Trip to Mae Sot and Mae La Refugee Camp

http://asacreynolds.blogspot.com/2008/11/trip-to-mae-sot-and-mae-la-refugee-camp.html

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Last weekend was one of the most moving I have ever experience. We went to a city called Mae Sot in Tak Province, which is near the Burma-Thai border, and learned a lot about contemporary issues with Burma. We went and visited a lot of NGO groups, such as one that helps establish energy projects with water and solar energy in small villages, one that worked to help former political prisoners in Burma (who then came to Thailand), and one that helped with doing research and giving medical aid to Karen refugees. We always spent a few mornings in a Burmese tea shop eating nan bread and some kind of bean sauce which the most delicious breakfasts in my life. The weekend was not a whole lot of fun, but it wasn't meant to be. It was meant to show the effects of the oppressive regime in Burma on people in Burma and Thailand. We went to a medical clinic, which had welcomed Laura Bush a few months earlier (on the way to the Olympics in Beijing the Bush's went to Thailand) and saw the how people had to live that had been forced out of their own country for fear of their lives.

We saw a lot of good things, such as many western doctors coming to help people with degenerative eye conditions, and cleft lips. I was amazed to see how big it was, apparently the group (run by a woman known as the Mother Theresa of Thailand) is very well recognized and funded internationally. It was good to see that it was well funded, and that people were getting the help they needed, but one thing stood out in my mind. We went to the prosthetics section of the camp, were they made plastic limbs for people. Out of 17 people on a board of patients, 14 were victims of land mines. Land Mines. These are supposed to be outlawed, banned by the international community. But the Burmese government still uses them. It tries to prevent villagers who have run from the military to return by placing landmines around the village among other things. One man told a story about a man who had died from a landmine explosion. He had walked up to read a note posted by the Burmese military on a tree, but that tree had a landmine right in front of it. Also, a lot of people notice the land mines, but do not know how to cut the wires properly and are killed or severely wounded. Still, it was amazing to see first hand the work that is being done to help the people who are driven away from their country.
The next day we went to the Mae La refugee camp. Most refugees were Karen people. We went up on stage and were introduced to the students there. We told them our names and where we came from, and their president talked for a short time. They then stood up and sung two songs. I do not know what they sang about, but its was incredibly beautiful. While we were listening, I though about all the things the refugees must go through, leaving their country, their families, and the hardships of the camp, the fact that even if they do really well with their education they may never get a chance to leave the camp and work in Thailand. I didn't cry, but I was pretty close, it was really overwhelming. I could not imagine what would make a person or a regime do this to people. I could not image even the most power hungry general being able to see what he was doing and accepting it. We did not see too much else of the camp, but it was great to see most of the people there quite happy. Even though they lived in pretty bad conditions (although the conditions there were much better than I thought they would be), they still lived with pride and hope that they could one day return. After learning so much about Burma through lectures and readings, it was great to see some of the effects of the military regime on actual people. It made everything I have read a lot more real.
Posted by Asa Reynolds at 6:37 AM