We arrived in Mae Sot, on the Burmese border, after a 24 hour bus journey,which I wouldn’t really recommend, although the boys loved it. We were exhausted, but excited to be there.
Mae La Refugee Camp
Mae Sot was amazing. We spent 5 days there, and were so happy we had the opportunity to experience this unique environment. We spent one day touring the area with a couple of Openmind associates, both from the Karen tribe. They took us to 2 refugee schools (see following post), and the Mae La refugee camp–we were not permitted into the camp, but we drove the perimeter of it, and were able to get a sense of the breadth of it.
It didn’t seem to be that hard to get in and out–we watched this pair easily gain entrance up the road from the gate
The camp is occupied by 70,000 refugees, mostly Karen, but also some other ethnic minorities. It didn’t look as awful as I remembered the Palestinian camps looking 30 years ago, but the occupants are not allowed to leave unless they have Thai citizenship, which most of them don’t. The camps and the schools get no support from the Thai government, and are privately funded, dependent on NGOs, volunteers, and private donations to survive.
This tea shop is a popular hangout for Burmese exiles
Burmese poetry displayed at a tea shop
We also had many opportunities to talk to Burmese people living legally on the Thai side of the border, who told us what it’s like for their families and friends in Burma, the effect of sanctions, the lack of employment, and how they felt about having to leave their homes. Everyone we spoke to missed Burma and wanted to go back if and when it became possible.
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