Long-neck Burmese Village In Thailand Raided

[sriracha john]

A Thai police officer, right, talks with some of 16 long neck Karen women from Myanmar at a village in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006. Thai police will issue an arrest warrant against these Karen women who traveled from Myanmar and organized a show by collecting fee from tourists who pay to see their daily lives. The group will be charge of illegal entry and organizing a show without permission. (AP Photo)

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Long-neck village raided

Police raided a long-neck Karen village in Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district yesterday after claims the people were being used to attract tourists. The Karen's work permits allow them to work in agricultural jobs only.

The provincial deputy police commander, Colonel Chamnan Ruadrew, said police had been told an entrepreneur was charging tourists Bt300 to Bt500 each to visit the 20-rai long-neck Karen village.

Police found 18 of the long-neck Padaung people - 11 women, two men and five children - living in 10 bamboo houses surrounded by rice fields.

Chamnan said that using migrant workers in tasks other than those for which they had permission to remain in the country is punishable by up to three years in jail or a Bt60,000 fine.

Landowner Wibul Chaitham, 47, said he hired the Padaung legally to grow rice and allowed tourists to visit their village free of charge.

He said they held work permits for agricultural work. They were hired three years ago to tend a mango orchard in Mae Ai district and two months ago were moved to their present village after informing the provincial employment office.

Wibul said he provided the Padaung with homes and paid them Bt135 per head per day to grow rice.

He said he believed the Karen village could attract tourists as a home-stay village and restaurant, and he admitted making brochures inviting tourists to visit the village to see the hilltribe lifestyle at first hand. He said he scrapped the plan after being heavily criticised, and insisted that the Karen workers did not hold shows to attract tourists.

Wibul said the misunderstandings might have arisen from visitors to a nearby hilltribe lifestyle conservation centre that charged entrance fees. They might have assumed his village was part of the paid show because it was in an open area and he never stopped people from entering.

However, a local official, Somjai Lawengdiwong, said the lifestyle conservation centre did not charge entrance fees and tourists paid only for goods bought there.

Chiang Mai University anthropology researcher Kwanchewan Buadaeng said the long-neck Karen were Burmese nationals who entered Thailand either as war refugees or migrant workers. Some in Mae Hong Son province were not allowed to leave the area.

- The Nation

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July 8, 2006. A very similar Long-neck Burmese village in Mae Hong Son province with similar fees for foreigners (Thais are free) to enter, as the raided village. Fees collected by official-looking personnel in official-looking uniforms. Didn't pay close enough attention to note what department they were attached to, also this foreigner didn't enter the village itself. Something about paying money just to see people seemed unseemly, personally.

(Bangkok Herald-Examiner, Photo by Thai Staff member)

Edited August 31, 2006 by sriracha john

[lannarebirth]

The Chiang Mai Night Safari/ Elephant Camp/Boondoggle was planning on opening a "Long Neck Village" for exploiting these people. The Padaung sent a group of elders to see the setup the government offered. They refused, and now the givernment sponsored intimidation is starting.

[sriracha john]

The Chiang Mai Night Safari/ Elephant Camp/Boondoggle was planning on opening a "Long Neck Village" for exploiting these people. The Padaung sent a group of elders to see the setup the government offered. They refused, and now the givernment sponsored intimidation is starting.

The PM's pet project just wanted to add more "animals" to their zoo.

How horrendous were conditions at the proposed "Burmese People Zoo" setup?

The unraided village was about as impecunious and impoverished as any village can be and for them to still turn down an offer is thought-provoking.

[Losangels]

Its inhumane for the Thai authorities involved to showcase these people. Essentially it is a human zoo and seriously doubt the these long-neck people share the income generated. I believe they are mistreated and threaten if they refuse to follow orders

[taxexile]

i read that the "villages" were specially built for show , and only used in the daytime as a "backdrop"

and that some paduang return to comfortable homes at night , having earned a good living over the years by doing this

is this true??

out of interest i have always wanted to see these people , but when i have been in the area could never bring myself to join one of the gawpers tours to an artificial set up.

if these paduang deform themselves with the rings as part of a strongly held cultural belief , then fine.

but if they are doing this to their children in order for them to be part of a freak show for westerners then it is disgraceful.

[sriracha john]

Its inhumane for the Thai authorities involved to showcase these people. Essentially it is a human zoo and seriously doubt the these long-neck people share the income generated. I believe they are mistreated and threaten if they refuse to follow orders

At the unraided village, the Bangkok Herald-Examiner staff member was informed that the village received 40 baht out of the 300 baht fee charged to foreigners and the official-looking personnel in their official-looking uniforms retained the rest.

[sriracha john]

i read that the "villages" were specially built for show , and only used in the daytime as a "backdrop"

and that some paduang return to comfortable homes at night , having earned a good living over the years by doing this

is this true??

out of interest i have always wanted to see these people , but when i have been in the area could never bring myself to join one of the gawpers tours to an artificial set up.

if these paduang deform themselves with the rings as part of a strongly held cultural belief , then fine.

but if they are doing this to their children in order for them to be part of a freak show for westerners then it is disgraceful.

If the setup was as described, tax, I can't get a handle on why they would NOT give up their dusty, remote, desolute, and destitute village-life in exchange for what the government setup promised.

I met several outside the village and they were quite interesting. They all seemed to be nice people in a difficult situation.

While at the unraided village, the Bangkok Herald-Examiner staff member coincidentally had the same thought as your last one, tax, and after her discussions with them came away with the distinct impression that they were indeed genuine in following the custom. Their beliefs regarding it are deep-rooted and it's significance is very important to them.

as a side-note, this particular staff member is very difficult to lie to...

Edited August 31, 2006 by sriracha john

[taxexile]

I can't get a handle on why they would NOT give up their dusty, remote, desolute, and destitute village-life in exchange for what the government setup promised.

maybe the government setup doesnt provide as much as a private setup would and they decided to hold out for a better deal.

they need a good agent !!!

[sriracha john]

re-reading your post, tax, and I realized that maybe you were not describing the government-offered Burmese People Zoo, but instead meant the pre-existing villages.

At the unraided village, the people were there day and night. Quite the opposite situation as we were told by local Thais that the Long-neck Burmese were "discouraged" from even leaving the village after dusk.

[PeaceBlondie]

I was once invited to volunteer beyond the city of Mae Hong Son, at a village near a refugee camp, where I was assured that some of my students would have mothers and aunts with the long neck rings. Didn't go.

The Bangkok Herald-Examiner, you don't say? Are you sure it's not the Mae Tang International Tribune of Dead Dogs? Or the Hang Dong Hang-Dog Daily Bugle? Or the Heartbreak Hotel Restaurant Menu?

There's an "Italian" restaurant in MHSon city with a menu in Thai and Spanish.

I did go to one of those villages, at the insistence of the local Thai family I was visiting in the MHSon area. Dreadful.

[macb]

Well its looks like they ahve been enterprising and I cotributed to it:

Mind you I did notice that one of the ladies of the ladies arrived in a BMW with food as we were leaving.

macb

[taxexile]

but instead meant the pre-existing villages.

thats correct , i read it some time ago , but cant remember where.

[sriracha john]

but instead meant the pre-existing villages.

thats correct , i read it some time ago , but cant remember where.

oh ok.. well, we didn't see any evidence of anything beyond bare existence at the village we went to.