By Burma Link / March 24, 2015
John Bosco is like any 23-year-old who dreams of good education and a career, and who likes to read, use the internet, and play football. Unlike many young people, however, John’s life is confined within the fences of Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in Thailand. John is ethnic Karenni and comes from a big family in a rural village with no access to electricity or water. Although John grew up under militarization and afraid of “the sounds of guns shooting and bombs exploding,” his main priority was education. John’s family wanted him to have a better life and a future, and they sent him to the Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp in 2009. He hasn’t been able to see his family since. In the camp, John says that restrictions on movement and travel are increasing hand in hand with decreasing aid. Like so many others, John is now trapped in one of the most isolated refugee camps in Thailand, which remains out of the electricity grid and is surrounded by landmines. John still considers himself lucky; he doesn’t have to worry about repatriation as much as the many others who have no family in Burma and no place to go.
We went to another village and carried water from the lake
John Bosco is a 23-year-old young Karenni refugee from Phruso Township, Dot Ngee Khu village.
My name is John Bosco. I come from Karenni State in Burma.
In the village mostly my parents do farming. They have their own
[farm]. According to the season, they grow seasonal crops like rice and corn and beans, etc. They have [cows]. Most people have a financial problem. They can’t buy machines so that they just use cows.
We have to bring the rice to the city to run it through a machine [and bring it back] to get rice to eat.
In the village, we didn’t have electricity and also we didn’t have access to water. So, we went to another village and carried water from the lake [30 minutes away]. It depends on the time when we are free. If we are free the whole day, we go and carry [water] two or three times.
But, for rich people they don’t need to carry by themselves. They joined the pipes with machine into the lake and they get the water. For poor people, we just use our energy and carry it.
In my village, before we didn’t have clinic. When we are sick, we just have to go to the town in a hurry and it was so far away.
If I compare my village with the city, it is so different.
My family is so poor – We have many difficulties
In my village, we have only primary school. After primary school, we have to go to another village. We walked to school. [It took] about 30 minutes.
I was 16 years old [when I started studying in Loikaw high school]. I stayed in dormitory. Before, I lived in a church in Phruso. At that time, the priest chose me to go to a religious school. So I went there.
John has four sisters and three brothers, some of whom are working in different countries to support the family.
Most of my siblings attended school until high school. But they didn’t pass grade ten. Now, one younger sister and one younger brother are still studying. Some [of my siblings] are working [in Thailand]. One is in Singapore and another is about to go to Korea. But, he has been waiting for a long time. Until now he has not gone to Korea yet. Some stay with my parents and look after my parents.
In Burma, most of young people do not have a job during studying. So, their parents have to work for them to go to school. If they fail the ten standard, their parents couldn’t afford for one more year. So they have to quit school. They have to work for their family.
Young people in my village, when they can’t afford for their livelihood, they go and work outside the village like Taunggyi and Thailand or Malaysia. Most of young people go and work to earn money there for their livelihood. For people who go and work in Malaysia or other countries, it cost a lot for them to go there. So they have to sell a lot of things that they have. Sometimes, unfortunately if we are lied to we lose all the money.
To be honest, my family is so poor. And we have a big family and there are many people in my family. Even though my siblings want to attend ten standard again, my parents can’t support them. We have many difficulties.
We had to porter for them
Before, when I was young, we had to porter for them [Burmese soldiers] and they often asked us to work as volunteers. One cart full of bamboowe had to send to them. One person from each house had to go to their camps and build their fences.
And in the summer, when we looked after or controlled the cows, if a cows went to their camp, they shot at the cows and killed the cows. After that they asked the owners of the cows come and take their cows. Then the owners had to pay for fine. For the villagers, to plough the farms they just use cows. So when the Burmese take the cows, what could we still use at the farms? So they had difficulties when they were going to plough the lands.
When I went and studied in Loikaw, the soldiers came [again] and asked for porters. At that time my father was getting old so he just pretended like he was sick. So, he didn’t have to go for porter anymore.
They often came but I don’t know how it is now.
The way the villagers feel about the Karenni soldiers in the village and the refugee camp is different, John says. In the village, Karenni soldiers also collected taxes so some villagers didn’t like them.
The feeling [about Karenni soldiers] of people who live in the village and here are different. Like in the village, in my house if I had a machine, the Karenni soldiers came and asked for taxes. They asked taxes for cars or anything with made of machine. Like, if the Karenni soldiers are good to the villagers, the villagers will see them as good people. But at that time, they were not good people.
