PART 1: BACKGROUND

My childhood and the fighting: “My only thought was that I was afraid I would die, because the soldiers had guns”

I have 4 siblings. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. My mom is still alive and in the village but my dad passed away. We lived in our village peacefully in the past.  We lived in rural areas with peace and justice. Our houses were very stable and made of wood. My family also had a few cows and after school we would look after the cows and then were free to leave the village. I felt very comfortable in my village because we had never seen conflict.

We were really afraid of the Burmese soldiers when they fought with the Karen soldiers in our village. Since the fighting started, Burma Army soldiers came to my village and killed our ducks, cows and even shot villagers.

I was around 7 or 8 years around when they came. I was hiding while my mom went around the house to check when the soldiers were coming. The first thing I felt when we were hiding was fear. My only thought was I was afraid that I would die, because the soldiers had guns. I had no other feelings like revenge or anything, I was only afraid. I only knew that if the soldiers asked for something I had to give it to them. She

[my mom] never asked about what happened, and we never discussed the situation in the past together.

The soldiers all came to the village to kill or catch people. They attacked our village and killed our animals. When the fighting became stronger we had to flee, other villages did so as well. If we hadn’t left our village they would have burned it down. There is a big river between our village and the place we moved to. We couldn’t go across the river at night so we had to sleep by the river that night. There were many problems because it rained and we had to stay in other’s houses. After the fighting our new village land was covered by bushes so it was not easy to resettle.

Our new village was still not peaceful because the Burma Army still came, we were still afraid even when we moved to other places. The Burmese army also came to this village. If they even heard a name of someone similar to the “Karen Army” they beat and tortured that person even though they were not from the Karen Army, their names were just similar.

When the soldiers came back to the village they took some villagers, especially men to be porters and the men just disappeared. There was never information about them ever returning to the village. When I compare my life before and after the Burma Army it is very different.

After I learned and got more mature, I came to realise that such consequences of the war make me feel very sad for the fact that the whole village had to be abandoned. I didn’t understand the politics or that anything was related to the political situation. I only understood that the soldiers came to our village to torture us. When I think about my childhood, it was not happy because I always had to move to another place. When I was young I thought that the Burma Army only came to my village. After growing up and having come here [the border] I came to realise that this is happening everywhere. Whatever happened, this experience will never disappear from my mind.

Although the soldiers say that they did not come to our villages, this is what I experienced. Now I am an adult and I can share my experiences. Those things that I have been through were real and true.

 

Refugee education: “I knew that I couldn’t continue my studies in my village”

It was very small and we didn’t have a high school, only primary and middle school. Our village is located in a Karen village but we only have a Burmese government school. Also, the teachers were sent by the Burmese government. There were some people teaching from our village as well.

Before I came to the refugee camp, I lived in my village. I didn’t know that I would have to go to refugee camp to study later. I finished grade 4 in my village and continued to grade 5 in the refugee camp. I knew that I couldn’t continue my studies in my village because my family could not support me anymore financially. We also didn’t have grade 5 in our village. For my mum it’s the only one thing for my study. So because she heard… some people came to the camp also she sent me to study to get more education, like that. At that time she chose me in my family also because I studied alone and my brothers and sisters they were very young and they couldn’t come to stay here. That’s why I was chosen by my mom to study.

That morning my mother had already packed the stuff for me. I didn’t know…”Poe Mu, you have to follow the teacher,” she told me. That teacher knew about the education situation in the refugee camps. Schools in the refugee camps offer free stationaries and clothes. Since my mother heard about this and wanted me to be educated, she gave me 20,000 kyats [15 USD] and I followed the teacher.

I was 10 years old when I came to Nu Poe refugee camp. We took the road on the bus for days and nights. I slept under materials in the car. I was very excited to travel so that I almost forgot about my mother but then, I missed my mother as soon as night came. Finally, I arrived in the camp and I was sent to an orphanage dormitory. When I attended refugee school I knew that I was not the only one trying hard in my studies. I already knew what I will do after I pass grade 12 and I have my goals in my mind.

