Congratulations on reaching this milestone, and on creating a site that is both academically useful and a pleasure to visit. I’m certainly glad that I discovered this place–thank you for providing it.
A nice article, as Upagupta is popular in the North of Thailand.
One of the more famous stories about him relates to an episode where he captures Mara, the personification of Delusion. He claims he never saw the rupa-kaya (material body) of the Buddha, only the Dharma-kaya (Enlightened form). He then makes Mara, who had seen the rupa-kaya of the Buddha, assume that form so Upagupta can see what the Buddha looked like.
Apparantly his hair stood on end in scstasy and his eyes filled with tears, and he bowed down to the form as if it were Buddha himself. Mara coud not bear this and fell down unconscious.
This story is often portrayed in the murals in Thai temples, in the form of a monk holding a Buddha form tied to a rock – as can be seen on the West wall in Wat Phra Kaew.
Upagupta also converted Mara to the Dhamma – something the Buddha himself was not able to do. One account has him disguise a dead dog, dead snake and a dead human as a garland which Mara, thinking he has defeated Upagupta, willingly puts on his shoulders. The stink is terrible, but because he put it on voluntarily he cannot remove it. No God can remove it from him and eventually he is advised to go back to Upagupta. He complains that the Buddha never tormented him in this way. Upagupta points out that this is a reverence that Mara has for the Buddha’s compassion, and this is what inspires Mara to faith in the Dhamma.
In response to your request for on-site information of the development of the river traffic to Chiang Saen, I’m not sure my points are of relevance as they are anecdotal and based on casual observation, usually over a beer, on the river-side, however, a few things to note over the past few days…
The first stage of road widening happened in November 2006 out of Mae Chan towards Chiang Saen, about 2km were done (as far as Ban Don) before they petered out – typically the widened area had started to fall apart within a month (similar to the road widening in Mae Sai toward the Golden Triangle this year). However, on a trip to Chiang Rai this week we noted that they had started cutting roadside trees for the first kilometre or so outside Chiang Saen – we guess this is the beginning of another road widening.
My Manager (calling in Thai from a Thai number) was quoted 2,000,000 baht a rai for some swamp land just outside the Chiang Saen bypass yesterday – this price included filling to prevent flooding. Someone obviously thinks the proposed industrial area might be in Chiang Sean town – though this site is in the view of Wat Pa Sak and the antiquities department seem to be a powerful voice against development.
I haven’t been to the proposed Sob Kok site (BKK Post June 2nd http://www.bangkokpost.com/020608_News/02Jun2008_news13.php) since late May but there was no sign of anything at that point except receding grassland and informal maize plantation.
The manager of the private port quoted in the same BKK Post piece has a point but then his port is upstream of Chiang Saen and would require no blasting – environmentally better and perhaps more sense but it is a private port.
There has been some blasting in the area over the past few days but I believe this is tied in with the Nam Pheung Casino and not in the river, but I’ve been working so haven’t had time to check this.
I am not sure but it is my feeling that river traffic has actually lessened over the past couple of months (in previous years it has opened up again after the rains raise the river level) but this could be due to any number of reasons – not least that I have been working late and not spent much time on the riverside.
If anyone has specific questions please feel free to ask.
Have just today received the story which is in the current (July 2008), issue of “Arena Magazine” and find it to be a good piece of journalism base on the facts.
I hope that your readership will be able to obtain this magazine and read the story, as it discounts an awfull lot which has been posted by those who for no other reason then wanting to see the SPDC prevail over the current situation will stop at nothing to make my efforts for Karen freedom fall to defeat (mind you this will NOT be the case in the near future) , and in the process do whatever is necessary to defame me !
Those readers of your New Mandala who reside in the United States and Canada can purchase the “Arena Magazine” from such book outlets as Barnes and Nobles, Borders Books. Just make sure that you mention the JULY 2008 issue when requesting this publication.
Tom Bleming
Lusk, Wyoming 82225-0914
U.S.A.
One way to obscure reality is to focus on nit picky details, as “burma for you” seems to be doing. I really don’t get his point. What Micheal Aung Thwin and some bloggers have said is that political motives on the part of western governments and a number of Burmese opposition figures, some of whom get monetary support from these same governments, is making it more difficult to address the humanitarian situation which now exists in Burma. It is also creating a misleading picture of the situation in Burma and rendering political solutions even more difficult I don’t think he has addressed this crucial point at all.
