This last year I was able to gain a broader perspective of
all seven of the Karen refugee camps along the Thai- Burma border.
ZOA (Dutch for “South-East Asia”), the major education
NGO, invited me to assist them in their in-service teacher training.
I helped with English teacher training especially in the areas
of pronunciation, phonetics, and learning activities. We visited
each of the camps for only one week, but I was able to help
the English teachers while learning a lot about the situation
in each unique camp.
I will give a brief summary of my experience focusing
on the different aspects of the camps.
First, the ZOA teacher trainers and I visited
Mae La camp, the largest by far, housing 40,000 refugees from
Burma. This camp is the closest to the small city of Mae Sot,
which is the base of operations for most NGO’s and aid workers.
As a result there are many projects in the camp. However, due
to the dense population, Mae La is considered to have some of
the worst living conditions. Situated on the highway, Mae La is
also more vulnerable to the effects of the outside world. Drug
use, especially amphetamines, AIDS, trafficking, and other problems
are more prevalent here than in other camps.
The next camp I visited was Umpiem Mai, which
is the second largest at around 20,000. It is also located close
to Mae Sot and on the highway. Umpiem is the coldest camp, with
cold season (Nov-Feb) temps dropping to near freezing. After being
moved there, many refugees died from the cold. Now they make thicker
blankets and walls to combat the elements. Umpiem has made the
most of its proximity to Mae Sot by organizing its education system
well. There are good opportunities for education past high school
within the camp.
Nu Po camp is known for the most moderate climate
of all the camps: not too hot and not too cold. Unfortunately,
the camp is quite far from Mae Sot, and the local Thai authorities
are currently making it difficult for NGO’s to visit the
camp. My counterpart from ZOA was unable to go, and I had a difficult
time with the English teachers. Since not many English speakers
visit, the English teachers had a hard time understanding me.
The teachers and I are hoping to be reunited to continue improving
their work.
The next two camps are actually closer to Bangkok
than Mae Sot. The first camp we visited was Tham Hin, infamous
for its plastic roofs. In order to enforce the ideology of a temporary
refugee camp, the Thai authorities prohibit the refugees from
building roofs from the traditional leaves. With very few trees
in the camp, the thick dark roofs trap the heat and create sweatboxes.
The situation is very bad. The tightly packed houses create more
of the “refugee camp” environment that I have been
imagining in Africa. The education system in the camp is well
organized and very active and the students are very motivated
- for any opportunity to get out of the camp, I think. I was happy
to see that they have Physical Education (P.E. classes) for the
primary level students, which is nonexistent in other camps.
Don Yang camp is closest to Tham Hin, over 5 hours
by truck, and is the smallest camp at 3,000 residents. Although
much smaller in population than the other camps, the houses are
tightly packed, and the feeling of being imprisoned is more intense
because the Thai Authorities have much more control. I visited
the 9th and 10th grade classes and was surprised to see six students
in each classroom. I was shocked to compare this with the 60 plus
students per class in Mae Ra Moe camp up north.