I attended grade 5 right after I arrived in Nu Poe refugee camp in 2004, and after I finished my lower levels I went to Mission High School in 2014. The school was famous at that time. If you wanted to go to that school you had to try very hard in your studies, and the refugee teachers trained us very well- we had to do many different activities like group work to prepare us.

Lay Lit grew up in a Christian family. At the Mission High School, she attended Church and Sunday School.

When I graduated from Mission High School I wanted to continue my further studies in a school called IHE PDJC [Institute of Higher Education Pu Dooplaya Junior College]. Students are supported before college with stationary and uniforms, etc. but in IHE we have to pay for these although the education is free. I actually passed the IHE entrance exam but I couldn’t study that year. I didn’t have the money to pay for this so I worked as a teacher. They have teacher training programs and I knew that my goal was to be a teacher, even if I didn’t have the money for further studies. I worked as a teacher at a primary school in Nu Poe for two years. By the time I had finished my teaching I had saved some money for my further studies to attend IHE the next year. I knew that I was ready to attend IHE school so I took the entrance exam again and passed.

 

On education in the village and the camp: “We were closing our eyes and only being read to”

The education systems in the village and in the camp do have most of the same subjects, but History class is definitely different. We also never learned about the Karen language in the village.

The teaching systems are also very different. In my village for example, we were very afraid of our teachers and had to stay in the school and be very polite. However, if we see our refugee education teacher on the road we are very friendly, we are like friends. The social situation is much better in the camp because even if we cannot follow the lesson or make a small mistake the teachers don’t hit us with sticks like they do in Burma.

The education system is different in the refugee camp and my village because in Burma, the teachers are just teaching. They don’t let the students have any creative thinking. The lectures were all based on the government schooling. The teachers used the teacher centered system, they never asked the students to critically think and they make the students memorize by heart. We were closing our eyes and only being read to, but the camp is not like that. The teachers let us read and let us think, we can write exams in a way that we understand. We can use practical thinking and don’t have to know every word, which develops our critical thinking. When I used to study at Wide Horizons [post-post-ten level school in Mae Sot], we learned about how to use critical thinking for community development. It is another way to the future, because when you work with organisations memorization skills are not helpful, everything you say and do depends on your critical thinking. If we have our own creative thinking, we also have the confidence to speak out our opinions. You are thinking on behalf of your community.

When living in the camp, Lay Lit joined organizations like the Shanti Volunteer Association – in charge of the camp libraries – before joining the KSNG.

 

PART 2: LIFE NOW

Keeping in touch with the family: “she wouldn’t be able to understand what I am doing”

 Lay Lit currently works as Secretary for KSNG and lives in Mae Pa with other KSNG volunteer staff members.

For my family they just live inside Burma, in my village. All of my family stay there, in my village, my uncle and my auntie they went to work in Bangkok. They just came back and they don’t want to go anywhere now. I think some people come back because it’s also not easy. They have to work a lot and only a little bit of salary. I think that is why women cannot work.  For the men they can work, they are strong and for one month they will get 3,000 [baht]. They just try to find their way, because in the village also not easy to… If you go and work [in Bangkok], sometimes you can get money and in the village you have to work for a long time.

They just have like a one land where we grow betel nut and this is how they survive all year. Sometimes they just grow some rice in the mountain, and cut [vegetation to make a farm]. So they can survive, sometimes especially in my village in Burma we have work season by season… [They] have many different sources [of income] like in the fruit season they get fruit in our land. In our forest, they can go and find the fruit there and can sell the fruit. For example, in the bee honey time, they can get honey from the forest and we can survive.

I have been [back to visit once], last December 2016, I went back then one time. My mum was not doing well. So because my mum was sick, I went back. Now she is getting better, you can say she is fine, now. She ordered some medicine from me.

