Mae Sot's Visitors

Mae Sot greeted a special guest late last week, Laura Bush. I was not overtly surprised to hear this news because she has always been a major advocate for peace in Burma. For example, after the cyclone that hit here in May, she became the voice of the administration when addressing the humanitarian crisis. The First Lady also seems to have a special bond with Aung San Suu Kyi, the female democracy leader who is under house arrest and who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. For these reasons, Laura Bush made a stop in Mae Sot, during the administration’s tour of Asia that coincided with the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. She first delivered aid to Doctor Cynthia’s prominent Mae Tao Clinic, a place where Burmese migrants can obtain free health care. From there, the First Lady traveled to a local refugee camp, to examine the camp’s conditions and again disperse aid. She also used this opportunity to make formal statements in an attempt to assure the stateless refugees and migrants that the west has not forgotten about them and that the United States is doing everything it can to bring peace, stability and democracy to Burma. Though encouraging it may have been to hear Mrs. Bush say this, many are skeptical to believe her promises can be fulfilled without actions, as the ruling junta has been deaf to the words of the west for far too long.

She was only in town for a few hours, yet her presence shut down Mae Sot for the entire day. We had to close our office because of the increase of Thai authorities that accompanied her, as we can not risk a potential raid the organization’s Burmese concentrated location. Just a few weeks ago, Thai officials rounded up 250 Burmese refugees and migrants to transport them back into Burma. Consequently, just about every other related NGO in Mae Sot was forced to follow suit. Because of the inconveniences that were created to facilitate Laura’s visit, many in the field here were upset that the First Lady would come here, as many claimed the visit was to strengthen her image or that she could have just sent a check in the mail. However, most of these criticisms came from international expats who dislike American Foreign Policy. I think her visit was important because she was able to take the situation in Burma and put back into international news. I also think the visit validates her sincerity to the issue because she her history as a pro Burma advocate. This aside, her visit gives hope to those suffering in Burma, showing that the world cares and that the victims should not give up.

A few days after Laura Bush’s visit, Mae Sot then welcomed the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Burma, Tomas Ojea Quintana. This was an important moment for the NGOs here because no other special rapporteur had ever come to Mae Sot. Quintana spent a week in Burma meeting with junta officials and examining the human rights situation to the best of his ability. So after his visit there, he came to Mae Sot to have a panel discussion with the NGOs, in which we all shared our information and discussed strategies to solve Burma’s human rights problem. As our organization mediated his visit, we also had the opportunity to personally deliver the 2007 Burma Human Rights Yearbook to him. It was exciting to have reached our deadline in order to have presented our project to the UN when their representatives were here.

So, with all this commotion going on around Mae Sot, life has been very busy. Unfortunately too, I am entering my final week of work before heading to China on the 29th. It is going to be sad to say goodbye to everyone, especially since I have become so close to our local staff. Thus, it will be a tough week, yet very busy, since I still need to complete a couple of projects including a training seminar I am leading on the international norms of children’s rights for an upcoming project we are doing. I will be sure to let you know how it all wraps up.

Talk to ya soon! GO USA!

On the Inside

Hi Everyone,

On Saturday I went into Burma’s border town, Myawaddy, to renew my visa. I was eager to see what Myawaddy had to offer, even though I knew that it would not portray an objective representation of Burma. This is because Mywaddy is one of the few towns foreigners can get to from Thailand and the town is in an important location to facilitate Thai-Burma economic relations. In fact, the town is surrounded by check points that forbid any unauthorized people to leave the town, or get in for that matter.

Generally, the only westerners that enter Myawaddy are expats from Mae Sot that are looking to renew their visas, such as myself. The Burmese authorities are aware of this too, and are thus very suspicious of any foreigner that crosses Friendship Bridge (the bridge connecting Burma to Thailand). When one does cross, there are two ways in which he or she can see the town and experience the local culture; one can either hire a “guide” to tour the town, or one can choose to wonder solo, in which case he or she will be constantly followed and approached by other “guides” or border officers. And just so we are clear, by referring to a “guide”, I am in fact referring to an undercover junta officer, who is trying to obtain sensitive information from Mae Sot. I happened to choose the former of the two choices, because I felt that if I was going to be harassed, I might as well try to learn something about the town while I was there. My guide, Zaw, was very educated, spoke great English, and taught me a lot about Burmese Buddhism. However, he was overtly interested in what I was doing in Mae Sot and what my background was in Burma. When I told him that I was only a backpacker taking a holiday before going to China to teach English, he just laughed. Throughout the day Zaw would occasionally make controversial comments about the military regime, in an attempt to bate me into saying something I shouldn’t. At first, I just played dumb and would pretend not to know what he was talking about. Although, this strategy only lasted about a half an hour, as after one comment Zaw made about a recent political protest, he looked at me and said “and I already know you know all about these things.” I was left speechless.

