Out of sight, out of mind, these forgotten people fight
for survival deep in the rain forests and up remote mountains near the
Thai/Burma border.
Karen refugee camp
The longest running civil war in the World, but it is a forgotten
story, and perhaps a forgotten people involved. That’s the conflict
between the native Karen people and the government of Myanmar. While
there is a cease fire signed by the government in effect since January
2012, the army is not trusted by the Karen people in the North, and
there are still skirmishes. The Karen fear persecution, much as other
minorities, like the Hmong, felt in Laos a couple of decades ago. But
the conflict with Karen and the government of Burma (changed to Myanmar
in 1962) has been going on since 1949, when Burma became independent
from Britain. Since the conflict began, at least 124,000 people have
been killed.
The Karen seek autonomy within Burma. They are a distinct minority
with their own language and customs. Within Myanmar, there are between 6
and 7 million ethnic Karen, and about 200,000 Burmese Karen have
escaped the brutal attacks by coming into Thailand. Most of the camps
are pretty close to Chiang Mai. Many Karen are in these large refugee
camps in the Myanmar/Thailand border areas, where day to day living is
an amazing challenge.
Karen refugee kid
Initially, the Karen rebels were considered “communists” and did
receive a little support from some Communist governments. That was
certainly a word that evoked fear in much of the West in 1949 and later,
and the Karen were scorned by the US and Western Europe. The truth,
which became visible over time, is that they are not communists, and
only seek treatment comparable to other Burmese citizens, with limited
autonomy for their ethnic group. But they did receive support from
other countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand and India. In
1962, a tyrannical military group took control of Burma, and have been
in charge ever since that time. In 2011 the government began to open
up a little bit with parliamentary elections, and there is optimism
about more liberal policies in Myanmar in the future.
One of the biggest camps with about 50,000 Karen refugees is at the
town of Mae Sot on the Thai/Burma border in the province of Tak
southwest of Chiang Mai in the mountains. Almost all the residents of
this camp, called “Mae La” have the same story, escaping from military
action in Burma where people are killed and have forced labor, with
crops and livestock destroyed, and even enslavement of younger people.
The military is brutal and Karen are not generally regarded well by
Burmese people, and are easily abused. These refugees are sometimes
referred to as the one kilometer people, because it is a simple task to
cross the border in the tropical forests, but not being legal in
Thailand, they cannot get any kind legitimate job, so they gravitate
into the camps where they can get some assistance for survival. The camp
is surrounded by barbed wire, and the perimeter is guarded by armed
Thai troops. Refugees are allowed to leave the camp once a year.
Life in the camps is sad. There is no employment, education for kids
is minimal, there is no recreation, with great boredom. Medical care
is provided by volunteers, and medical facilities are almost non-
existent. People still get sick — this region is rife with Dengue’s
Fever — and people get old and ill, have babies, get snake bites and go
through life just like anyone in Ohio, or Colorado, or Texas. They have
serious needs. There are many kids without parents. There are also
many handicapped young people as a result of the conflict in Burma.
Thailand does give the refugees food and minimal services, but it is a
very hard life for these people.
Shelter means a makeshift bamboo hut. Drinking water is neither
sanitary nor easy to come by. Lives are lived at a subsistence level,
made even more difficult by neglect by the host country and compounded
by fear of cross border raids from their country of origin, Burma, by
Myanmar military.
Please watch this video of typical life in a Karen camp in Thailand.
And the next time you are getting on to the freeway with music blasting
away as you head off to your cubicle somewhere earning money that the
US and State governments will confiscate about half of anyway, or when
you are headed to the mall to go to that big Macy’s sale, think about
the life of these people that have nothing and need so much help. Maybe
you might refocus what is important in life, and devote part of your
life for others like these people..
Next month, I will be traveling to the remote city of Mae Hong Song,
due west of Chiang Mai on the Burma border, courtesy of the senior Thai
military commander for that area. They have a Karen refugee camp near
town with about 20,000 residents called Ban Mai Nai Soi and I will be
able to make a personal visit to the camp. I am looking forward to it,
and will coming back to Chiang Mai with many plans to try to make life
easier for these people.
A
pregnant woman who is in labor receives oxygen while her mother tends
to her at the hospital maternity ward (on the floor) inside the Mae La
refugee camp
What can someone do living in America? You can organize special
drives for educational materials and essentials for living — like
band-aids and nail clippers. Anything that people need. Someone told
me about a middle school in New Jersey that sends a small shipment each
month to a camp, and that’s the best diplomacy America can do. I can
help anyone willing to organize something like this.
There are actually companies and wealthy people looking for a good
cause to give back something to the world, and these people would be
some of the most deserving and grateful on Earth. Money goes much
further here than in America, so a substantial donation would be very
welcome. I can also help arrange a direct communication with the camps
to anyone wanting to do this.
Visitors must get permission from the Thai government to personally
visit the camps, but this is not so difficult to obtain, and visitors
would feel welcome by the warm Karen people.
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