Does Fernquest know what he is blogging about? No point in referring twice to Burmese elections in 1991, as none were held in that year (might 1990 be a better bet?). BTW Soros also runs a major scholarship programme and offers huge sums in the service of scholarship, namely to get academic journals to underfunded third world countries.
Perhaps short of seratonin, there is a cold-hearted abnormal posturing to Michael Aung-Thwin’s letter and also to Fernquest’s style of blogging while the consequences of the cyclone are still being felt by a multitude of homeless, hungry and abandoned Burmese.
Bahh! Big words, small hearts. Why run a blog if you cannot even get your facts straight?
Mr. Slade and Mr. Foster, you both seem to know the man well. I’ve been in the area before, and I’m very interested in knowing more about the situation. I’d greatly appreciate if you could perhaps contact me at [email protected].
Would you mind posting links to the articles you mentioned? Are they part of this website? I’m new here, having discovered this blog only because of the link to my own posting on the Rabinowitz interview. Now I am even more intrigued by your insightful comments and would like to read more.
Conservation and governance is a topic very much central to my blog, and I want to continue addressing these issues further. I would therefore like to read your other writings on this topic, and invite you to drop by my blog once in a while as well.
The articles can still be found via Google’s cached pages. Here are TinyURLs for the two cached articles: http://tinyurl.com/6dxa8f (Reborn Thai) http://tinyurl.com/5hz4zm (Last KMT general still wants democracy in China)
Many congratulations.
The combination of cutting-edge academic insights, must-have Thai political analysis & fruit cake wannabe war heros is a winning comination.
MANY happy returns – Ashley
Hi, the whole piont of our trip is to use as much of the original route that the ‘first overland far eastern expedition’ crew used in 1955. Hence the need to use the Ledo Road.
My contact in Myanmar who works for the embassey has traveled the road from Pangsau to Bhamo by 4×4 and assures me as long as we travel it in march we will make it.
Once we have spoken to the Indian Minister of Commerce Jairam Ramesh, the man talking to myanmar officials about re opening the road, and trying his dammed hardest, Then we will know where we stand because by having him backing us we stand as gooder chance as any.
This road is due to be re-opened by 2010 anyway but we want to travel it while an adventure can still be had.
Michael, sounds like you’re taking Little Britain to Singapore..
Ernest Activist: “They’re raping and pillaging”,
“Yeah I know”…
EA: “err..”
“I mean I gotta see it for myself, am an empiricist after all – it’s the British way” EA: “yes, I suppose you want to film the raping and pillaging and sell it to the world service?”
“I’ll do it for a kipper and chips!, it’s the British way tarrah!”
Also, I’d be extremely interested to see these local interviews you film.
“Oi you there, … yeah you… you want me to take your photo of you?”
Local: “…”
“I’ll do it for free you silly local, bet you’ve never even tasted chips or a fine lager”
L: “…”
“Here you are, got an email address? Oh yeah! Hah, email out here, Im havin’ a larf”
L: * starts to walk away*
“Oi where’dju think your goin’ then? You’re me guide, now where can I put my new road for me four-wheel drives – don’t want much dirt on them y’see, can’t have a Land Rover that looks like it’s been used, will halve the re-sale value”
L: *runs*
” Typical, can’t appreciate a good bit o’ culture”
Well done Andrew & Nicholas!!! Don’t know how you can consistently feed stuff into it, whilst looking after your day jobs. Amazing! It’s a great service, and we all benefit. Thank you.
Have you read the Thai National Geographic. It’s in, of course, Thai language. I am presently having it translated and will post it when done.
I live in Maehongson and know the Vice Chairman of the
Karenni State, Mr. Abel Tuay (Tweed–as the English pronounce it). I also know Mr. Raymon Two, the Chairman.
They and the Karenni I speak to, and I have many Karenni friends, do not consider themselves to be in a “human zoo”, and that is the subject of this post – the lie of the “human zoo”.
The guide books and certain NGOs love to perpetuate this myth in order to sell books and get donations.
The Karenni have a vibrant culture that they wish to keep and the NGO neocolonialists and missionaries wish to change.
The Thai National Geographic presents both sides of the Karenni question. Some women and girls like the rings, others do not. The women are not forced to wear the rings.
Yes, they get 1500 Baht max a month offered to wear the rings because it brings in tourism, so I’m sure there is some family pressure put on the new generation. Plus when the tourism season ends, they do not get paid.
