my care2
make a difference

community & fun

shares

share your passions, stories, inspirations, and more

Buffalohair THE THAILAND ODYSSEY
Feb 8, 2008



THE THAILAND ODYSSEY
Burmese refugees fill refugee centers along the Burma/Thai border. Tired and hungry, they soon discover there is no food or supplies according to Karen Relief officials. The injured, though lucky to be alive, ponder their fate while the lack of medical attention takes its human toll. With a new Thai government taking control the refugees as well as migrant workers, approximately 1 million or so, fear for an unknown future.

Animosities between Burma and Thailand as well as cultural differences have widened the gap that separates them. All aspects of life are affected as Burmese are grossly underpaid. Registered migrants have equal rights under Thai Law. This is largely ignored since Burmese are systematically denied educational opportunities, health care and other basic societal comforts. Many provinces have also imposed curfews. Some provinces have forbidden immigrants from owning cell phones.

Unregistered workers are the majority of the workforce though. Working long hours with no protection from the law, sweat shops team with nothing short of slave labor. They are paid a third of the minimum wage at best while lining the pockets of unscrupulous businessmen. Two and three families will live in dwellings designed for 2 people in an effort to survive in this new and foreign world. Life is very trying for these immigrants at best. But they are thankful for the safety Thailand offers them.

So they live and work in squalid conditions, treated like second class citizens and endure more ethnic hatred and distain. At least they were not returned to Burma to face death or imprisonment. Sadly corrupt Thai officials have hampered the registration process for refugee applicants in an effort to keep wages low for industries sake. With the appointment of Noppadon Pattama as Thailands new foreign minister the Burmese refugee's fears are not so unfounded since he seems to cater to Junta officials. The possibility of a Burma Friendly policy is very real and is the subject of many conversations. Their only hope is that Pattama's actions are a sign of diplomatic prowess and not an early sign of bias. Their fate is in the balance and time will only tell.

Thailand's newly elected government has postured themselves to honor and respect Burma's sovereignty. The issues of democracy, human rights and wholesale murder of human beings were relegated to "Domestic Issues"¯. Foreign Minister Noppadon was quoted as saying; "We are not a headmaster who can tell Burma to do this or that"¯

From the jungle refugee camps to the slums of Bangkok, Burmese refugees are fearful of their future. With the new government flexing it's new wings and making plans for the countries future. The place once thought to be a new beginning may very well become the beginning of the end.


Your Devil's Advocate
Buffalohair
_________________
Creativity is the byproduct of a fertile mind

Imported from external blog


Visibility: Everyone
Posted: Friday February 8, 2008, 4:09 pm
Tags: [add/edit tags]

Group Discussions start a discussion
Comments
Or, log in with your
Facebook account:
Compose your comment and submit:

Author

Judith Ann G.
Author Tools:
Compose New Share
female , single, 2 children
Springfield, MO, USA
JUDITH ANN'S SHARES
Dec
9
(0 comments  |  discussions )
MINGALABA Radio Show with Host Buffalohair Friday 7:00AM New York Time Saturday 7:00AM New York Time MINGALABA, SMOOTH, LITTLE BURMA SHOW SCHEDULES Buffalohair’s Radio Show Times On Pheonix Radio The truly internat...
Dec
8
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Shameless Promotion Posted in Entertainment with tags Buffalohair’s Smooth Show, Pheonix Radio, Smooth Show on December 8, 2009 by buffalohair
Dec
2
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Help Women Worldwide~ URGENT Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 3:52 PM Subject: Help Women Worldwide~ URGENT Women & children around the world are still being subjected to slavery, rape, dying from childbirth, and are literally bei...
Nov
30
(0 comments  |  discussions )
A True Story on NPR The Eagle Soars (Cherokee) / by storyteller Jay O’Callahanhttp://bu ffalohair-jage.com/WP-LRD /?p=5041


ads keep care2 free
SHARES FROM JUDITH ANN'S NETWORK
Dec
21
by Road L.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
  It is an ungodly mess of errors, loopholes, and massive giveaways. When the American people find out what's actually  ;in this bill, they will revolt. Congress and President Obama have no choice but to do better for health care than...
Dec
18
by Road L.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Please note news story at;  http://www.care2.com/news /member/901507364/1333901 THESE ARE FIGHTING WORDS--Keith Olbermann on Perversion of Health Care Bill US Politics & Gov't  (tags:&n bsp;healthcare, obam a, ethic...
(2 comments  |  discussions )
She calls to me from beyondout at the edge of the reefI can not join her thereor at least this is my beliefI would walk out at low tideand stand on the edgeI would talk to her thereas the water lapped at the edgeAs it rose higherI would retreat to the...
Dec
17
by Road L.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Joe Lieberman can only hold reform hostage if we let him video:http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=8vS6kIbJu64&a mp;feature=player_embedde d Tell President Obama and Congress not to let Joe Lieberman gut health care reform. We're counting on them to fig...
by Road L.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Dear Friends, Copenhagen's last-ditch summit to stop catastrophic global warming isfailing; only massive public pressure can save it. Sign the giant petition below - it may be the largest in history:  With three days to go, t...


ads keep care2 free
MORE MEMBER BLOGS
Dec 21
Blog: Web Link Directory by Imran K.
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — A web directory or web link directory is a directory on the World Wide Web. It specializes in linking to other web sites and categorizing those links. A simple web directory is not a search engine and does not display lists of web pages based on keyw... more
Blog: Rail Extension Kits from Chamberlain Liftmaster by Tom R.
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — Purchase rail extension kits for your Chamberlain garage door opener. Choose from belt, chain, and screw drive kits. more
Blog: The Spirit of Christmas – Part 4 by Past Member .
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — Christmas Morning As a boy, going to sleep Christmas Eve and waking up Christmas morning were always agonizing.  First of all, it was impossible to get to sleep at night knowing that Santa would soon be coming down the chimney, and then th... more
Blog: First Jesus-era house discovered in Nazareth (AP) by mark s.
(0 comments  |  discussions ) — AP - Just in time for Christmas, archaeologists on Monday unveiled what may have been the home of one of Jesus' childhood neighbors. The humble dwelling is the first dating to the era of Jesus to be discovered in Nazareth, then a hamlet of around 50 ... more
Blog: Jackshaft Operators from Chamberlain LiftMaster by Ryan H.
(0 comments  |  0 discussions ) — LiftMaster's jackshaft operators are designed for use on rolling grilles and shutters as well as rolling doors.  Some of their operators are also designed for use on industrial sectional doors with high or vertical lift. LiftMaster means quality... more
 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.
Copyright © 2009 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved