Week Four Thai-Burma Border

 

  The response from this sham government on the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi is that they have delayed the outcome until August 11th certainly not surprised at this; we may be in Rangoon at this time.

 

 This week Tony and I work with trade unions from Federation Trade Union Karen (FTUK) spoke to Dot Lay Mo he states,

 

"Many have seen their brothers and sisters tortured and killed. The world is aware of these human rights violations but does little other than offer sympathy. The time is right for the international community to do more for our brothers and sisters in Burma, before all real education and health is wiped out and these brave trade unionists are all imprisoned or on forced labour projects".

 

Sunday 2nd August

 

Taken into Umpiam Mia refugee camp by truck, took 2 hours driving through the beautiful mountain range with lots of twists and turns in the road. Because it is set high up in the mountain range it is really cold in Umpiam mia. We even need jumpers in this camp.

 

 Dot lay Mo stayed in the truck when he came to pick us up; he was suspicious of the people near our guest house. During the journey he discussed his frustrations about his people. In his new position as joint secretary of KNU he states that due to the massive resettlement programe  the international exiled community needs help supporting their people in the struggle. He said we need the international community more than ever to cascade political awareness of their situation. He discussed the model for change being that support from the international community could be cascaded to the refugee camps who can then mobilize cross border aid inside IDP areas. This will also raise the international profile of the situation.

 

......from FTUB (Federation Trade Union Burma) has asked me to carry out union training to women trade unionists.

These women are very active and brave women who are leaders in their own unions. They represent a lot of the migrant and factory workers who live and work mainly in the sweatshops and factories around Mae Sot as well as inside Burma. They carry out the three D jobs, the dirty dangerous and difficult. You can be arrested for having meetings of more than 5 people inside Burma, so these women are very concerned re their security. They are so keen for training particularly on understanding the gender balance issues, maternity and child forced labour. 80% of the workers in the factories are women and just last month one young Burmese girl died as her long hair was trapped in the machine, and the Thai boss was asleep so nobody could switch off the electricity. She died from severe head injuries, she was 18 and pregnant.

 

When we had finished the training I played some quiet music for relaxation, it was during this time that I noticed a young girl crying. The interpreter told me that the music had reminded her off  her father who was shot dead by the SPDC last month she said through the interpreter she misses him so much.

 

 A very tough and sad day today.

 

Monday 3^rd July

 

As it is getting nearer the time that I leave Mae Sot everyone wants to see us and ask, please can you do some more training. We are also invited to Burmese houses for leaving parties of rice and fish paste.

 

 Visited one of the migrant schools that I worked in last week.  Once the training had finished we were invited to have Burmese coffee in my friend maw maw's house.

Once Tony myself and Maw Maw went into her little shack there was no room for any one else. We sat with the rain pouring in with one mattress on the floor to sleep eat and sit on, and one gas ring to cook on. She talks about her beautiful country that she can't return too. Her English is good and she tells us that she has registered to go to the US. Like so many young bright people she doesn't want to leave but feels she has no choice, she has waited so long for things to change. One day she says she will return to her country when peace and democracy returns.

 

 

 

Tuesday 5^th August

 

Back to Umpiam camp for the last time I will not miss the drive through the two mountain passes. During lunch I ask our interpreter how long he had been in camp. He tells me that he got to the camps a few years ago and decided to try to cross back into Burma to get his family out of Rangoon. He was arrested trying to get back inside; he was handcuffed and kept without food and water for days. Eventually one of the soldiers said to him he could escape at night. That night he wasn't handcuffed and at 12.30 he escaped and ran and ran back into Thailand he found a Karen village house and they kept him safe. He returned to the camp and didn't see his family for three years. Eventually his family left Rangoon he is so pleased to be reunited with his family in umpiam refugee camp!

 

 

We meet Maung Maung Tinn for breakfast 7am, Burmese always get up early; they get up when it is light and go to bed when dark.  He is another friend of a few years.  He is an artist and a little bit of a philosopher.  Tony gives him a DVD he copied off the TV in the UK.  It is called 'Voices of Burma'.  Part of it shows an interview with him from about a year ago.  He hasn't seen. As we sit on the floor and eat Behbyaw Nambia. This is delicious hot fresh nan bread with sweet lentils and chick peas. He tells me he was interviewed by US media today and he broke down and wept on camera. He said when he talks about his people he feels so sad. He talks about the babies who are born with no rights and are ghost children, and how he feels living in Thailand and talks of his family who he misses so much.  He said when I see all the migrant children in the schools it reminds me of how my heart was broken, leaving my mother inside Burma 20 years ago. He says to me it is not right that children are here without the love and support of their parents.

 

Wednesday 5^th August

 

Into Mae La refugee camp to do some training with FTUK. Twenty eight people are waiting for us.  Tony and I are late little late so we go in through a gap in the barbed wire fence.  Normally we sign in at the main entrance but our translator decides to take the short cut to save time.  The delegates are mostly new arrivals in camp with little or no concept of Trade Unions.  We have the added problem that some can't speak Karen so a three way translation into Burmese is required.  This makes it very slow.  Two of the delegates are from far away.  One from the Irrawaddy delta (the site of cyclone Nagris) and one from Arakan state on the far side of Burma.  I wondered how they had managed to escape over such long distances?  After a while they start to relax and ask questions.  They want to know what the UK government and the people in the UK are doing to change the situation in Burma.  .... tells me he works inside Burma for Karen Education Department and the situation is very bad.  He has had to escape because of the recent attacks by the Burmese military.  I am embarrassed by the questions on what the UK is doing.  I say questions are being asked in parliament and that aid is provided through the Thai Burma Border Corporation but feel this is an inadequate answer when faced with people who are suffering, who have had loved ones killed by the regime, who are seeing their people forced to flee across the border to prevent being raped and forced to porter or see their children taken as child soldiers.  Tony responds diplomatically he says 'I can't change the past, but I promise to continue to try to change the future'.  I explain how the UK trade unions and other organizations are willing to help once they know what the situation is like. He say's quietly they want change they say - they are sick of sympathy.  What good is sympathy when you have no home?  The issue rocks me but I am glad they are saying it.  They need to say it more and more.  I tell them of the work of Zoya Phan and others at the Burma Campaign and they are pleased to hear their own people are challenging governments.

 

Parami migrant school phoned and asked if Declan would like to come to the jungle and pick bamboo shoots (a real delicacy here), they can only get them in the rainy season. Lots of mosquito repellent and clothing protection needed in the jungle.

Children as young as five, swim and fish in the river's trek the jungle, cook the fish, then eat them. They also cooked the rice by folding it into the banana leaves them putting inside the bamboo and cooking on the open fire. Every bit of food is shared. Declan does not get an artificial experiences here, these are survival techniques in the jungle.

 Young children were using the big machetes to hack at the bamboo shoots up in the trees. After Declan had fallen into the river they laughed and demoted him to picking up the shoots they had cut down. No risk assessments here. He comes back exhausted and really grateful he had another memorable day with the selfless boarding children and teachers.

 

 

Friday 6^th August

 

Today finish the training with some basic health education on hand washing and mental health issues.  There is only enough time to scratch the surface, and lifting the lid on the mental health issue is risky.  There are so many people suffering from stress and trauma that it is difficult to know where to start.  Once relaxed with a few games they start to discuss their issues.  A lack of soap is a problem so I get out a report showing how vital soap can be.  Armed with this information and being active trade unionists they will now go to the authorities and request more soap.  I hope it is successful as it will save lives.  I will follow up on this and if needs be, provide the soap ourselves in the short term.

Another area discussed was malaria. It is like getting a common cold in this part of the world. Very difficult to protect against in the jungle. Especially when villages are being forced out of their village and do not have the nets.  Some of the new arrivals had never heard about using the nets and the chance of the nets being impregnated is very low. We discuss the preventions and treatments. Most of the backpack medics all suffer from malaria, when they return from inside delivering medicine. Malaria is preventable, it can and does kill frequently out here.One of my Scottish friends has just recovered from Dengue.  Dengue fever is contracted by the day time mosquito and very difficult to prevent. It only takes one mosquito to infect you with dengue and the symptoms are really unpleasant. NGO's on the border are always worried more about contracting dengue than malaria.

Today is the last time we meet our friends from the FTUB. ..... Is really worried tonight as he said that in his office he has a young man who has been shot by Thai soldiers and has a leg wound. He will get some health care at Dr Cynthia's s when  it is safe to move him. He explains that his organization is really suffering from lack of funds. The school bus is 7 months in arrears with the payment. They are boarding about 60 children and are preparing dinner whilst we are there. The bamboo shoots that Declan helped collect the day before have been peeled and not a scrap wasted as the main ingredient for dinner.

We offer him some money as a personal donation from ourselves, he says quietly and determined, we are suffering but please keep your donation's for inside Burma they are suffering more than we are!.

 

As a mark of request and gratitude for our input to the training Dot lay mo gets out his guitar and in full Karen dress sings us Karen resisistant songs. His singing is fantastic and we videohim.

 

Leave Mae Sot today and travel back up north for the second time, to visit the IDP village that was attacked by the SPDC last month Nu Bo. Then on to Mae Hong Song and 1,864 curves in the road.