John says that the Karenni soldiers never asked for porters, but they did ask for taxes and for food.
No, I never heard that [Karenni soldiers would ask for porters]. Like, if the Karenni came to the forest near the village, they asked the villagers to send them food to eat.
It is good that the Karenni enter the village carefully. Like, for example, if they enter the village when they are drunk and make noise in the village, it is dangerous for the villagers. It is not good. Then, my village and the road are close and then we might have Burmese spying the village. So, they [the Burmese military] get the news.
We often heard the sounds of guns shooting and bombs exploding
There are many reasons why I came here [to Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp]. We have a big family in our house. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for me to go to school after I failed grade 10.
Before, it was so difficult to pass tenth standard. For us, after we finish one year, it costs a lot to attend one more year. Some of my sisters and brothers, they attended ten standard two or three at the same time. So, my parents couldn’t afford for two years for each.
One more reason why I came here is that my village and Burmese military camps are close. They often fought so we often heard the sounds of guns shooting and bombs exploding. So, we got worried. When the Karenni [soldiers] entered the village, they stayed at my cousin’s house. My cousin and one of the Karenni leaders were killed during the fighting. We were afraid of fighting so much at that time. That’s why we moved to here.
John’s uncle took him to the camp by car in 2009.
At that time I couldn’t travel alone well so that my uncle took me here… It took two or three days. Also, at that time, the road was not good and it was different to come.We were checked by the soldiers but it was not that difficult. One difficulty was I didn’t have enough money at that time.
When I got into the camp, I went to high school. Ten standard. After one year, I continued studying at CLC (Community Learning Centre in Ban Nai Soi village near the camp).
I lived in dormitory of the school. In the first year, I had some difficulties. The school fee was not really a lot, but I had difficulty in buying any hygiene material. I asked help from my brothers. I told them about me and that I am studying and have difficulty.
At first, I had so many difficulties that I didn’t know if it was good. But now, I realize that I learned a lot from it. There [in CLC], they teach Thai, community development, social study, management, grammar, reading, writing and some other things.
John also learned English at the school, and he can now speak four languages; Karenni, Burmese, Thai, and English. After finishing his studies John spent one year volunteering as a teacher at CLC. He has been back in Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp for about 1.5 years.
No one wanted to be chiefs – They might get killed
For me, I stay here so I feel safe for me. The Burmese can’t upset me or hurt me here. I don’t feel difficult and stressed here. When I lived in my village, no one wanted to be chiefs of the village because if they said something wrong, the Burmese soldiers called them and questioned them, hit them or even killed them. That’s why no one wanted to be chiefs. Almost every day, each house for one day had to go and inform the news to the Burmese military camp. At that time, the men did not dare to go so they just asked women or children. Because if men went there the soldiers talked to them, shouted at them or hit them.
Villagers had to give all kinds of news to the Burmese soldiers.
Like ‘what is happening in the village?’ ‘Did the Karenni soldiers enter the village?’ We had to tell them about that. But for the villagers, they kept it a secret sometimes. Sometimes, the fighting happened in the village or near the village, and the Karenni soldiers entered the village. If the Burmese soldiers heard about that they came and fought again. At that time, the villagers got injured or they had to suffer difficulties. That’s why they had to keep it a secret if the Karenni entered the village.
I don’t know now if they still have to send news. But before, I have ever sent news to them. I had to bring firewood with me at that time. I had to go to many [Burmese] military camps.
John doesn’t know exactly what the situation is now in the village but he has heard of some improvements. He says the way the soldiers act also depends on the individuals; whilst some Burmese soldiers are good, others are not.
As I heard, some of the government military come and distribute some medicine and house materials. But some military don’t agree with that distribution and they want to go against it.
Currently there is no fighting [between the Karenni and Burmese soldiers]. But, the Burmese have increased their military and they are training more soldiers.
The Thai authorities are getting stricter
The camp remains out of the electricity grid, and is one of the most closed off camp to foreigners. The camp currently has over 11,000 residents, most of whom are ethnic Karenni. The camp is only four kilometers away from the Burma border and has been attacked by Burmese troops and their allies in 1997 and 1998. The surroundings of the camp are a landmine field. John says that in the camp, aid is reducing and the Thai authorities are now getting stricter with travel.
Before, TBC (The Border Consortium – An aid coordination network in the refugee camps) gave us enough rations but now they reduced the rations. Before [we got] 12 kilos [of rice monthly] but now 10 kilos for each. If there are a lot of members in a family, they might need more than they get. But, some people work and earn money so that it is enough for them.
