Place and displace

 As we reach Mae Hong Son,  a series of sharp forested ridges emerge, disappearing into the horizon. We are flying over the southern edge of the Shan Hills that stretch from China, through northern Myanmar and into Thailand. The thickly forested steep sides tower over narrow valleys with the occasional glint of light or small patchwork of fields betraying a settlement. Coming in to land, the blue or ochre coloured tin roofs of the houses remind me of Myanmar.

A young Thai woman is waiting at the airport to transport me in the family car to the Karenni Social Centre, my home for the next two months. Very chatty, with good English, she lives with her family in Ban Nai Soi , the nearest village to the Centre, about 30 minutes away. Mya is a primary school teacher and has Thai papers, thanks to being born in a Thai hospital whereas her parents, she says, are hill people and so do not have citizenship. This, she explains, is a significant problem for Karenni people such as her parents, and especially the Karenni living in the refugee camps who fled Myanmar. Without papers they can not access jobs or education. This was an issue I was to hear more about later.

My bedroom is on the right

My accommodation is in a wooden, two storey building. Downstairs is an open space that doubles as a dining room, classroom and meeting room and a small computer room ( 2 laptops) whereas upstairs has another open space that doubles as an office and small library and 5 bedrooms. Mine is the one with the only door, thankfully. The stairs have a guard rail at the top to stop the dogs coming up. Khu Myar the Principal, helpfully explains that they have fleas so I shall refrain from patting them.

Khu Myar spends a long time with me explaining about Karenni history and the IDP camp or internally displaced people’s camp where he lives with his wife and two teenage children. The camp is about 10 minutes away by motorbike. This camp, one of eight or nine along the Thai/Myanmar border houses about 9000 people. Khu Myar has been there since 2003 when he had to flee due to the fighting. Schools are funded by a Jewish relief charity but the teachers do not stay long as the pay is poor. There is no hospital, only a nurse clinic but doctors do come in weekly. Some very ill people are sent to hospital but not everyone who needs it gets treated.His children were born in the clinic and so, like many, do not have Thai citizenship so cannot access Thai jobs. He has to leave at 5.45 as the gates of the camp close at 6 p.m. 

The situation of the Karenni people is rather tragic. He continued to tell me that during the British period the Karenni retained their independence, then when the independent Union of Burma was formed, they were invited to be part of that federation. Against the wishes of the majority, some Karenni agreed to join the union, but any attempt at further negotiations ceased when the Burmese army started to fight with the Karenni army that had formed to defend their independence. Waves of refugees followed commensurate with the attacks by the Burmese, then the Myanmar army when  Burma changed its name. The attacks have been worse since the military coup in Myanmar in 2021 and the camp has only been able to accommodate more as the UN have managed to move some families to the US or Denmark. Khu Myar, however, does not want to go abroad, he wants to go home. ‘Russia provides arms to the Myanmar army. If America beats Russia in Ukraine then maybe Russia will stop sending arms and the Myanmar people can rise up and get democracy. Then we can return.’ I think with sadness of the tides of humanity displaced for years by political aggression and the arms trade that stretches, west to east, north to south. I almost cannot bear to hear the hope in his voice. 

I meet Khu Oo (all Karenni men’s names start with Khu- this may cause some problems in the classroom...). He teaches whoisky. I wonder if knowledge of whisky is core curriculum for 19 to 20 year old but think it unlikely. Then I wonder if it is an acronym- but for what? Khu Myar later tells me they teach Human Rights, law, computers, English and whoisky. I give up and use the time honoured strategy. ‘I don’t understand. Please can you write it down?’ Work skills. Aaah. Now I see.

My next blog will be about the accommodation. Words like spartan, frugal and basic  may be used. And I may need whisky rather than whoisky to see me through. 

The road to the centre

and river running by centre