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Life on the Border: Exile Burmese in Thailand

October 13th, 2008 by Rebecca Henschke 

One year after Burma’s monks rose up against the military, more and more Burmese are fleeing to neighboring countries. Some make the journey to gain political safety but most are doing it out of economic necessity.  The repressive Burmese military regime spends one of the lowest amounts of money on health care and education in the world.  So children as young as five are making the journey into Thailand in the hope of getting a free education at schools run by exiled Burmese. Thousands of others come in search of healthcare and work.  In this series Rebecca Henschke reports about life on the border from the Thai town of Mae Sot known as ‘Little Burma’.



Exiled Medics Celebrate Two Decades of Serving Burmese in Need

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To the Burmese military rulers she is an insurgent and a deserter.

To her patients Dr Cynthia Maung is a hero. She is the founder of a clinic in the Thai border town of Mae Sot that is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

In 1989, equipped with medicines and instruments she sterilized in a rice cooker, Dr Maung transformed a barn into a clinic to provide free treatment for the sick and wounded fleeing Burma’s oppressive regime.

Now more than 300 patients pass through this clinic every day.

For those who cannot get across the border they have a created a team of ‘back-pack medics’ who go into the jungle to reach those in need.

Rebecca Henschke speaks with these legendary health-workers.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 21 July 2009 14:09 )
 

Burmese Youth Go Abroad Alone to Gain an Education

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More and more Burmese children are leaving their families and illegally crossing the border into Thailand in the hope of gaining an education.

The repressive Burmese military regime spends one of the lowest amounts of money on health care and education in the world.

Even basic education is very expensive.

So children as young as five are making the journey into Thailand in the hope of getting a free education at schools run by exiled Burmese.

Rebecca Henschke visits one such school in the border town of Mae Sot, where nearly 3,000 students are living and studying.

Last Updated ( Friday, 05 June 2009 09:49 )
 

‘Don’t Tell My Parents I Work in TV’: Burmese Youth Producers

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One year after Burma’s monks rose up against the military, Burmese youth have launched their first current affairs television program.

The program ‘Youth Speak’ is produced by the exiled station, the Democratic Voice of Burma or DVB, and broadcast via satellite from Thailand into the country.

During the September uprising it was young savvy bloggers who provided the world with images, video footage, and reports on what was happening inside restrictive Burma.

The new television program ‘Youth Voice’ aims to give this generation of guerilla reporters a voice. 

Rebecca Henschke went to see the producers at work in their studio in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

Last Updated ( Friday, 05 June 2009 15:19 )
 

Cyclone Nargis Survivors Face an Uncertain Future in Thailand

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One year after Burma’s monks rose up against the military, more and more of the people are fleeing to neighboring countries in search of work.

Some make the journey to gain political safety but most are doing it out of economic necessity.

Cyclone Nargis hit Burma at a time when inflation and unemployment were already at their highest levels in years. To make matters worse salt water covers many of the rice paddies making this year’s planting season impossible.

Survivors are forced to join the more than one million migrants already in Thailand.

Rebecca Henschke speaks with some of the new arrivals in the Thai border town of Mae Sot known as ‘Little Burma’.

 

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