To put this in perspective a restaurant waitress (illegal refugee) gets between 1500 and 3000 Baht a month for working 10 hours a day and 7 days a week.
The BBC program and newspaper article only airs the interviews of those Karenni that wish to live in foreign countries and thus abandon their heritage and the possibility of returning to their Karenni State, which by the way is being fought for by those who had the guts to stay behind.
Newspapers love bleeding-heart stories because they are quickly written and sell.
Even though the Karenni are labeled by Thai law as displaced persons rather than refugees, they can and do live in the refugee camps. They also have the choice, as do Pa-O to live or visit the Karenni villages set up for tourism and sell their wares.
In addition, contrary to what people read and hear, the Karenni do go outside of their “tourism villages” and visit the markets, and other places in Maehongson. I see them all the time.
Some even come to my house with Abel Tuay for coffee and a chat. Maybe they need passes or slip a few baht into some official’s hand. I don’t know. That is not the subject of this post.
The village deal was established long ago as a business concern between Thai business people and the Karenni. The Karenni accepted the deal because they can make money rather than step on land mines in Burma or live in a refugee camp.
Maybe they get cheated or maybe not. That, unfortunately, is the way of business nowadays, especially if one is an illegal. Look at the wage of an illegal Mexican laborer in California as opposed to the lawful minimum wage requirement.
The business deal between the Karenni and Thais is not the subject of this post.
The argument as to whether the Karenni, being displaced persons rather than refugees, and thus not allowed to relocate to countries that accept them is also not my subject here. All that is very convoluted and is up to the host country, Thailand, to solve.
The subject of this post is, once again, the lie of the “human zoo”.
It should be noted that the Karenni are the second richest hill tribe in Thailand. The first is the Hmong tribe because they are excellent business people, plus, unfortunately, they are now once again cultivating and selling opium.
Miss Kitty Mckinsey, the spokesperson of the UNHCR, suggested that the tourists should boycott the Karenni villages because they are human zoos.
Ok. Miss Mckinsey is a spokesperson who travels all over the world speaking for UNHCR. The only information she received is what the UNHCR at Maehongson gave her, so she probably should not have to shoulder blame for a completely idiotic and misinformed statement.
The Karenni were quite upset by that statement because it would affect their lively-hood.
In addition, the last UNHCR head in Maehongson, Hanna (forgot her last name) used to speak of how it is so great to get the refugees resettled to another country. They will become doctors and attorneys and return to Burma to rebuild it, she said.
If you have been following the Iraq and Afganistan situation, you will note that those “expatriates” who returned after 20 years, did so only to exploit their own people and country. Once they’ve see Paree…. Chalabi is a good example.
It should be noted that Ms. Hanna refused to meet with Abel Tuay. He showed me a few statistics about Karenni suicides in the camps caused by the selection process for relocations.
UNHCR, as explained by an official to me, only allows complete families to immigrate. I think that is a good policy. However, it seems the suicides occurred because a family member did not want to relocate or some other unforeseen circumstances.
OK. These were not high numbers and nothing is fool- proof. But Hanna refused to speak to Abel Tuay, who by the way, has spoken before the USA Congress, and the head United Nations special rapporteur to Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. A real professional would have given Abel what we used to call a “courtesy interview”.
One last comment: There is a wonderful group of people providing education to the Karenni. These people pay their own expenses and receive no compensation whatsoever for their efforts.
They were paranoid about being “illegal” since they were not registered. I know the Pbalat, the guy who is the commander of the camps and a district officer, so I got them together with him and they became registered in Thailand as an NGO.
They still do wonderful things, but they are now also activists. This is not their mission statement. So now I’m on the outs with the Pbalat (no good deed goes unpunished).
Also, they have a coordinator here who now can get a one year visa because of the NGO status. This person breaks all the rules and walks about the Karenni villages like a “Royal Patron” of the Karenni. This individual is sarcastic, arrogant, and has no tact — a true old style colonialist.
The person is trying to change the Karenni culture and possibly will have a negative effect on the good that the organization is doing educational-wise for the Karenni.
In other words, if this person keeps stepping on toes persona non grata may visit them. Then, of course, the good deeds of the organization may be destroyed by a dissolution of the said organization.
As to education, there is the Queen of Thailand’s project that helps educate the Karenni and offer them citizenship cards after they complete a certain grade level.
