Archive for December, 2005
Nok Aen
The Fifth Annual Dhamma-Yatra began yesterday (April 22) with a simple opening ceremony presided over by Phra Rajviraporn, the Lord of the Songkhla Sangha and active supporter of all the walks over the past five years. Thanks to local organizers, the ceremony was well attended by the local people around Wat Ban Poh (Khuan Piyaram), Pak Payoon district, Phattalung province. We were graciously hosted by Phrakru Nidesdhammadhaj, Abbot of Wat Ban Poh, and the members of his temple, including headmaster of the school across the street. Phrakru Nidesdhammadhaj also followed along this morning to insure that breakfast and lunch were ample and tasty. So, the 5th Dhamma-Yatra had a cordial start.
We actually began walking this morning (23rd) after reciting homage to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, and a short meditation session. Starting at about 6:15, we walked 3 kilometers to Wat Poh Riang at the edge of the Pak Payoon market. After breakfast, we walked through the Pak Payoon government offices and market and crossed a bridge onto Koh Maak. We were now within the middle lake. Throughout the morning, we walked along the west side of Koh Maak, just above the lake, through occasional rubber groves, a Pru swamp forest, and past a number of small villages displaying a level of wealth and consumerism much lower than is common in Thailand’s South. Most of the villages had mosques as Koh Maak’s population is 80% Muslim. We reached Wat Pakbang Nagaraj in time for lunch.
Edible Birds Nests:
Local people & Big Business Monopoly
[The combination of sound system and heavy rain made it difficult to hear. There may be some inaccuracies in the details. Although subsequent small discussions cleared up many questions, some details may still be inaccurate.]
In the afternoon, we had an open forum with local people about Nok Aen Kin Rang (edible nest swiftlets), their edible nests, and their politics and economics. The edible birds nests (EBNs) are a major export crop from this area. The first speaker was Dr. Kampol Meesawat from Prince of Songkhla University, an expert on Nok Aen. They like to live on the sheer faces and in the caves of Koh See Koh Haa (Four-Five Islands), the limestone islands to the north and west of Koh Maak. The nests are made from a saliva-like substance that the females produce, perhaps from their digested food. The main period for making their nests is January through March and each nest takes about one month. (Since the weather has been erratic this year, it isn’t known how their nest building has been effected.) It takes 3 weeks for the eggs to hatch and another 3 weeks for the nestlings to grow. The nests can be collected after this without seriously disturbing the birds.
If the first nests are removed before the eggs are laid, it takes the mother 20 days to make a second nest. However, this is such a strain on her that the nest is of poorer quality and has a reddish tinge. If these are harvested early, it takes the female only 15 days to make a third nest, which is of even poorer quality, not to mention a serious strain on the female. Although the male shares in child rearing duties, the females part will have been significantly compromised. Obviously, if the collectors are too greedy, they can pressure the birds to make 3 nests per season (year). This will increase the quantity of the nests and decrease their quality. It also oppresses the Nok Aen population. These birds were rare enough to begin with; they are only found in certain parts of Southeast Asia. They are now threatened and nominally protected in Thailand.
Sustainable collection means collecting once per year, after the first nest is no longer needed by the nestlings. This will insure that the Nok Aen population will be strong and the nests harvested will be beautiful and of high quality.
The second speaker was from the Local Administration Organization (LAO). He asked why the LAO can’t manage the edible birds nest harvesting themselves? Wouldn’t they get more of a profit for the local people by doing so?
The birds nests are given out as a concession to a single company —Rang Nok Laemthong Co. (Laemthong Birds Nests), an old Chinese family-owned, well-connected conglomerate. Laemthong guards Koh See Koh Haa strictly. Many people have been killed over the years. A few years ago, a whole boat load of “poachers” were found shot to death. Local people have no legal access to these small islands, although they can wade to them across the silted up lake bottom, and sightseeing boats have been chased away by armed guards. Laemthong has had the concession for as long as people can remember. However, most of the locals know little about the company, its owners, or their political connections.
