A Ray of Hope….Eyes Opening, Out of Pitched Darkness in the Far South
Story by Nasuerah Jehha
“The soldiers didn’t come here for the bandits. They came to ask about our grievances. Especially, the Ray of Hope project which I am very satisfied with and appreciated because it made me see again like the other people; ride my bicycle to the mosque; read the Koran and know who is who whether they are soldiers or villagers as I can see them all. Before that, (I) have no hope at all that (I) will ever see again.”
The above statement was from an impressed 69-year old man of Ban Payong-ngae, Village Five of Tambon Arsong, Raman district of Yala after having a cataract surgery provided by the “Ray of Hope” project.
The project which is becoming the talk of the town in Raman district was initiated by the task force unit of the 41st ranger regiment based in Tambon Wang Phaya of Raman district in cooperation with the Taas Khong Paendin (Slave of the Land) company and several governmental agencies in the region. The project is aimed to provide treatment free of charge to people afflicted with cataract and other eye diseases with eye specialists from Bangkok to help the patients to regain their eyesight.
Lt-Col Ekthavuth Kongkakhet, deputy commander of the 41st ranger regiment, explained that the project was the result of field observation that many elderly people in the region had eye diseases, cataract in particular, to the extent that several of them have completely or partially lost their eyesight making them unable to work or to carry on with their normal life thus making them a burden to their children. He said that many of these people were too poor to afford the treatment, even at state hospitals as the average cost of a surgery ranges from 8,000 baht to 10,000 baht and, even worse, they have to wait for as long as a year because of the shortage of doctors.
“Which was why we contacted the president of the Tass Khong Paendin company and the Office of the National Health Insurance for the launch of the Ray of Hope project as a tribute to Her Majesty the Queen birthday on August 12,” said the colonel.
Ever since the official launch of the project on August 12 this year presided over by Lt-Gen Pichet Visaijorn, the fourth army region commander, more than 100 people have been treated.
“I was extremely happy that I didn’t know how to describe,” recalled the 69-year old man. He said that when the doctor opened the eye patch and asked him to open his eyes, he was hesitant. Very slowly he opened his eyes and then he could see all the people who were present there, he said laughingly.
“I am very happy now because I had never thought that I would be able to see again. Today I can read the Koran and ride the bicycle to the mosque. Noone can lie to me. When I see red, I say it is red because I can see it,” said the old man.
The same high spirit was also shared by another man, 56-year old Laemae Jasiti who had had a cataract surgery provided under the same project. “When I regained my eyesight, what I used to feel frustrated because I could not do due to my poor eyesight I will immediately do it now such as going out in a boat to fish or raising the cattle,” said Mr Laemae.
Another woman benefiting from the project, 63-year old Mrs Wayor Hayi Maleemee, said that besides the free surgery charge, several patients were provided with free transport back-and-forth between home and the hospital.
For more serious cases such as that of Mr Yusoh Madeeyor, the patients were sent to the hospital in Hat Yai for treatment by courtesy of the ranger regiment.
“I was very happy even though I did not receive the treatment under the project. However, the ranger regiment had arranged to have me sent to the hospital in Hat Yai for treatment. It was a very good opportunity for the poor who normally could not afford the treatment, said Mr Yusoh.
The Ray of Hope project covers every tambon of Raman district, including Tambon Arsong which comprises six villages, one of them Ban Sato which was painted “red” and regarded off-limits to the authorities. But today it is no longer off-limits to the officials, thanks to the project.
Back in 2006-7, Ban Sato was a hotbed of insurgency and rebellion against the state with countless incidents of bomb attacks, arsons, ambushes and protests to the extent that the villagers were living in fear, recalled Mr Doroha Wa-ebaso, the Tambon Arsong kamnan.
The desperate situation took a turn for better last year when a ranger unit was dispatched to the village. Discussion between the military and the villagers resulted to an informal pact to work together to resist the militants and to restore peace in the village.
“Today, the villagers are living happily and they understand the officials,’’ said the kamnan.
The villagers’ negative attitude toward the black-uniformed rangers has steadily changed with their increased confidence and trust in the rangers, thanks to the Ray of Hope project.