The NGOs, opportunists, two month volunteers, and bleeding-hearts either don’t know about this or don’t want to know about it. They strut about like they are the saviors of the Karenni and speak derisively of the Thai government, which they accuse in their ignorance and pseudo- intellectualism of abusing the Karenni and other refugees.
In closing, the Karenni do not consider themselves to be in a human zoo. They like to be called Karenni not Padong, Padaong, Kayan, Giraffe Women, or long-necks. They are good people and should not have disinformation spread about them. They are the second richest hill tribe in Thailand, but “rich” is a relative term. They deserve all the economic and educational help they receive. I have an emotional tie with them and therefore do not like to hear “spin” and lies pertaining to their plight and life style.
I haven’t heard of anyone using the Ledo Road for crossing into Burma from India. I know of at least two groups that have crossed at Moreh/Tamu but none along the Stilwell Road. I went as far as the Burma border (Nampong?) when I was a child and my recollection was that there was no real road on the other side. Even if it is motorable now, it is unlikely to be all-weather and it is unlikely that the junta will let you see it.
Also, recent reports, as Mandy has indirectly pointed out, point to a guerilla war going on in the Kachin States between the Nagas (who are not recognized by the Burmese junta as an independent ethnic group) and the Burmese military along with stuff that is pretty much up there in the territory of war crimes. I seriously doubt that the Burmese junta will let anyone travel, even under escort, in that part of the world. Try Moreh/Tamu instead.
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Two years of New Mandala
Congratulations on reaching this milestone, and on creating a site that is both academically useful and a pleasure to visit. I’m certainly glad that I discovered this place–thank you for providing it.
Happy second, and wishing you many more.
Upakhut – saint and spirit
A nice article, as Upagupta is popular in the North of Thailand.
One of the more famous stories about him relates to an episode where he captures Mara, the personification of Delusion. He claims he never saw the rupa-kaya (material body) of the Buddha, only the Dharma-kaya (Enlightened form). He then makes Mara, who had seen the rupa-kaya of the Buddha, assume that form so Upagupta can see what the Buddha looked like.
Apparantly his hair stood on end in scstasy and his eyes filled with tears, and he bowed down to the form as if it were Buddha himself. Mara coud not bear this and fell down unconscious.
This story is often portrayed in the murals in Thai temples, in the form of a monk holding a Buddha form tied to a rock – as can be seen on the West wall in Wat Phra Kaew.
Upagupta also converted Mara to the Dhamma – something the Buddha himself was not able to do. One account has him disguise a dead dog, dead snake and a dead human as a garland which Mara, thinking he has defeated Upagupta, willingly puts on his shoulders. The stink is terrible, but because he put it on voluntarily he cannot remove it. No God can remove it from him and eventually he is advised to go back to Upagupta. He complains that the Buddha never tormented him in this way. Upagupta points out that this is a reverence that Mara has for the Buddha’s compassion, and this is what inspires Mara to faith in the Dhamma.
Mekong navigation and the great garlic puzzle
In response to your request for on-site information of the development of the river traffic to Chiang Saen, I’m not sure my points are of relevance as they are anecdotal and based on casual observation, usually over a beer, on the river-side, however, a few things to note over the past few days…
The first stage of road widening happened in November 2006 out of Mae Chan towards Chiang Saen, about 2km were done (as far as Ban Don) before they petered out – typically the widened area had started to fall apart within a month (similar to the road widening in Mae Sai toward the Golden Triangle this year). However, on a trip to Chiang Rai this week we noted that they had started cutting roadside trees for the first kilometre or so outside Chiang Saen – we guess this is the beginning of another road widening.
My Manager (calling in Thai from a Thai number) was quoted 2,000,000 baht a rai for some swamp land just outside the Chiang Saen bypass yesterday – this price included filling to prevent flooding. Someone obviously thinks the proposed industrial area might be in Chiang Sean town – though this site is in the view of Wat Pa Sak and the antiquities department seem to be a powerful voice against development.
I haven’t been to the proposed Sob Kok site (BKK Post June 2nd http://www.bangkokpost.com/020608_News/02Jun2008_news13.php) since late May but there was no sign of anything at that point except receding grassland and informal maize plantation.
The manager of the private port quoted in the same BKK Post piece has a point but then his port is upstream of Chiang Saen and would require no blasting – environmentally better and perhaps more sense but it is a private port.
There has been some blasting in the area over the past few days but I believe this is tied in with the Nam Pheung Casino and not in the river, but I’ve been working so haven’t had time to check this.