As the discussion developed, the main question before the floor was how the birds nests can be harvested sustainably. A representative of the local people said the villagers are very concerned about the birds and their nests. The people have grown up seeing these birds flying back and forth from their island homes. In recent years, they see fewer Nok Aen flying around and fear that they are disappearing. They feel they can do a better job of caring for the birds and their habitat than Laemthong.
Further, the locals wonder why this public resource (lying exclusively when Koh Maak township) is under the control of one company and the local people have almost no say in the matter. Also, they want more of the taxes collected from the Birds Nests concession to be used for the benefit of the local people. So far, the LAO has put the tax money into building concrete roads around the island; improving schools, mosques, and temples; improving water systems and similar local “infrastructure projects.”
The Thai Rang Nok Laemthong Co. pays 350 million baht in taxes per year to the central government for its concessions in the 4 provinces in which Nok Aen produce edible nests. Of this, Phattalung province gets 100 million baht, which it disburses throughout the province. Last year, the Koh Maak LAO received 23 million baht to be shared among 9 villages and hopes to receive 30 million baht this year. If the Rang Nok Laemthong Co. is able to pay 350 million baht in taxes each year, what are their profits? 1 billion? 2 billion? Note that their concession requires very little investment and their product is sold in Singapore for 100,000 baht per kilogram ($1200 per pound) and around twice that in Los Angeles. Why do the local people receive less than 10% of the taxes, let alone the much larger amount that is the company’s profits? Is this Dhamma? Is this justice?
When somebody asked about how the nests are harvested, local people who knew replied that they can’t answer. Later, I was told that those who know can’t reveal it because of the reason they know. Since the company hires none of the locals, they could only know for harvesting the nests “illegally.” Obviously, they don’t want to reveal this in public. (The company only hires harvesters from elsewhere, claiming that locals could too easily steal nests.)
Laemthong also keeps its harvesting practices “secret.” However, this is less a “trade secret” than a cover-up. Their practice is to harvest the first nests early enough to pressure the Nok Aen to build second and third nests. This means that many Nok Aen eggs, and not a few live chicks, fall splattering on the rocks below. As mentioned above, this puts extreme pressure on the well-being of the females and contributes to their drop in population.
At the end, there were suggestions that concessions for harvesting edible birds nests be granted area by area instead of one concession for the whole country (actually just in the South). If the Koh Maak LAO and other LAOs in Nok Aen areas worked for this development, they would gain more influence over the process. Further, local cooperatives could get a foot in the door so that EBNs harvesting can be returned to the local people and be carried out sustainably.
For any of this to happen will require skilful politicking. All problems like this are inseparable from the corrupt money politics of the country. Further progress in democracy and Civil Society gives some hope of future resolution but the way will be long and difficult, and involve wrenching cultural disruptions.
However, it will be a long time before the ordinary villagers will have much control over any of this. Most likely, new concessions will be controlled by “local influential people” (often well connected politically, criminally, and ballistically). The whole thing could erupt in chaos and violent competition, with the bird population decimated. Therefore, any changes need to happen gradually. The Laemthong concession may not preserve the bird population very well, let alone share the profits fairly, but a sudden change of management would likely be even worse.
Many questions remain. It is almost always difficult to sort out the truth in situations involving conflict of interest, patriarchal government, old family businesses, and big profits. It is also difficult for outsiders to know how to help. Dhamma-Yatra continue to learn what we can and look for ways to help. We try to bring Dhammic perspectives into these messy and potentially violent situations. The walk through samsara appears likely to carry on for a long time.
Some Dhammic reflections on the Nok Aen situation
In reporting about the Nok Aen problems around Koh Maak, I didn’t have time to include Dhammic reflections on the situation. Nonetheless, at the end of the discussion at Wat Pakbang Nagaraj, I was asked to do just that. Let me share a few perspectives. More will develop with further bulletins.
