Trouble in the neighborhood, and an EXCLUSIVE blog announcement

SOME BACKGROUND:
As a relatively peaceful and democratic nation bordering several states distinguished for their civil wars and human rights atrocities, things can be complicated. At various times over the past forty years, million of people seeking to escape persecution and violence in Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Cambodia have fled to Thailand, where their reception has often been mixed.

Thailand recently made headlines for forcibly deporting 4,000 Hmong asylum seekers to Laos, contrary to the wishes of the United States and the United Nations. A U.S. State Department official called the deportation “a serious violation of the international humanitarian principles Thailand has long been known for championing.” (The U.S. is a bit more implicated in this situation than our moralizing might suggest; the Hmong are in Thailand because they fled Laos after cooperating with the CIA’s secret war in the 1960s.)

Currently, Thailand plays an ambivalent host to a stream of refugees and migrants fleeing violence and dire economic conditions in Burma. For example, human rights groups alleged in 2008 that Thailand detained about 1,000 migrants, then sent them to sea in boats with no engines.

Some Burmese—those fleeing violence from a decades long civil war—are officially classified as refugees and live in one of the nine refugee camps run by international aid organizations. The refugees are confined within these camps, where conditions are less than ideal. In addition to these refugees there are many other Burmese who have fled crippling poverty to seek economic opportunities in Thailand. Much like illegal immigrants from Mexico (at least, before the U.S. economy collapsed), who exist in a legal grey zone, these migrants from Burma are an integral part of the economy—often engaged in unskilled factory labor—but remain vulnerable to exploitation, lack access to basic services, and often work in inhumane conditions.

BEGIN UPDATE:
A few weeks ago, Marie and I went on a semi-educational adventure to Mae Sot, a town just five kilometers from the Burmese border. Many migrants from Burma live in and around Mae Sot and work for various factories. Consequently, Mae Sot is also populated by scores of aid organizations seeking to help the migrants and refugees. The place is a really interesting mix of Thai, Burmese, and international do-gooders. For example, around the corner from our cute guesthouse was this charming little Italian restaurant with homemade ravioli and banana pie and menus in English—all things unheard of in much larger Phitsanulok.

And here’s a shop that sells crafts made by women in the refugee camps.

We met with the director of a non-profit called Youth Connect that provides vocational training to Thai and Burmese youth. The training enables youth to seek jobs that require skilled labor—for example, with hotels or as carpenters—rather than accept a low-skilled factory job. The director explained to us matter-of-factly that the typical migrant lacks access to any meaningful education, as there is no education system in place except for the uncoordinated, piecemeal efforts funded by international organizations. Where schools do exist, they tend to use outdated and irrelevant curriculum, and may be set up by opportunistic local leaders looking more to collect international funds rather than provide quality education. Without a proper education, Burmese migrants are often only able to find jobs in area factories. These factories are notorious for their poor working conditions. The director also informed us that the Thai government has been so helpful as to suspend the national minimum wage for the area, enabling the factories to pay workers even less.

We also visited the Mae Tao Clinic, set up to provide medical treatment to Burmese at no cost. The doctor who started the clinic after fleeing Burma, Cynthia Maung, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

U.S. AID was repping itself hard at the clinic.

I’m still woefully ignorant about the nuances of the situation. I'm only now beginning to catch up on the debate within Thailand about how best to handle the migrants. It feels a little complicated, being a guest in a country but learning about its problems at the same time. Accustomed to freely criticizing U.S. injustices without concern for causing offense, I am not entirely confident navigating such issues here.

Also, Marie and I walked approximately two miles to this wat that supposedly had a sauna. Not so much. Thanks Lonely Planet.


ANNOUNCEMENT:

Anyhow, hopefully we will soon have more insight into this issue as a certain very special friend will soon join the staff at Ban Noi Soi Community Learning Centre, which “seeks to provide English, Thai and Burmese language skills, practical vocational skills, and community development skills to high school aged children living in the Mae Hong Son area of Thailand.” I’m counting on a stream of pithy and informative updates from her blog.

So who is this mystery teacher? None other than the Rebecca Fischman, who'll soon be beginning her career as an English teacher. Estimated time of arrival in Thailand: five days, six hours. See you soon and happy late national bird day!


That's all for now. Take care little reader. Hope your new year is getting off to a splendid start.

Truly,
R