I am not sure but it is my feeling that river traffic has actually lessened over the past couple of months (in previous years it has opened up again after the rains raise the river level) but this could be due to any number of reasons – not least that I have been working late and not spent much time on the riverside.
If anyone has specific questions please feel free to ask.
A glossy feature on Thomas Bleming
Have just today received the story which is in the current (July 2008), issue of “Arena Magazine” and find it to be a good piece of journalism base on the facts.
I hope that your readership will be able to obtain this magazine and read the story, as it discounts an awfull lot which has been posted by those who for no other reason then wanting to see the SPDC prevail over the current situation will stop at nothing to make my efforts for Karen freedom fall to defeat (mind you this will NOT be the case in the near future) , and in the process do whatever is necessary to defame me !
Those readers of your New Mandala who reside in the United States and Canada can purchase the “Arena Magazine” from such book outlets as Barnes and Nobles, Borders Books. Just make sure that you mention the JULY 2008 issue when requesting this publication.
Tom Bleming
Lusk, Wyoming 82225-0914
U.S.A.
JSEAS special issue on Burma is out now
One way to obscure reality is to focus on nit picky details, as “burma for you” seems to be doing. I really don’t get his point. What Micheal Aung Thwin and some bloggers have said is that political motives on the part of western governments and a number of Burmese opposition figures, some of whom get monetary support from these same governments, is making it more difficult to address the humanitarian situation which now exists in Burma. It is also creating a misleading picture of the situation in Burma and rendering political solutions even more difficult I don’t think he has addressed this crucial point at all.
Two years of New Mandala
In just two years, NM has grown so well. I read NM regularly. It’s Resourceful and refreshing among many. Thanks to Nich and Andrew… Keep rolling!
JSEAS special issue on Burma is out now
Does Fernquest know what he is blogging about? No point in referring twice to Burmese elections in 1991, as none were held in that year (might 1990 be a better bet?). BTW Soros also runs a major scholarship programme and offers huge sums in the service of scholarship, namely to get academic journals to underfunded third world countries.
Perhaps short of seratonin, there is a cold-hearted abnormal posturing to Michael Aung-Thwin’s letter and also to Fernquest’s style of blogging while the consequences of the cyclone are still being felt by a multitude of homeless, hungry and abandoned Burmese.
Bahh! Big words, small hearts. Why run a blog if you cannot even get your facts straight?
Thomas Bleming in the news
Mr. Slade and Mr. Foster, you both seem to know the man well. I’ve been in the area before, and I’m very interested in knowing more about the situation. I’d greatly appreciate if you could perhaps contact me at [email protected].
Thanks!!!
Alan Rabinowitz and the Colbert Report, etc
Zao Noam,
Would you mind posting links to the articles you mentioned? Are they part of this website? I’m new here, having discovered this blog only because of the link to my own posting on the Rabinowitz interview. Now I am even more intrigued by your insightful comments and would like to read more.
Conservation and governance is a topic very much central to my blog, and I want to continue addressing these issues further. I would therefore like to read your other writings on this topic, and invite you to drop by my blog once in a while as well.
Madhu
Kuominthai after almost 40 years
Thanks Tim,
I have updated the links in the original to reflect these very helpful cached pages. Brilliant.
Best wishes to all,
Nich
Kuominthai after almost 40 years
Interesting stuff.
The articles can still be found via Google’s cached pages. Here are TinyURLs for the two cached articles:
http://tinyurl.com/6dxa8f (Reborn Thai)
http://tinyurl.com/5hz4zm (Last KMT general still wants democracy in China)
Tim Maddog
The Stilwell Road
My contact in yangon informs me, after asking that the Kachin people are very friendly but very little means alot the them as they dont have much.
Apparently they are more than happey to talk to forigners interested in thier stories. They want the western would to know.
She also tells me we are to be careful as we may be escourted back out of the country if caught.
She recomends talking to the locals about the corruption and the junta whilst trading on lake Inle.
The Stilwell Road
Nobody like critisism we are doing our best. We have alot to plan, its no just myanmar thats got its problems.
as for email we have satelite. and phone and GPS.
At least we are trying,
This is all new to me im only the mechanic
Two years of New Mandala
Many congratulations.
The combination of cutting-edge academic insights, must-have Thai political analysis & fruit cake wannabe war heros is a winning comination.