Gratitude is a fundamental value in Thai Buddhism. From infancy, Thais are taught to feel gratitude to the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha), to parents & ancestors, and to teachers. This is stressed at home, temple, & school. At least in the villages … Older elements in the culture, going back to spirit-based beliefs & traditions, feel the same gratitude towards nature, towards the fields, streams, rivers, forests, swamps, hills, and seas that feed & cloth us, and provide shelter & medicine. Today, many monks extend the notion of “ancestors” to the natural environment that gives us life. In all cases, gratitude is considered the appropriate response: the knowledge that we have benefited from others (kataññu), the feeling (katavedi), and appropriate actions.
The behavior of the Laemthong Co., their cohorts in the government, and local politicians seeking their share of the loot, show a profound disregard for the value of gratitude. What gratitude their class reveals is generally the self-serving showy version reserved for state functions, staged charity events, and other displays that do little good for the people and country as a whole. Duplicitously, the illusion plays on in a culture where “face” is more important than truth.
The basic precepts of non-harming and non-stealing are well established in the minds of ordinary Thais. In the past, popular wisdom imbedded basic Buddhist morality within village culture. For example, it was accepted that killing fish was a “sin,” but that doing so to feed the family could be redeemed by doing good (making merit), such as sharing a portion of the food with the temple. However, large-scale killing for the sake of commerce and profit was considered serious bad kamma that would stick with one into future lives. Needless to say, the elites, under “modern” influences (beginning in the early 1800s), have used the education system and media to disparage such values and replace them with more profit and wealth accumulation values. (More on this in later bulletins.)
Clearly, Laemthong’s concession, the way it is operated by them, and the way it is administered by the government consistently break these basic precepts. The Nok Aen population — countless birds, chicks, and eggs — are harmed most directly, along with their habitat. The violence of the company’s guards against local people is also quite direct. Finally, principles enshrined in the new constitution stipulate the right of local people to usage and oversight of local resources. That this is denied the people of Koh Maak amounts to corporate and government theft.
Underlying the precepts is the most fundamental principle of all, the inter-relatedness of all life. Implicit in our mutual dependence is the responsibility of mutual support. While no society may ever know a total lack of exploitation and violence, when these are kept to a relative minimum — relative to the needs of a healthy society — a society maintains itself creatively, justly, peacefully, with the needs of all members taken care of, and without shifting the burden to other societies or the environment. When, however, certain sectors of a society, especially its elites, show little genuine concern for the needs of the majority, let alone the less privileged members, that society will enter a downward spiral of violence, dishonesty, and decay in which its survival is at risk. Thailand has entered this downward spiral in a big way.
These perspectives also apply to most of the situations and controversies we will see. Therefore, these reflections will be continued in upcoming bulletins.
[It may not be possible to give detailed reports on each day. However, I will try to cover the 3 or 4 “hot issues” we expect to meet. In addition to the Nok Aen nests, the other issues are the Anchovy controversy (27th), the proposed dam across the lake (May 2nd), and the petrochemical complex conflicts (May 5th).]
Thank you for your interest. Feel free to share these bulletins as widely as you like. Fax, reproduce, email, and publish them as much as you want. Please do not edit them in any way that changes the meaning or intent of the author, and accredit them to Santikaro Bhikkhu on behalf of “The Dhamma-Yatra for Songkhla Lake” © 2000.
December 13th, 2005
Birds of India - Edible-nest Swiftlet - Collocalia fuciphaga - Collocaliini - Apodidae - Apodiformes - Birding - Avifauna
Edible-nest Swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga), also called Andaman Grey-rumped Swiftlet, is part of a group of birds called the Cave Swiftlets. They form the Collocaliini tribe within the Apodidae family. The group contains around thirty species mostly confined to southern Asia, south Pacific islands and north eastern Australia. Edible-nest Swiftlet is found in the Andaman and Nicobar islands of India. These birds are more common in Andaman as compared to the Nicobar islands and they inhabit rock caves near the shore. The Cave Swiftlets use a simple but effective form of echolocation to navigate in total darkness through the chasms and shafts of the caves they utilize for night time roosting and breeding.