From what I did see of Mywaddy, it was clean, full of beautiful Buddhist monasteries, surrounded by luscious rice fields, and the people were all so happy and friendly. Based on my surroundings I never would have known that I was in the country that is host to the longest lasting current civil war. However, on multiple occasions, when I would suggest wondering through a different area of town, Zaw would refuse, and at one point he claimed I was not allowed to see certain parts of Myawaddy. As you can imagine, I felt uncomfortable throughout the entire day. To me, Mywaddy was just a façade to the rest of the country, of what lays behind the check point only a couple of miles away. The day ended with Zaw and me walking through the lovely day market, checking out some local tea shops and the two of us sitting down to a cold Myanmar beer. After paying for the beers, and giving Zaw a small tip, I was back on Friendship Bridge, where I could again see some of the poverty stricken areas I had not been allowed, along with the young men and women who were desperately floating on their inner tubes back and forth across the muddy river. This final perspective of Myawaddy would only reinforce the obvious charade that the Burmese authorities were desperately trying to convey.

I still have not fully processed my day in Mywaddy, and before I knew it I was back in Mae Sot. Work has continued to be great, and we are ready to submit the 2007 Burma Human Rights Yearbook next week to the United Nations, so we are pretty excited about that. Aside from work, life is getting stranger because I arrived at roughly the same time as group of people whom I became good friends with, and now, every week someone is leaving, making the group that much smaller. It’s weird, I feel like I am playing Survivor or something!

Anyways, I have to get back to work now and I am sorry that I have not had a chance to post in a while. I will definitely write more in the next few weeks. Well, hope all is well and I will hopefully talk to you soon.

Cheers,

Cambodia:Tourism and Temples

Hi everyone,

I cannot believe how fast the time has been flying by. Every time I close my eye I feel like another week has passed. I guess that's what happens when one is busy.

Last week I returned from a short trip to Cambodia with two buddies from Mae Sot. We traveled by land to Siem Reap, which is the town that hosts all of the Angkor Wat temples. The drive itself was long but full of beautiful scenery. However, the drive also exposed me to some of the worst poverty in SE Asia. The road is not paved and goes through many villages that are not gaining access to the economic development that is occurring throughout other parts of the country. Because of this initial perspective of Cambodia, it was kind of surreal to get to Siem Reap, as Siem Reap is this little, highly developed, westernized town that caters to its tourists. Siem Reap is full of international cafes, delicious restaurants, dance clubs and fancy hotels. This makes quite the juxtaposition to what lies right outside of the town. I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable while celebrating the 4th of July then next night.

After going through the Angkor Wat temples I can understand why tourism makes up such a large portion of the country's economy. I have never been so impressed in my life with the architecture, art, magnitude and the time that was spent to create these cities of temples a thousand years ago. Some of the temples have not been restored too, so I was able to see the temple the way it was re-discovered in the 1850s. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to see this wonder of the world before it gets too commercialized, as tourists have only had access to them for about 20 years.
From Siem Reap, the three of us took a bus to Phnom Phen, where we had the opportunity to visit the memorials of the Khmer Rouge genocide that took place between 1975 and 1979. I first went to the Tuol Sleng prison museum. Tuol Sleng was a school that was converted into a prison and interrogation/torture center for the Khmer Rouge during their reign. It was emotionally difficult to go through because of the cells and torture rooms are still set up in the way they were left. The museum also provided a lot of valuable information on the genocide that I was not aware of, which provided to be useful because I did not know as much about Cambodia as I should have. From Tuol Sleng I went to the "killing fields" memorial on the outskirts of town. It was good to go to Tuol Sleng first, because there was little information provided at the killing fields. Basically the killing fields memorial is the home to the Cambodia's main genocide memorial, which is surrounded by the mass graves that the victims had to dig themselves. There was a moment where I was standing quietly trying to take in the overwhelming complexity of what could have possibly happened at this place nearly 30 years prior, when I overheard a conversation of two gentleman to the next of me. As the two men passed me, one said to the other, "See what happens when you don't have Christ in the heart." The disrespect and arrogance I just heard left me speechless and I could not believe I witnessed such an insensitive remark at a genocide memorial. Fortunately, I don't think any other people, or locals heard the comment. This was actually not the last time that day I would be disgusted by the actions of westerners.