MANY happy returns – Ashley
The Stilwell Road
Hi, the whole piont of our trip is to use as much of the original route that the ‘first overland far eastern expedition’ crew used in 1955. Hence the need to use the Ledo Road.
My contact in Myanmar who works for the embassey has traveled the road from Pangsau to Bhamo by 4×4 and assures me as long as we travel it in march we will make it.
Once we have spoken to the Indian Minister of Commerce Jairam Ramesh, the man talking to myanmar officials about re opening the road, and trying his dammed hardest, Then we will know where we stand because by having him backing us we stand as gooder chance as any.
This road is due to be re-opened by 2010 anyway but we want to travel it while an adventure can still be had.
michael
The Stilwell Road
Michael, sounds like you’re taking Little Britain to Singapore..
Ernest Activist: “They’re raping and pillaging”,
“Yeah I know”…
EA: “err..”
“I mean I gotta see it for myself, am an empiricist after all – it’s the British way” EA: “yes, I suppose you want to film the raping and pillaging and sell it to the world service?”
“I’ll do it for a kipper and chips!, it’s the British way tarrah!”
Also, I’d be extremely interested to see these local interviews you film.
“Oi you there, … yeah you… you want me to take your photo of you?”
Local: “…”
“I’ll do it for free you silly local, bet you’ve never even tasted chips or a fine lager”
L: “…”
“Here you are, got an email address? Oh yeah! Hah, email out here, Im havin’ a larf”
L: * starts to walk away*
“Oi where’dju think your goin’ then? You’re me guide, now where can I put my new road for me four-wheel drives – don’t want much dirt on them y’see, can’t have a Land Rover that looks like it’s been used, will halve the re-sale value”
L: *runs*
” Typical, can’t appreciate a good bit o’ culture”
Two years of New Mandala
Well done Andrew & Nicholas!!! Don’t know how you can consistently feed stuff into it, whilst looking after your day jobs. Amazing! It’s a great service, and we all benefit. Thank you.
Bound by tradition
Folks:
Have you read the Thai National Geographic. It’s in, of course, Thai language. I am presently having it translated and will post it when done.
I live in Maehongson and know the Vice Chairman of the
Karenni State, Mr. Abel Tuay (Tweed–as the English pronounce it). I also know Mr. Raymon Two, the Chairman.
They and the Karenni I speak to, and I have many Karenni friends, do not consider themselves to be in a “human zoo”, and that is the subject of this post – the lie of the “human zoo”.
The guide books and certain NGOs love to perpetuate this myth in order to sell books and get donations.
The Karenni have a vibrant culture that they wish to keep and the NGO neocolonialists and missionaries wish to change.
The Thai National Geographic presents both sides of the Karenni question. Some women and girls like the rings, others do not. The women are not forced to wear the rings.
Yes, they get 1500 Baht max a month offered to wear the rings because it brings in tourism, so I’m sure there is some family pressure put on the new generation. Plus when the tourism season ends, they do not get paid.
To put this in perspective a restaurant waitress (illegal refugee) gets between 1500 and 3000 Baht a month for working 10 hours a day and 7 days a week.
The BBC program and newspaper article only airs the interviews of those Karenni that wish to live in foreign countries and thus abandon their heritage and the possibility of returning to their Karenni State, which by the way is being fought for by those who had the guts to stay behind.
Newspapers love bleeding-heart stories because they are quickly written and sell.
Even though the Karenni are labeled by Thai law as displaced persons rather than refugees, they can and do live in the refugee camps. They also have the choice, as do Pa-O to live or visit the Karenni villages set up for tourism and sell their wares.
In addition, contrary to what people read and hear, the Karenni do go outside of their “tourism villages” and visit the markets, and other places in Maehongson. I see them all the time.
Some even come to my house with Abel Tuay for coffee and a chat. Maybe they need passes or slip a few baht into some official’s hand. I don’t know. That is not the subject of this post.
The village deal was established long ago as a business concern between Thai business people and the Karenni. The Karenni accepted the deal because they can make money rather than step on land mines in Burma or live in a refugee camp.
Maybe they get cheated or maybe not. That, unfortunately, is the way of business nowadays, especially if one is an illegal. Look at the wage of an illegal Mexican laborer in California as opposed to the lawful minimum wage requirement.
The business deal between the Karenni and Thais is not the subject of this post.
The argument as to whether the Karenni, being displaced persons rather than refugees, and thus not allowed to relocate to countries that accept them is also not my subject here. All that is very convoluted and is up to the host country, Thailand, to solve.