Edible-nest Swiftlets are small, dark brown, slightly fork-tailed birds (size 12 cm). They are in many respects typical members of the Apodidae having narrow swallow-like wings for fast flight, with a wide gape and small reduced beak surrounded by bristles for hawking insects in flight. The breeding season is mainly March and April. The nests are white, opaque, 6 cm across and of the best commercial (edible) quality. During the breeding season, the salivary glands of this species expand to produce the special inspissated saliva for binding twigs and other detritus together for building the nest, which is a shallow cup stuck to the cave wall. Only those species whose nests are ‘white’ and made purely or almost purely of saliva are the most prized. The nests are harvested from cave walls.
Edible Nests
The Edible-nest Swiftlet is renowned for the fact that their nests are used for making bird’s nest soup in Chinese cuisine. When cooked, the birds’ nests have a gelatinous texture. In Chinese cuisine, high medicinal and aphrodisiac qualities are ascribed to these nests. Scientific investigations reveal these nests to be high in protein with about 7% lime. Many consumers of bird nest soup report significant improvement in appetite. However, some others noticed excessive secretion of gastric acid that may cause acid reflux symptoms.
There is some concern that over-harvesting is causing several species of cave swiftlets to become scarce. Bird nest merchants in southeast Asia (including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand etc.) have started to raise and breed the swiftlets in house-like structures. They build the shelters to attract wild swiftlets to build nests in them. The wrong kind of nests are then destroyed along with the eggs inside. Over time, the selection process only leaves behind a colony of swiftlets that produce the right kind of nest for the trade. “House nests” are priced much lower than the “cave nests” due to the level of risks involved in the harvesting process.
Guano from the Swiftlets and the many bats that inhabit the caves supports an array of specialized animals that feed on the dung. There are yet other creatures that have evolved to feed on these dung eaters as well as the bats and the swiftlets themselves including among others, snakes that can climb the sheer walls to snatch a passing meal and huge carnivorous crickets that prey on chicks and bat pups. This ecosystem is totally self sustaining, the only link being the birds and the bats that bring the nutrients into the caves in the first place.
December 13th, 2005
Bird’s nest soup and the Bird Flu scare
Bird Flu High Alert has been declared in Indonesia since the outbreak caused the first death in July this year. Should Malaysians be concerned, especially since we are seeing increasing interest in commercial birdnest farming in our towns and cities?
So far the virus had killed 65 people in 4 Asian countries since late 2003, the latest victim being a 5 year old girl from Indonesia. And the Indonesia government had closed down the country’s biggest zoo, the Ragunan Zoo on the outskirts of Jakarta after bird flu was found to have infected 19 exotic birds.
Although Malaysia so far has not seen any case of bird flu, it does not mean that we should not be vigilant towards this highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of the virus. And we have cause for concern considering that our authorities are presently rather lax on the issue of regulation of commercial birdnest farming in shophouses and abandoned buildings in and around towns and cities in various parts of Malaysia. These “swiftlet houses” have mushroomed all over the place, sometimes the upper-most floor of a multi-storey commercial building is converted to a “swiftlet house” and some would even convert a whole building into a “swiftlet hotel”, right next to where people live or work on a daily basis.
I don’t know if these birds pose a danger to the people as in whether they could possibly be a potential carrier of the bird-flu virus but nevertheless, it does not take much intelligence to know that they generate a lot of bird droppings which certainly could not be healthy or hygienic for the surrounding environment. Given a choice, would you want to live or work next door to these “bird hotels”?
Let us hope that our country will be spared this latest health scare, otherwise we will see some knee-jerk reaction by our health ministry when people start to look for scapegoats in the event of an unfortunate outbreak of this fearful disease in our country. After all, Indonesia is not that far away from Malaysia.
December 13th, 2005
Swallow nest is an edible nest of swiftlet, a tiny bird found throughout South East Asia. The bird is from Apodidae family of Collocalia genus. This bird, using the sense of its echolocation, detemines its resting, nesting and sleeping place deep inside the dark cavity.