I don’t see a lot of change but before, it was free for us and we could travel. Now, the Thai authorities are getting stricter. To travel or to go to work outside, it is not free for us now. They don’t allow us.
It is more difficult to work outside. If Thai police catch them, they have to give money to come back. The camp committee tells them already not to go outside the camp but they still go secretly. The Thai government tells them not to pass the border [of the camp]. So when they go the police catch them.
I have been here about five or six years but I have never gone back [to Burma].
I am alone so I don’t worry about that [repatriation] so much. Because I have my relatives and family in Burma. For people who are not registered and have no relatives in Burma, they might be more worried than me.
The development of Karenni is very low
John is now also a member of the camp committee. He has been a member for about 11 months now.
Now I work in the camp as administration assistant. I don’t really have free time. As an administration assistant, I have to work day and night, the whole day. In the morning I have to go to office and in the evening I have to make an announcement to the camp if the leader asks me. Sometimes, on Saturdays I still have to go to the office in the morning.
If I have free time, I want to read books. I sometimes go and use internet.
John says he also likes to play football. There is a small [football] field, he says.
When I work in the camp, some people understand us but some people don’t. I want them to understand me when I work for them. Most people here don’t care about their lives. They don’t worry anything about their future.
The development of Karenni is very low, like in education, health, business and transportation. They are so low.
It [education] is like my ambition
My family sent me here to improve my life and my future.
I have been living in the camp for a long time so that don’t feel happy anymore. I want to find a way to get out from the camp.
It [education] is like my ambition. In my future even I can’t be an educated person, I want to be a leader. But, I don’t really have education. If I can’t be a leader with this qualification yet, I would like to try further education. If I continue studying, I need someone support. I live alone so that it is difficult to make decisions.
Read more about the Karenni at – https://www.burmalink.org/background/burma/ethnic-groups/karenni/
This story is based on Burma Link’s interview with John Bosco in February 2015. The interview was conducted in Burmese and interpreted by a Burma Link AOC (Agent of Change).
You may also like:
New Report Critiques “Peace Support” Amidst Militarization in Karenni State
‘Authorities Should Take Action for Refugees NOW’: Young Refugee Woman 
Story of a Karen refugee’s struggle for survival
**Generation Gap Widens in Thai Border Camps
Karen Women in British Parliament: Continue Humanitarian Assistance for Refugees and IDPs
‘We Weren’t Afraid of Snakes or Tigers, just Burmese Soldiers’
John Bosco is a 23-year-old young Karenni refugee from Phruso Township, Dot Ngee Khu village.
My name is John Bosco. I come from Karenni State in Burma.
In the village mostly my parents do farming. They have their own
We have to bring the rice to the city to run it through a machine [and bring it back] to get rice to eat.
In the village, we didn’t have electricity and also we didn’t have access to water. So, we went to another village and carried water from the lake [30 minutes away]. It depends on the time when we are free. If we are free the whole day, we go and carry [water] two or three times.
But, for rich people they don’t need to carry by themselves. They joined the pipes with machine into the lake and they get the water. For poor people, we just use our energy and carry it.
In my village, before we didn’t have clinic. When we are sick, we just have to go to the town in a hurry and it was so far away.
If I compare my village with the city, it is so different.
My family is so poor – We have many difficulties
In my village, we have only primary school. After primary school, we have to go to another village. We walked to school. [It took] about 30 minutes.
I was 16 years old [when I started studying in Loikaw high school]. I stayed in dormitory. Before, I lived in a church in Phruso. At that time, the priest chose me to go to a religious school. So I went there.
John has four sisters and three brothers, some of whom are working in different countries to support the family.Most of my siblings attended school until high school. But they didn’t pass grade ten. Now, one younger sister and one younger brother are still studying. Some [of my siblings] are working [in Thailand]. One is in Singapore and another is about to go to Korea. But, he has been waiting for a long time. Until now he has not gone to Korea yet. Some stay with my parents and look after my parents.
In Burma, most of young people do not have a job during studying. So, their parents have to work for them to go to school. If they fail the ten standard, their parents couldn’t afford for one more year. So they have to quit school. They have to work for their family.
Young people in my village, when they can’t afford for their livelihood, they go and work outside the village like Taunggyi and Thailand or Malaysia. Most of young people go and work to earn money there for their livelihood. For people who go and work in Malaysia or other countries, it cost a lot for them to go there. So they have to sell a lot of things that they have. Sometimes, unfortunately if we are lied to we lose all the money.
