December 5, 2004

The air force dropped over 100 million folded paper birds. Making such birds is a favorite pastime in Thailand. Each piece of paper contained a message of friendship from a child or adult in the Buddhist north, to Moslems in the south. Volunteers have been writing the messages and folding the birds. One of the birds has a message from the prime minister, and whichever child finds it gets a college scholarship. Picking up the paper birds, and reading the messages, is thus popular with children in the south. The whole enterprise was pure Thai, and was appreciated in the south (although more jobs would be even more appreciated.)