The swallow nest has a long history back to the Chinese Dynasty more than 500 years ago. Since the Chinese ancient doctors believed that the nest nutrient was good for lung and skin, the sea expeditions going to South East Asia were asked to bring back the nest for consumption of the Emperor and his family. At that time, most of the nests were taken from the dark caves located at the height near the seaside
.
Just about a century (100 years) ago people accidentally found the nests inside the house. Then, they realized that this bird was willing to stay and make nest inside the house. It was then the moment when the swiftlet house ranch started with limited know-know. People do not feed the birds. They just let the birds fly out to catch the flying insects as their diet. Thus, the word ‘ranch’ is more appropriate than ‘breeding’.
Since people have got more advanced knowledge on birds and their behavior, people actively do the house ranch and now more than half of the total world production of swiftlet nests is coming from the house origin.
From location point of view, the swallow nest is classified to derive from two places of origin, namely the cave and the house.
Current development in health science refers to some water-soluble glycoprotein with a complex protein composition might influence medical properties in human body. This complex glycoprotein is found on the swallow nest.
People in Asian countries, especially the prospering Chinese, make the greatest demand for swallow nests. Consequently, swallow nest becomes one of the most expensive chinese health food delicacy in the world !
December 13th, 2005
How to get real genuine of birdnest?
The best way to get genuine birdnest is buy directly (if you can) from the house farm, which is still in unprocessed and you can get anything’s in fresh and the price is also better. But somehow, if you get lower grade nests you may need more time to clean them by yourself (it will not happen if you purchase higher grade which is having only little feathers and impurities). If you do not have plenty time to clean, it is better if you purchase the processed products from reputable and trusted sellers or stores.
December 13th, 2005
Stewed Bird’s Nest with American Ginseng
Ingredients :
75 g soaked bird’s nest pieces, 8 g sliced American ginseng, 1 tbsp rock sugar, 2 cups boiling water
Method :
Wash American ginseng. Put into a steaming pot. Add crushed rock sugar and 2 cups of boilling water. Stew over boiling water for 50 minutes. Add bird’s nest pieces and stew for 10 minutes. Serve. Refrigerate before serving in summer. It can nourish and revitalize your strength.
December 13th, 2005
Stuffed Zhusheng with Bird’s Nest
Ingredients :
225 g shelled shrimps, 1 green crab (about 375 g), 19 g zhusheng (dictophora phalloidea), 38 g soaked bird’s nest pieces (with water absorted), 300 g asparagus, any suitable amount of stock 1 egg white
1 tsp wine
Seasoning :
1/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp caltrop starch, dash of sesame oil, 1/2 tbsp egg while
Thickening Solution
1/2 cup stock, 1 tsp caltrop starch, 1/6 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp light soy sauce, dash of sesame oil, pinch of pepper
Method :
Remove vein from shrimps. Wash and wipe dry. Pat with knife. Add bird’s nest and seasoning. Stir to form shrimp paste. Put into refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Gut crab and wash. Remove fat from crab. Add dash of ginger juice and wine. Stir well. Pour in boiling water until the crab is half-cooked. Steam the crab until it is cooked. Then remove meat.
Soak Zhusheng until it becomes tender. Cut into 2 1/2 inches sections. Parboil and rinse. Simmer with stock for a while. Absorb the water. Put shrimps paste onto Zhusheng. Steam stuffed Zhusheng for 4 minutes. Pour away steaming sauce. Blanch asparagus in water with oil and salt. Arrange around the plate.
Heat oil. Sizzle wine. Add thinckening sauce. Bring to the boil. Then add crab fat and meat. Mix well. stir in egg white. Then put on the centre of the plate.
December 13th, 2005
Based on Color
1. Red Blood Nest
This nest has a bright red color and commands the highest price among any other color, due to their high demand and
rarity. Not many houses have this kind of nests, and even if they do have, the nests can only be harvested 1 to 2
times a year. RED NEST and GOLD NEST production are only about 5% of overall bird nests market in the world.