The subject of this post is, once again, the lie of the “human zoo”.
It should be noted that the Karenni are the second richest hill tribe in Thailand. The first is the Hmong tribe because they are excellent business people, plus, unfortunately, they are now once again cultivating and selling opium.
Miss Kitty Mckinsey, the spokesperson of the UNHCR, suggested that the tourists should boycott the Karenni villages because they are human zoos.
Ok. Miss Mckinsey is a spokesperson who travels all over the world speaking for UNHCR. The only information she received is what the UNHCR at Maehongson gave her, so she probably should not have to shoulder blame for a completely idiotic and misinformed statement.
The Karenni were quite upset by that statement because it would affect their lively-hood.
In addition, the last UNHCR head in Maehongson, Hanna (forgot her last name) used to speak of how it is so great to get the refugees resettled to another country. They will become doctors and attorneys and return to Burma to rebuild it, she said.
If you have been following the Iraq and Afganistan situation, you will note that those “expatriates” who returned after 20 years, did so only to exploit their own people and country. Once they’ve see Paree…. Chalabi is a good example.
It should be noted that Ms. Hanna refused to meet with Abel Tuay. He showed me a few statistics about Karenni suicides in the camps caused by the selection process for relocations.
UNHCR, as explained by an official to me, only allows complete families to immigrate. I think that is a good policy. However, it seems the suicides occurred because a family member did not want to relocate or some other unforeseen circumstances.
OK. These were not high numbers and nothing is fool- proof. But Hanna refused to speak to Abel Tuay, who by the way, has spoken before the USA Congress, and the head United Nations special rapporteur to Burma, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro. A real professional would have given Abel what we used to call a “courtesy interview”.
One last comment: There is a wonderful group of people providing education to the Karenni. These people pay their own expenses and receive no compensation whatsoever for their efforts.
They were paranoid about being “illegal” since they were not registered. I know the Pbalat, the guy who is the commander of the camps and a district officer, so I got them together with him and they became registered in Thailand as an NGO.
They still do wonderful things, but they are now also activists. This is not their mission statement. So now I’m on the outs with the Pbalat (no good deed goes unpunished).
Also, they have a coordinator here who now can get a one year visa because of the NGO status. This person breaks all the rules and walks about the Karenni villages like a “Royal Patron” of the Karenni. This individual is sarcastic, arrogant, and has no tact — a true old style colonialist.
The person is trying to change the Karenni culture and possibly will have a negative effect on the good that the organization is doing educational-wise for the Karenni.
In other words, if this person keeps stepping on toes persona non grata may visit them. Then, of course, the good deeds of the organization may be destroyed by a dissolution of the said organization.
As to education, there is the Queen of Thailand’s project that helps educate the Karenni and offer them citizenship cards after they complete a certain grade level.
The NGOs, opportunists, two month volunteers, and bleeding-hearts either don’t know about this or don’t want to know about it. They strut about like they are the saviors of the Karenni and speak derisively of the Thai government, which they accuse in their ignorance and pseudo- intellectualism of abusing the Karenni and other refugees.
In closing, the Karenni do not consider themselves to be in a human zoo. They like to be called Karenni not Padong, Padaong, Kayan, Giraffe Women, or long-necks. They are good people and should not have disinformation spread about them. They are the second richest hill tribe in Thailand, but “rich” is a relative term. They deserve all the economic and educational help they receive. I have an emotional tie with them and therefore do not like to hear “spin” and lies pertaining to their plight and life style.
The Stilwell Road
I haven’t heard of anyone using the Ledo Road for crossing into Burma from India. I know of at least two groups that have crossed at Moreh/Tamu but none along the Stilwell Road. I went as far as the Burma border (Nampong?) when I was a child and my recollection was that there was no real road on the other side. Even if it is motorable now, it is unlikely to be all-weather and it is unlikely that the junta will let you see it.
Also, recent reports, as Mandy has indirectly pointed out, point to a guerilla war going on in the Kachin States between the Nagas (who are not recognized by the Burmese junta as an independent ethnic group) and the Burmese military along with stuff that is pretty much up there in the territory of war crimes. I seriously doubt that the Burmese junta will let anyone travel, even under escort, in that part of the world. Try Moreh/Tamu instead.
Two years of New Mandala
2 years and going.
Cheers for successfully dodging net police and skirting certain law!
Hope this site (and your visa) continue!!!