/2014

    » Let me tell you a story of Master Gan — a new child at Mercy Centre — he’s Songkran and Easter, all at “a mighty five years old”. Right now, he’s not at his mental and physical peak because he’s got chickenpox — but he’s almost well again.

  • News & article

    A sprightly angel and a sacred tree

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 09/03/2014

    » Lovely Miss Sprite. Angel of the week — second year of kindergarten — winner of the colouring contest — elegantly going on five years of age. She has a voice pitched between the song of an angel and a chirping baby bird sitting on the edge of the nest, not quite ready to fly. Likes to put a leaf behind her ear — picked from that Sacred Tree behind their slum shack. Her mum used to do that too. Lovely features, she has a smile that could stop any herd of wild elephants that might be visiting the neighbourhood. As for her innate beauty? You would immediately pick her out of a crowd. There was a problem: orphan girls fetch a pretty price. But we dealt with that.

  • News & article

    Miss Mott's Slaughter House survival

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 17/11/2013

    » This is the harsh story of our own Miss Mott and the home-grown, inbred violence and drug savagery that seeped into Klong Toey's Slaughter House a few years back. Miss Mott was Slaughter House-born in the Year of the Rabbit _ the most gentle of creatures _ destined never to hurt anyone or anything but with predators all around.

  • News & article

    Ms Teacher Lady

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 06/10/2013

    » Let me tell you about an old-time Klong Toey revolutionary: a slum kindergarten teacher. Still going strong in her seventh cycle of years _ that makes her more than 72. But don't dare ask her if her beautiful hair is turning slightly grey, even around the edges. No guns, no knives, only pencils and paper and nursery rhymes. You'd say: ''What? A kindergarten teacher revolutionary? You're daft.'' But that's the gig. As long as she can remember, that horrible proverb rattled around in her head _ not enough children to tend our water buffalo. Even as a little girl, she told her mum _ that's not right. And schoolmarm mum said: ''You're right my daughter, so you change that.''

  • News & article

    Ex-street kids fight the nightmares and find the dream

    Spectrum, Father Joe Maier, Published on 05/08/2012

    » Ever since she was 11 and on the streets, Noi had always dreamed she would get married in the proper style, with a dowry, a ring and a bridesmaid. Her husband would have a real job and talk nice and love her. After she met the right man she promised herself that she would make it happen, and she wanted it even more after her two children were born. Her husband Somchai, also street-raised, always had the same response when she told him of her matrimonial dreams: "Why not?" But that was as far as it went.

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