TOPS Assists Refugees on the Thai–Myanmar Border

Myanmar was to hold a general election in early November 2015, when it was widely expected that Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) would win a landslide victory. It was to be a key election after Myanmar opened her doors to the world in 2010, and was predicted to be significant for the nation’s future.   

A sense of unease pervaded the border as the result of elections in Myan­mar. Crowds of people and lines of vehicles waited as usual to cross the Friendship Bridge linking Thailand and Myan­mar. But the majority of people coming out of Myan­mar preferred to cross the river by boat to avoid the heavy bridge toll—and everyone was nervous.

More armed Thai soldiers and police could be seen at border checkpoints than ever before. And even after crossing into Thailand, there were newly installed checkpoints along Highway 105 heading towards the Mae La refugee camp near Mae Sot.

Myanmar has an unfortunate history. The country has suffered civil war and domestic upheaval for many years, with its ethnic minorities particularly oppressed by the government of military leader Ne Win. As a result, Mae Sot in neighboring Thailand—just across the Moei River—has become the destination of choice for many Myan­mar refugees. Back in 1988, after Myan­mar’s largest outbreak of political persecution and ethnic cleansing, large numbers of refugees were forced to flee their homes, crossing the Moei into Thailand. Since then, for Thai people the name of the remote township of Mae Sot has become inextricably tied to Myan­mar and its refugees.

TOPS team leader Shandi Lin (center front) poses for a photo with the kindergarten teachers and other staff while curious children

Real suffering

The locations of refugee camps are marked on the map by triangles, running north to south along Thailand’s western border. The Thai government set up the first refugee camp on the Thai–Myan­mar border in 1984, and today the number of camps has increased to nine. Counting those refugees who for one reason or another are not permitted to enter the camps, the number has reached something over 120,000. These refugees mainly belong to Myan­mar ethnic subgroups, the largest of which is the Karen minority.

Mae La, one hour’s drive from downtown Mae Sot, is the largest among the nine refugee camps in Thailand and is also the largest in Southeast Asia. Over 40,000 refugees live within its wire fences, isolated from the outside world.

At the entrance gate, there is an office of Thailand’s Ministry of the Interior. Flags and banners announcing the presence of international organizations and NGOs from a range of countries and regions such as the US, the European Union and France fly over a shabby house next to the office. For the past two decades the international community has provided aid to those inside the camp, but the pervading atmosphere is one of impermanence and uncertainty.

During the rainy season, the children have to take off their shoes before entering the classroom to lessen the risk of disease.

Aid from TOPS

The refugee situation on the Thai–Myan­mar border received little exposure in Taiwan until 1996, when TOPS was invited by the Thai government to station a presence in the refugee camp. It was only then that news of the refugees reached the public in Taiwan.

After TOPS became Taiwan’s first official NGO in the area, education programs for children and training for women were provided as part of the aid project. Recently, the focus has been more on early childhood education, teacher training and improvements in the children’s diet with the provision of more nutritious lunches. TOPS has provided aid to three of the major refugee camps including Mae La (the northernmost and largest camp) and Nu Po and Um­piem Mai in the south.

TOPS worker Yeh ­Ching-lun says that Mae La is the only one of the nine refugee camps that has kindergartens, primary schools, high schools and a university. While the camp is able to boast 23 kindergartens, they suffer from issues such as a lack of quality equipment and a serious shortage of teachers and teaching resources.

The average kindergarten is less than 70 square meters in size, but somehow manages to accommodate five classes, with simple plastic curtains separating classes. One can imagine the difficulties of teaching and learning with five classes, five teachers and nearly 50 students all in session at the same time.

In most camps, the majority of kindergarten teachers are female refugees themselves, most of whom have very limited or no teaching experience. In fact only a few have a high-school education. So TOPS works with the camp’s Karen women’s committee to promote teacher training, educating teachers as well as teacher trainers and supervisors.

Thirty-six-year-old Naw Lah Say Klah became a training supervisor in 2008. In 2006, she and her family had fled their home to cross the border and make it to the refugee camp. Family and community members who were forced apart because of the war were reunited in the camp, but while they are able to find some temporary sense of security there, she is concerned about the education of the younger generation. Her son is now six years old, and is being educated in the camp. But there is no guarantee that either the Thai or Myan­mar governments will recognize their qualifications, so even if the children complete their studies, their future remains uncertain.

Naw Lah Say Klah doesn’t know where to go from here. Facing enormous challenges and some resentment from the Thai community, she feels that she should follow her heart and live for the moment. But she enjoys helping to train the teachers and working as a supervisor in the kindergartens. Witnessing the development of both teachers and children brings a sense of warmth to her heart.

There are currently about 20 supervisors like Naw Lah Say Klah and 200-plus kindergarten teachers trained by the TOPS program. After nearly two decades working in the refugee camps, TOPS is gradually taking a back seat to allow the refugees’ own organizations to take over.

Teachers in the refugee camp conduct classes in three languages: Karen, Burmese and English, hoping that one day they will be able to return to their homes in Myanmar.

A changing international situation

In addition to supporting education for children aged three to five, TOPS also works with the Border Consortium to promote their nutritious lunch program.

Yeh ­Ching-lun notes that as the refugees are living in extremely difficult conditions in the camp, many children may have only one meal a day—and often rely on the school lunch to provide that meal. To complement the children’s diets, TOPS and the Border Consortium subsidize each child by five baht per day to supply fresh fruit and vegetables. And every Wednesday they bring teachers and students together to make nutritious snacks that they call “Asia Remix,” a sort of high-protein pretzel made according to a special recipe prepared by the Border Consortium.

The provision of international assistance to the refugees on the Thai–Myan­mar border is facing great challenges. Yeh notes that while the camps enjoy a stable food supply, government agencies have recently tightened control of the camps due to turmoil in the border region.

In addition to the support provided by TOPS, another 13 international organizations also maintain a presence in the camps, some of them providing aid including medical and public health services. However, since Myan­mar opened its doors in 2010, many aid organizations moved into Myan­mar proper, so subsidies for the refugee camps on the border have been reduced.

Myanmar’s general election was held in late 2015. The result was as predicted: Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party won the majority of seats, bringing new hope for the nation. However, for the fate of refugees in camps along the border, it remains a long road. “Perhaps the camps have simply been there too long. After more than two decades, the initial public concern for the refugees is waning,” says Yeh.

While tens of kilometers of wire fences confine the lives of the more than 100,000 refugees in the Thai–Myan­mar border region, they remain optimistic, looking forward to the day when they can live in peace and freedom. And after two decades, TOPS is still there, providing essential assistance to these seemingly forgotten people.

When the curtains are up, this small area becomes a classroom. The timber and bamboo house accommodates five classes in an area of less than 70 square meters.

In kindergarten, refugee kids sit patiently waiting for their music lesson, a happy time to come soon.

To overcome food shortages, refugees have begun to grow simple crops inside the camp with the assistance of international organizations. The photo shows a refugee walking across a field with a bamboo basket supported by her head and back and a traditional Karen bag slung across her shoulder.