9 BEHIND THE SMILE
by Owen Jones
Lek was a child in the late Seventies and early Eighties in the wealthiest farming region in Thailand - the immense rice belt of northern Thailand, which was previously part of the area known as ‘Lanna’, which translates as a million rice fields. This is not a poor area of Thailand by any means.
However, the people to this day are farmers and farmers tend to work long hours for their money and are, therefore, careful with it. Lek’s village was in a part of this rice belt that is the sole part of Thailand to have three crops a year. Lek’s family were doing quite well and their family was one of the richest in the village.
Educational facilities were not great in those early days, but most children were anxious to finish school as soon as they could and s