2. Gold Nest
This nest has a bright dark-orange color, like a tangerine peel, and command about the same price as RED NEST for
the same reason. Depending on the color, the lighter one may be priced slightly lower.
3. Yellow Nest
With an egg-yolk-like color, this nest has started to gain in popularity, as the RED & GOLD NEST’s prices keep rising.
Because of the price is just slightly higher than the WHITE NEST, the YELLOW NEST attract some loyal customers.
Usually harvested 2 to 3 times a year, they share about 10% of overall bird nests market in the world.
4. White Nest
WHITE NEST is the most popular nests in the market, and usually harvested 3 to 4 times a year. The overall
sales for WHITE NEST (from all 3 Collocalia species) is about 85% of overall bird nests market in the world.
December 13th, 2005
Based on Location
1. Cave Nest
Usually, there are two Collocalia species that live in caves, Collocalia Fuciphaga (White Nest) and Collocalia Maxima
(Feather Nest). But the nest from Collocalia Fuciphaga (White nest) is what we usually called for Cave Nest in the
market. Probably because the harvesting of cave nests is a potentially hazardous occupation, the Collocalia Fuciphaga
cave nest commands the highest price in the overall swallow nest market. The cave nests, within the natural conditions
of the cave, usually have a bowl-like shape, thick body, and strong legs. The bowl-like shape allows better protection for
the eggs or chicks against predators and weather, and the extra strong and big legs are needed for the nests to stick on
the wall, since the cave usually has a very high humidity level. Cave nest is found in Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and
Indonesia.
2. House Nest
Grass Nest from the Collocalia Esculanta Species is the easiest to find in the swallow nest farm. As their population
grows, this species will attract the Collocalia Fuciphaga Species, producers of the popular white house nests, even
though it may take as long as 10 years. Depending on the nest color, the weather, and the insect population, the nests
are harvested between 1 and 4 times a year. This usually occurs right after the eggs are laid (which the eggs are then
placed in grass nests in the particular farm to boost Collocalia Fuciphaga population, or to put the eggs in hatching
machines), or right after the chicks are able to fly.
House nest is usually cultivated in the places where the cave that producing cave nest is nearby. To date, Indonesia
is the leading country for producing and exporting house nest. This is mainly because the farmed swallow bird nest
industry has started in Indonesia in the early 1960’s, while in Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam still heavily depended
on their Cave Nest until late 1990’s.
3. Forest/Tree Nest
Collocalia Esculanta (Grass Nest) is the most dominant species for producing the forest/tree nest. However, since more
and more people establish swallow nest farms, most of them have moved to farms where they have a better environment
(such as controlled temperature and humidity) and lack of predators to them and their eggs (such as ants, cockroach,
and bats).
December 13th, 2005
Based on Bird Species
1. Collocalia Fuciphaga
- The largest in size among 3 species
- Popular name : White nest, House nest, or Wild/Cave nest
- Uses mostly only gelatinouse strands for making entire nest
- Gelatinous strands content in the unprocessed nest : 85 - 97%
- The most popular nests in the market
- Commands the highest price
- Sold as whole pieces (most popular), stripes, crumbs, and cakes
2. Collocalia Esculanta
- Popular name : Grass nest
- Uses leaves (usually pine leaves) with its gelatinous strands as ‘glue’ for making the nest
- Gelatinous strands content in the unprocessed nest : 5 - 15%
- Very popular for restaurant consumption
- Sold as stripe (most pupolar), crumbs, and cakes
- Looks transparent and glossy, with grayish color
3. Collocalia Maxima
- Popular name : Feather nest
- Molting in the process, and using their feathers with the gelatinous strands as ‘glue’
for making the nest
- Gelatinous strands content in the unprocessed nest : 5 - 15%
- Very popular in ‘bird nest cake-shape’ market
- Sold as cakes (most popular) and crumbs
- Looks dull and glossy, with milky white color
December 13th, 2005
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