Back at our guest house was my first run in with the "western backpacker". Apparently some think the idea of traveling is to go to some developing country and to do as many drugs, get as drunk and to have as much sex as possible. Others find it enjoyable going to a field to shoot machine guns and to throw a grenade at a goat. After going through the memorials I did, throwing a grenade was the last thing on this planet I felt like doing, yet it was an industry in Phnom Phen. The drug and sex trade was in my face all the time too. It is sad to see parts of the local culture buy into this degrading process because the local economy may slightly benefit. I don't know what to think of all this because this type of exploitation is happening all over the world. I just find it difficult to watch in a society that lost its entire educated and professional classes, let alone a quarter of the country's population, from the genocide. My take away points from my Cambodian trip are again complicated because I do believe tourism is a great thing and that economies and communities can benefit from the exchange of cultures and information. However, there is line that can be crossed, in which an economically beneficial community can turn into a degraded and exploited community because of tourism. Defining this line to be difficult see sometimes, though it is important to establish because I do not believe the ladder form of tourism is sustainable for a community to achieve increased economic development.

I returned back to Mae Sot very tired from the trip but extremely happy to have had the experience. Since then, work has been phenomenal! I am starting to get in closer with the Burmese staff, who are all so brilliant and passionate about the work we are doing. It is pretty inspiring. We have been busy at work too because we are getting ready to submit the 2007 Burma Human Rights Yearbook. Lately, I have been writing and editing some of its final sections on Arbitrary Arrest and Religious Freedom. It's nice to that I have been working with a lot of different topics so my breadth of knowledge on the issues has greatly enhanced. Once again, I cannot believe how fast time is going by. Fortunately, life right now is something I could get used to.

Refugee, Migrant and Labor Rights

Although I have only been working here for a few weeks now, I have taken a keen interest to the issues of refugee/migrant labor rights. Thus far I have been to the Burma border a couple of times and every time I am sitting at the edge of the muddy river, which separates the two very different countries, I notice children and women traveling across the river on an inter-tube under the guarded bridge. The border is heavily protected and the issues of Burmese refugees and migrants are still a very sensitive with the Thai government, so at first I did not understand why the border officials are simply allowing these people to cross borders without going through customs. Initially, I was not too bothered with what I was witnessing because I knew these people probably had a legitimate reason for trying to leave Burma and that Thailand would probably be a better place for them.

Later in the week, I was walking to my favorite place for lunch, just outside of my office in the outskirts of Mae Sot. It was a hot day, so most of the buildings had their windows open and their fans running. I passed an extremely nice truck that looked somewhat out of place, which was parked in front of a little building. As I looked further, the building’s garage door style opening was up, and inside were dozens of ethnic Karen (Burmese minority group) women and children working behind rows and rows of sewing machines. It turns out this is just one tiny example of hundreds of sweat shops in the region, many of which are isolated and guarded compounds.

Upon returning back to work I had the chance to investigate the issue further because we were currently working on the section of migrant labor rights in the 2007 yearbook. These factory owners are so dependant on the exploitation of cheap labor that they pay off border officials to look the other way when there are illegal border crossings. The newly arrived immigrants cannot get a legitimate job, due to their undocumented status, so they end of falling victim to the prey of sweatshop factory owners, who promise the laborers maybe a dollar a day, which is a tiny fraction of what is paid to a legal resident. At first this may seem like a good option to the Burmese laborers, however, the workers are literally forced to work for a minimum of 16 hours per day, while they are not allowed to leave the compound. Women are occasionally allowed to leave for a few hours on Sundays. The workers are forced to comply with these inhumane and degrading conditions too, because if they complain, the factory owners will just turn them into Thai authorities, at which point the laborers will be sent back to Burma, where they WILL face prison, extortion, torture, or even death for leaving the country illegally. Sending the migrants back to Burma, to be persecuted because of their ethnicity or politically beliefs is also a violation of customary international law, under the principle of non-refoulement.

Because Thailand is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the Thai government gives little access to the appropriate UN bodies to monitor the rights of refugees and migrants in the country. Therefore, there is really nothing to hold Thailand, let alone Burma, accountable for the allowance of these human rights violations to exist. Thailand depends on the sweat shop labor for a strengthening economy and the factory owners have too much leverage within the bureaucracy for some grassroots NGO to come in and disturb system of exploitation. For example, if my organization obtained some controversial information that linked the Thai government to the human rights violations being committed in the sweat shops, we would have to pass it along to a larger organization like the International Labor Org. because we are too small to possess any type of leverage against the Thai pol/economic machines. This is why, from I have perceived, international labor rights and the rights of refugees/migrants must be enforced from a large international institute when there is so much political and economic turmoil at stake.