To be honest, my family is so poor. And we have a big family and there are many people in my family. Even though my siblings want to attend ten standard again, my parents can’t support them. We have many difficulties.
We had to porter for them
Before, when I was young, we had to porter for them [Burmese soldiers] and they often asked us to work as volunteers. One cart full of bamboowe had to send to them. One person from each house had to go to their camps and build their fences.
And in the summer, when we looked after or controlled the cows, if a cows went to their camp, they shot at the cows and killed the cows. After that they asked the owners of the cows come and take their cows. Then the owners had to pay for fine. For the villagers, to plough the farms they just use cows. So when the Burmese take the cows, what could we still use at the farms? So they had difficulties when they were going to plough the lands.
When I went and studied in Loikaw, the soldiers came [again] and asked for porters. At that time my father was getting old so he just pretended like he was sick. So, he didn’t have to go for porter anymore.
They often came but I don’t know how it is now.
The way the villagers feel about the Karenni soldiers in the village and the refugee camp is different, John says. In the village, Karenni soldiers also collected taxes so some villagers didn’t like them.
The feeling [about Karenni soldiers] of people who live in the village and here are different. Like in the village, in my house if I had a machine, the Karenni soldiers came and asked for taxes. They asked taxes for cars or anything with made of machine. Like, if the Karenni soldiers are good to the villagers, the villagers will see them as good people. But at that time, they were not good people.
John says that the Karenni soldiers never asked for porters, but they did ask for taxes and for food.
No, I never heard that [Karenni soldiers would ask for porters]. Like, if the Karenni came to the forest near the village, they asked the villagers to send them food to eat.
It is good that the Karenni enter the village carefully. Like, for example, if they enter the village when they are drunk and make noise in the village, it is dangerous for the villagers. It is not good. Then, my village and the road are close and then we might have Burmese spying the village. So, they [the Burmese military] get the news.
We often heard the sounds of guns shooting and bombs exploding
There are many reasons why I came here [to Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp]. We have a big family in our house. My parents couldn’t afford to pay for me to go to school after I failed grade 10.
Before, it was so difficult to pass tenth standard. For us, after we finish one year, it costs a lot to attend one more year. Some of my sisters and brothers, they attended ten standard two or three at the same time. So, my parents couldn’t afford for two years for each.
One more reason why I came here is that my village and Burmese military camps are close. They often fought so we often heard the sounds of guns shooting and bombs exploding. So, we got worried. When the Karenni [soldiers] entered the village, they stayed at my cousin’s house. My cousin and one of the Karenni leaders were killed during the fighting. We were afraid of fighting so much at that time. That’s why we moved to here.
John’s uncle took him to the camp by car in 2009.
At that time I couldn’t travel alone well so that my uncle took me here… It took two or three days. Also, at that time, the road was not good and it was different to come.We were checked by the soldiers but it was not that difficult. One difficulty was I didn’t have enough money at that time.
When I got into the camp, I went to high school. Ten standard. After one year, I continued studying at CLC (Community Learning Centre in Ban Nai Soi village near the camp).
I lived in dormitory of the school. In the first year, I had some difficulties. The school fee was not really a lot, but I had difficulty in buying any hygiene material. I asked help from my brothers. I told them about me and that I am studying and have difficulty.
At first, I had so many difficulties that I didn’t know if it was good. But now, I realize that I learned a lot from it. There [in CLC], they teach Thai, community development, social study, management, grammar, reading, writing and some other things.
John also learned English at the school, and he can now speak four languages; Karenni, Burmese, Thai, and English. After finishing his studies John spent one year volunteering as a teacher at CLC. He has been back in Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp for about 1.5 years.
No one wanted to be chiefs – They might get killed
For me, I stay here so I feel safe for me. The Burmese can’t upset me or hurt me here. I don’t feel difficult and stressed here. When I lived in my village, no one wanted to be chiefs of the village because if they said something wrong, the Burmese soldiers called them and questioned them, hit them or even killed them. That’s why no one wanted to be chiefs. Almost every day, each house for one day had to go and inform the news to the Burmese military camp. At that time, the men did not dare to go so they just asked women or children. Because if men went there the soldiers talked to them, shouted at them or hit them.
Villagers had to give all kinds of news to the Burmese soldiers.
Like ‘what is happening in the village?’ ‘Did the Karenni soldiers enter the village?’ We had to tell them about that. But for the villagers, they kept it a secret sometimes. Sometimes, the fighting happened in the village or near the village, and the Karenni soldiers entered the village. If the Burmese soldiers heard about that they came and fought again. At that time, the villagers got injured or they had to suffer difficulties. That’s why they had to keep it a secret if the Karenni entered the village.
