We are Refugees
* 6 years ago *
In the mountains, in the Shan state, the Shan Army is fighting against the Tatmadaw. Obviously, the burmese soldiers eagerly blame the villagers for helping the rebels. While fighting, in the middle of the night, the Tatmadaw invades the villages. They force the people out of their home, everyone begins to flee, trying to save their life. Most of them are only wearing shorts and tee-shirts, not so many having so much as their shoes.
If I understood it well, the driver who was with us is from the Shan state and was forced to escape at this very time. He was a photographer or something of the like, at that time. In the mountains, people were running and hiding, caught in the middle of the fight between the two armies, with bullets being shot at sight and gun being heard in every direction.
The Tai Yai had to cross the border with Thailand, trying to get shelter in the monastery just behind the frontier. It was a regional center of education at that time, with about 400 monks and novices. But the Burmese Army followed the Shan Army into the Thai territory, invading the monastery and forcing the villagers to flee further away. Finally, the Thai Army stepped in and forced the Tatmadaw to withdraw. Yet, the Burmese Army still hold the lands of the former monastery.
The Shan Army stayed on the Thai side, being considered non-hostile to Thailand. The refugees gathered in the rest of the monastery which was still on the Thai territory. They were about 8,000.
* Over the years *
The number of refugees decreased. Some were able to get in touch with relatives and join them. Others were granted the position of political refugee and able to move in other places or countries. For the first year, all the refugees and the monks lived on the monastery land. After a while, houses began to be built but, during the 2 first years, they only had one communal kitchen. They were living with the clothes they had on, before some help began to arrive. And let me tell you : I was frozen with my sweater on so I cannot imagine what it was like to be a child in shorts and tee-shirts by 11 degrees in the morning...
* About now *
Each family now has its own house, with a proper kitchen. But bathrooms are still shared between some houses. There are about 600 refugees, 200-250 of them being children. The number of monks dropped from 400 to 70 and the monastery is now 50m away from its original position.
They live under really poor conditions, owning not much, not being able to have a proper job or being able to move. Some lost a lot. The leader of the camp was a rich man, owning a car and a house, but he got to the same point than everyone else.
And yet they feel happier here. They know they can go to bed without fearing to hear the dog bark and having to escape in the middle of the night. They know no-one is going to come and get them. They know they are safe. And if you consider this, being cold and poor is not always so important.
* Some administration stuff *
The refugees usually have no Burmese ID and no Thai documents. They are tolerated on the Thailand territory but don't have many rights. The border is closed to them and then cannot (and don't want to) cross back.
You have 3 kinds of Thai ID card. The first of them enables you to travel within the country and to have the basic rights. But the administration usually asks for 3,000bt to start the procedure, and you are not sure to have it at the end. For people who don't even have a job, paying 3.000bt is considered a fortune.
Some policemen take advantage of the situation, arresting some refugees some times, pretexting they left without the camp without autorization. The family then has to pay a fine to free him.
Two numbers to share :
- 150$ are enough to feed the 200 children of the camp for one month
- 200,000bt (4,400 euros) are enough to finish building the school for the children, both from the holiday camp and the village nearby.
If I understood it well, the driver who was with us is from the Shan state and was forced to escape at this very time. He was a photographer or something of the like, at that time. In the mountains, people were running and hiding, caught in the middle of the fight between the two armies, with bullets being shot at sight and gun being heard in every direction.
The Tai Yai had to cross the border with Thailand, trying to get shelter in the monastery just behind the frontier. It was a regional center of education at that time, with about 400 monks and novices. But the Burmese Army followed the Shan Army into the Thai territory, invading the monastery and forcing the villagers to flee further away. Finally, the Thai Army stepped in and forced the Tatmadaw to withdraw. Yet, the Burmese Army still hold the lands of the former monastery.
The Shan Army stayed on the Thai side, being considered non-hostile to Thailand. The refugees gathered in the rest of the monastery which was still on the Thai territory. They were about 8,000.
* Over the years *
The number of refugees decreased. Some were able to get in touch with relatives and join them. Others were granted the position of political refugee and able to move in other places or countries. For the first year, all the refugees and the monks lived on the monastery land. After a while, houses began to be built but, during the 2 first years, they only had one communal kitchen. They were living with the clothes they had on, before some help began to arrive. And let me tell you : I was frozen with my sweater on so I cannot imagine what it was like to be a child in shorts and tee-shirts by 11 degrees in the morning...
* About now *
Each family now has its own house, with a proper kitchen. But bathrooms are still shared between some houses. There are about 600 refugees, 200-250 of them being children. The number of monks dropped from 400 to 70 and the monastery is now 50m away from its original position.
They live under really poor conditions, owning not much, not being able to have a proper job or being able to move. Some lost a lot. The leader of the camp was a rich man, owning a car and a house, but he got to the same point than everyone else.
And yet they feel happier here. They know they can go to bed without fearing to hear the dog bark and having to escape in the middle of the night. They know no-one is going to come and get them. They know they are safe. And if you consider this, being cold and poor is not always so important.
* Some administration stuff *
The refugees usually have no Burmese ID and no Thai documents. They are tolerated on the Thailand territory but don't have many rights. The border is closed to them and then cannot (and don't want to) cross back.
You have 3 kinds of Thai ID card. The first of them enables you to travel within the country and to have the basic rights. But the administration usually asks for 3,000bt to start the procedure, and you are not sure to have it at the end. For people who don't even have a job, paying 3.000bt is considered a fortune.
Some policemen take advantage of the situation, arresting some refugees some times, pretexting they left without the camp without autorization. The family then has to pay a fine to free him.
Two numbers to share :
- 150$ are enough to feed the 200 children of the camp for one month
- 200,000bt (4,400 euros) are enough to finish building the school for the children, both from the holiday camp and the village nearby.
Publicité