So once again, after just a few weeks I have taken a major interest in protecting the rights of refugees/migrants and laborers. Working here has made me realize how these two issues are compatible, but yet how complicated these issues are too. As time goes on I hope to grasp a greater understanding of the complexity of this issue and of any available means to seek justice for the countless victims. However, now I think it is important to see first hand what the human cost is for a cheap candle or pillow case. No one deserves to have the ultimatum that many of these migrant workers face everyday. Either way they loose.

I just wanted to raise a few points about a topic that I have become very interested in and if anyone else has any points to make or comments on the issue, please do so. Other then all of this and work, my days and weekends have been full of eating deliciously spicy food and exploring with many of the new friends I have made. Actually, in about an hour, I am taking off for a long weekend with a couple of buddies to go to Cambodia. I will be sure to let you know how the trip goes, as I am sure we are going to see some amazing sights.

Take care, talk to you soon, and most importantly, HAPPY 4th of JULY! We are so blessed to be residence in such a privileged country.

First Thoughts in Mae Sot

So, I have been in Mae Sot, the small town along the Burma border, since June 11th. It was a long few days of travel by plane, taxi and bus but I made it here in one piece and with all of my luggage. To say the least, Mae Sot is the most interesting place I have ever been. The population is mostly made up of Burmese migrants and refugees, along with a large foreign expat population from all parts of the world. It is so fun just to run into people and exchange stories, as everyone is so interesting. Even my office is quite diverse. I work with a woman from Norway, two men from Australia and New Zealand, and three Burmese refugees, all of which are from various ethnic tribes. There is a cool dynamic between all of the aid workers too. Every week there are soccer games and ultimate frizz-bee matches, along with a Tuesday night trivia game at the local bar. Because of the unique blend between the foreign workers and the heavy Burmese population, Mae Sot is kind of disconnected or isolated from the rest of Thailand. It's kind of a weird feeling sometimes.

The local community is incredible here too. Most of them are Burmese migrants so they understand that the NGO workers are here for a good purpose. This way, everyone is so friendly and welcoming. I have never been approached by a beggar, nor have I perceived any negative impressions or attitudes from the local population. This could also be because Mae Sot is heavily Buddhist, as there are about three beautiful monasteries right in town.

As for work: I am working for the Human Rights Documentation Unit (HRDU) of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB). The NCGUB is basically the former government of Burma that won the 1990 elections. However, the NCGUB had to go into exile when the Burmese military junta would not honor the election results. What the HRDU does is annually document the human rights situation occurring in Burma and then submit a yearbook to the international community so that the international institutions can hopefully use their leverage to apply external pressure on the junta. Such institutions include the United Nations and the International Labor Organization etc. Therefore, every year the HRDU produces the Burma Human Rights Yearbook. Here is an example of the 2006 edition, which is about 900 pages, so don't feel pressured to read its entirety: http://www.ncgub.net/BHRY/2006/. In addition to the yearbook, the HRDU will also carryout other specific reports. We did the Bullets in the Alms Bowl report, which documented the events of the Monk Protest last September (http://www.ncgub.net/mediagallery/media.php?s=200803100000223). So, currently I am gathering information on the 2008 yearbook and then in about a week I will start drafting chapters in it and writing individual incidents that have already occurred. Furthermore, as we get into the summer we are also starting a major project on the rights of children in Burma and on the roles of child soldiers. This is supposed to be a pretty intense project because we are collaborating with a lot of other local organizations to right this report. Moreover, there has never been a major publication analyzing children in Burma. Hopefully, it will produce some results because the Burma military is notorious for recruiting child soldiers and for exploiting child labor.

It will be interesting to see how these projects develop over the course of the summer and how my perceptions of the town and Burma issues evolve too. At the moment, I am still taking it all in. Anyways, I just thought I would post an update of my first impressions here in Mae Sot. Hope all is well and I will try to post again in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers

Pre-Trip

Hello,
I am starting this blog to document my travels through SE Asia and China. Currently, I am in Seattle preparing for the last final exam of my undergraduate career at the University of Washington. After a grueling Chinese exam and a weekend of heavy packing, I will be flying to Bangkok on Monday, the 9th. Once arrived in Bangkok I will stay one night, before I board a bus and head to Mae Sot, along the Thai/Burma border. If all goes to plan, I will get into Mae Sot in the evening of the 11th, where I will begin my summer working with an NGO in the field of Burmese human rights. After a summer there, I will be making my way up to Shanghai around the 1st of September. There, I will meet my girlfriend Jessie and we will begin teaching English at a university in Nanjing.
This is just a brief outline of what is expected to come. In all, I will be out of the US for about 13-14 months and I invite all of you to join in this journey, as I have always longed for this opportunity. Please feel free to comment and post any questions, as I will do my best to respond immediately.
Thanks and I am looking forward to seeing where this goes....