Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [345]
Se. Southeast Express (0 5554 7048; 522/3 Th Intharakhiri; 3-day tour per person 6500B) Does the usual three- to four-day tours to Um Phang and around, as well as one-day tours around Mae Sot.
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BURMESE REFUGEES & MIGRANTS
Burmese refugees first crossed into Thailand in 1984, when the Burmese army penetrated the ethnic Karen state and established bases near the Thai-Burma border, from where they launched forced relocation campaigns of the indigenous populations. Large numbers of civilian ethnic minority populations, students and pro-democracy advocates were forced into Thailand following the suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations in 1988 and the overturned 1990 elections. Today, refugees continue to cross the border to escape from ongoing fighting and persecution in eastern Burma.
According to the UNHCR, 121,383 registered Burmese live in nine refugee camps scattered along the border. In these camps the Thai government allows international organisations to provide humanitarian assistance, including health care and schooling.
Many who flee Burma are not permitted to be registered refugees if not running from active fighting, and there are also tens of thousands of undocumented refugees, many of them also living in camps. Those who cross the border because of politically induced economic hardship or human rights violations often become migrant workers, with a precarious political and legal status. Approximately two million Burmese migrant workers and their families live in Thailand – often at way below subsistence levels – performing farm, factory, fishery, construction and domestic work. They are extremely vulnerable to exploitation by employers and deportation by officials, and frequently lack access to basic educational and health services.
It is possible for migrant workers from the region to be legally registered, obtain non-Thai identification cards and be issued work permits once employment is secured. Thai government policy also grants migrants and registered workers access to a national health insurance scheme, and allows migrant children a right to basic education. But the legal status of most Burmese immigrants makes them avoid Thai institutions. For now, international organisations and NGOs are providing many of these services. To lend a hand Click here for the various volunteer opportunities in northern Thailand. To find out more about the refugees and migrants, as well as the situation in Burma, useful sites are www.burmanet.org and www.irrawaddy.org.
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Festivals & Events
A big Thai-Burmese gem fair is held in April. Around this time Thai and Burmese boxers meet for a Thai-boxing competition, held somewhere outside town in the traditional style. Five-round matches are fought in a circular ring; the first four rounds last three minutes, the fifth has no time limit. With their hands bound in hemp, boxers fight till first blood or knockout. You’ll have to ask around to find the changing venue for the annual slugfest.
Sleeping
BUDGET
Many places in Mae Sot fit in the budget range and cater for NGO workers that are staying longer-term.
Green Guest House (0 5553 3207; krit.sana@hotmail.com; 406/8 sub-soi off Th Intarahakhiri; dm 100B, r 150-250B) Run by a teacher and her husband, this peaceful, friendly guesthouse offers a variety of good-sized rooms with TV and decent furniture. It’s great value, centrally located and has a pretty garden.
Smile Guest House (08 5129 9293; smilemaesot@gmail.com; 738 Th Intarahakhiri; r 100-300B; ) A variety of basic but clean rooms in a large wooden home. The cheaper rooms share bathrooms and long-term stays can be arranged.
Bai Fern Guesthouse (0 5553 1349; www.bai-fern.com; Th Intharakhiri; r 150-300; ) Set just off the road in a large house, the rooms here are tidy, but plain. All have well-equipped shared bathrooms. The service is very friendly with the use of a kitchen, fridge, wireless internet and TV in the communal area.
DK Mae Sot Square Hotel (Duang Kamol Hotel; 0 5554 2648;