I don’t know now if they still have to send news. But before, I have ever sent news to them. I had to bring firewood with me at that time. I had to go to many [Burmese] military camps.
John doesn’t know exactly what the situation is now in the village but he has heard of some improvements. He says the way the soldiers act also depends on the individuals; whilst some Burmese soldiers are good, others are not.
As I heard, some of the government military come and distribute some medicine and house materials. But some military don’t agree with that distribution and they want to go against it.
Currently there is no fighting [between the Karenni and Burmese soldiers]. But, the Burmese have increased their military and they are training more soldiers.
The Thai authorities are getting stricter
The camp remains out of the electricity grid, and is one of the most closed off camp to foreigners. The camp currently has over 11,000 residents, most of whom are ethnic Karenni. The camp is only four kilometers away from the Burma border and has been attacked by Burmese troops and their allies in 1997 and 1998. The surroundings of the camp are a landmine field. John says that in the camp, aid is reducing and the Thai authorities are now getting stricter with travel.
Before, TBC (The Border Consortium – An aid coordination network in the refugee camps) gave us enough rations but now they reduced the rations. Before [we got] 12 kilos [of rice monthly] but now 10 kilos for each. If there are a lot of members in a family, they might need more than they get. But, some people work and earn money so that it is enough for them.
I don’t see a lot of change but before, it was free for us and we could travel. Now, the Thai authorities are getting stricter. To travel or to go to work outside, it is not free for us now. They don’t allow us.
It is more difficult to work outside. If Thai police catch them, they have to give money to come back. The camp committee tells them already not to go outside the camp but they still go secretly. The Thai government tells them not to pass the border [of the camp]. So when they go the police catch them.
I have been here about five or six years but I have never gone back [to Burma].
I am alone so I don’t worry about that [repatriation] so much. Because I have my relatives and family in Burma. For people who are not registered and have no relatives in Burma, they might be more worried than me.
The development of Karenni is very low
John is now also a member of the camp committee. He has been a member for about 11 months now.
Now I work in the camp as administration assistant. I don’t really have free time. As an administration assistant, I have to work day and night, the whole day. In the morning I have to go to office and in the evening I have to make an announcement to the camp if the leader asks me. Sometimes, on Saturdays I still have to go to the office in the morning.
If I have free time, I want to read books. I sometimes go and use internet.
John says he also likes to play football. There is a small [football] field, he says.
When I work in the camp, some people understand us but some people don’t. I want them to understand me when I work for them. Most people here don’t care about their lives. They don’t worry anything about their future.
The development of Karenni is very low, like in education, health, business and transportation. They are so low.
It [education] is like my ambition
My family sent me here to improve my life and my future.
I have been living in the camp for a long time so that don’t feel happy anymore. I want to find a way to get out from the camp.
It [education] is like my ambition. In my future even I can’t be an educated person, I want to be a leader. But, I don’t really have education. If I can’t be a leader with this qualification yet, I would like to try further education. If I continue studying, I need someone support. I live alone so that it is difficult to make decisions.
Read more about the Karenni at – https://www.burmalink.org/background/burma/ethnic-groups/karenni/
This story is based on Burma Link’s interview with John Bosco in February 2015. The interview was conducted in Burmese and interpreted by a Burma Link AOC (Agent of Change).
You may also like:
- New Report Critiques “Peace Support” Amidst Militarization in Karenni State
- ‘Authorities Should Take Action for Refugees NOW’: Young Refugee Woman
- Story of a Karen refugee’s struggle for survival
- **Generation Gap Widens in Thai Border Camps
- Karen Women in British Parliament: Continue Humanitarian Assistance for Refugees and IDPs
- ‘We Weren’t Afraid of Snakes or Tigers, just Burmese Soldiers’
[…] Padaung is a Shan term for the Kayan Lahwi, the group in which women wear the brass neck coils. The Kayan residents in Mae Hong Son Province in Northern Thailand refer to themselves as Kayan and object to being called Padaung. In the late 1980s and early 1990s due to conflict with the military regime in Myanmar, many Kayan tribes fled to the Thai border area. Kayan number about 40,000 in Shan State, around the Pekon Township area, and 20,000 in Kayah State, around Demawso and Loikaw. A 2004 estimate puts the population at approximately 130,000. About 600 Kayan reside in the three villages open to tourists in Mae Hong Sorn, or in the Ban Mai Nai Soy refugeee camp. […]