The Elephant Story

One More Invasion of Laos

Jun 10, 2019 | 0 comments

The author first went to Luang Prabang, Laos in 1969 and encountered a number of unwanted North Vietnamese tanks some nine miles north of the capital. There was a continuous debate as to whether the North Vietnamese would actually invade the capital where we had a facility to fuel CIA-backed Hmong fighters and their aircraft. The belief was the Vietnamese would not capture Luang Prabang as it would jeopardize the relationship with the Lao people given their close association with King Savang Vatthana. That argument was a bit weak in that the North Vietnamese showed no restraint in capturing the...

The Battery of Southeast Asia Has a Short Circuit

Sep 03, 2018 | 0 comments

The Government of Laos has seized upon natural resource exploitation and development to breathe some life into their struggling economy. Unfortunately, the government lacks the training and skill set to exploit the resources in an environmentally friendly and physically safe manner. The responsibility for this situation rests with those outside of Laos. From the outset of the withdrawal of the U.S. in 1975 and their support for the Hmong mercenary forces fighting the North Vietnamese and the local Pathet Lao forces, Kaysone Phomvihane, became the head of the country with no experience or training in the basic tenets of government....

Laos and Elephants

Aug 22, 2016 | 0 comments

We were recently in Luang Prabang, Laos where the author spent quite a bit of time during the late sixties. Luang Prabang has been preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage site which is a designation that has served the ancient capital of Laos very well. Until the 1900's, Laos was known as the Kingdom of Lan Xang, the land of one million elephants. In Lao the word for elephant is written phonetically in English as "Xang" which is comparable to the Thai convention in phonetic English of "Chang" as we spell it in The Elephant Story, i.e., Rueang (Story) Chang...

Elephants and Economics

Feb 15, 2016 | 0 comments

This commentary was prompted by a recent article in the Nikkei Asian Review commenting on the ASEAN Economic Community Reality, which created a question in my mind as to the future of elephants in many of these countries in light of their economic development. First of all, the author would like to acknowledge Ele Aid for their vast contribution to an understanding of the elephant population and potential for their survival in Southeast Asia. Below is a ranking of certain ASEAN countries by their GDP and GDP per capita. There are several observations relative to the wealth of these countries...

VINTAGE BASKETS HAND CRAFTED BY THE HILL TRIBES OF THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE OF THAILAND

Oct 21, 2014 | 0 comments

The Elephant Story has assembled a collection of vintage baskets from various hill tribes in The Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos and Myanmar come together. This exotic area is home to numerous ethnic hill tribes who have their own languages, customs and life styles. These baskets from Hmong, Akha, and Karen hill tribes were used in the rice paddy and their mountainous homes to store rice and other products. They now are distinctive home decorative accent pieces with each having it’s own history. Perhaps, some of the baskets carried treats for the elephants of Karen villagers or the opium of...

The Elephant Story launches a line of luxury cashmere throws by Manop Rachote

Feb 16, 2014 | 0 comments

Comfort, Texas & Bangkok, Thailand The Elephant Story, a Not-for-Profit retail store in Comfort, Texas that was formed to promote elephant conservation in Asian elephant countries, is pleased to announce the launch of a luxury line of cashmere throws by Manop Rachote of Bangkok, Thailand. Manop Rachote, one of the emerging designers in Bangkok, Thailand has created a line of Mongolian Gobi cashmere throws for The Elephant Story. The throws are 60 inches by 72 inches and are made from reputedly the best cashmere in the world. Their borders are either supple kid goat leather or a vertical silk...