Ouyporn Khuankeuw, Women's Partnership for Peace and Justice in Thailand

I had the pleasure of meeting Ouyporn, thanks to a referral by Kathy Meacham, a colleague from Mars Hill, who had met Ouyporn during her travel to Thailand. I was told that I "had to meet" Ouyporn, for she is a woman who is making things happen for women in Southeast Asia, a woman of apparently limitless energy. During my first travel, I had the opportunity to meet with her on two occasions: for a brief meeting at my hotel in Chiangmai and during the Ariyavinaya conference at Ajaan Sulak's ashram (click here for info about Sulak and Ariyavinaya) during the "Women's Forum."

Ouyporn gave a presentation on how peacemaking with regard to women in Thailand is tied to three issues: Feminism, Social Activism, and Buddhist Education for Women. Through her work, she tries to address structural violence, gender disparities, and promote women's leadership and empowerment. Through social activism, she works to build community, model collective leadership, provide training for social action, provide feminist counseling services, promote non-violence, undertake project management, and work with conflict transformation and strategic planning.

Ouyporn undertakes her work in several Southeast Asian countries, with a particular focus on Burmese women. During my second experience in Thailand, my students and I were unable to meet with Ouyporn as planned, because she had to be present at the beginning of a meeting in Chiangmai that included many Burmese women. While we were in Thailand, during January 2003, that Thai government had officially shut down the Thai NGO's that work with Burmese issues. Ouyporn felt it necessary to be present at the very beginning of the meeting so she could assuage the fears of the Burmese women and provide protection. Although Burma is a proclaimed military dictatorship, Thailand is a close ally, as Burma has a strong military and a long history of attacking Thailand and Burma has natural resources that Thailand needs: gas, trees, precious gems, among others.

With regard to lay women and ordained women, Ouyporn tries to help the lay women understand the spiritual teachings of Buddhism and she tries to help ordained women (nuns in particular) understand more of what it means to serve in the real world problems of women. Typically, there is a gap between these worlds.