In the past I couldn’t contact them [my family] that easily. Even phone [didn’t work], we just wrote a letter sometimes. But now if I want to talk with them, now in my village they set up… the government came and set up the internet, [we can use] Facebook. So if I want to talk with my mum I can contact my cousin’s office phone. She also, if she wants to talk to me she can go through my cousin’s Facebook and if she needs to tell me something she just comes and gives the information to my cousin. Step by step.

I had been living in the camp for many years and then when I learnt how to write, I started writing a letter to my mother when I missed her. I hoped that she was in good health, and mentioned that if I graduated grade 12 I was going to go to Bible School and try to speak in English. If I was going to write a letter to my mother now, since she is not educated and has no knowledge about politics however I explained it to her, she wouldn’t be able to understand what I am doing. If there was a way to send the letter I would let her know exactly where I graduated and which community I’m working in now and that now I already graduated and work with the community, and everything about my organisation. I would also send her the pictures of my graduation. I think she will be very happy to see that.

 

Living in Mae Pa: ”when I get sick and no one is here, I feel I miss my home”

[Thanks to some] support we have enough food to eat like rice or beans. Especially for fruit we should eat but because of little budget [we cannot]. For the curry we have to spend only… For example, if we compare from last year, we could spend 4,000 baht but now there is less budget for everything, so I think we spend only 1000, 2000, like that. And [before] when we were here before some people gave pocket money every month like 1000. But currently we do not get anything. We stopped getting that because we don’t have funds.

We can say clearly that here if we are sick, in the past we got support from the organization [KSNG], like we could eat some fruit to get energy or something. Also, when something happens, like an accident, we have the Mae Tao clinic, but for our organisation it is hard to support us or to send us there; hard to pay for the transportation to the clinic for our health. When we live here, we all are very young people, and sometimes everyone is not here. For example, if I go somewhere inside the Karen State, if no one is here and someone is sick, we have a problem.

When live with our parents they can take care of us very well but here everyone has their jobs, so they can help take care of us, but not very surely, not like our families. That is when… I feel like sometimes if I get sick, it is good I do not get sick a lot, but just sometimes. Just sometimes when I get sick and no one is here, I feel I miss my home.

Now I started going to the church already every week. I want to pray because I feel like I am getting older and no better [life] yet. For my personal belief in god, I feel like yes, I strongly believe.

 

Relationship with local communities and authorities: “Sometimes we believe it depends on our luck”

We can travel around Mae Sot but if we want to go to the refugee camps we have to write some travel letter. Then we can go to the camp during the weekdays.

After we came here [to Thailand] we feel sometimes we have to stay under the country law. Because if we come to Thailand we have to follow their rules and also their law. After the refugee camp, I came to stay here but when we stay in a school we have a student ID card so it’s no problem, when we travel. [Now] we have to stay in because we cannot… because we are not citizens here. Also we cannot speak the people’s language [Thai] and that is why there are many problems. We have to try to stay here and not to [have these problems] affect us.

Sometimes if we want to travel freely, also not very safe for us. I had [a problem] just last week, I went and drove a motorbike with one of my brothers to go drive me because I cannot drive. He had to start the motorbike, I cannot do that, I’m very weak. The police came and we had to go to the police office and KNU came and talked [for us]. If we stay here nothing happens and we can stay, but sometimes we want to go and buy fruit and that is why we can say that it is our mistake, because we do not have a driver’s license. Also, they have their law for their country to be secure, and for their security, they do the right thing.

Sometimes if we are lonely by ourselves, we want to go buy something and especially go to the market, the Friday market and Saturday market, we want to go and see. Here, we do not have shops, and for example sometimes when we go to Bekolo [Karen name for Mae La refugee camp], sometimes police is there when we go to the city [Mae Sot town], so sometimes we have to be afraid. Sometimes we believe it depends on our luck. Sometimes we go and nothing happens because there is no police, but sometimes we face something. If the KNU goes and takes care of us, we can discuss with them [the police] and they allow us to come back.

Currently living in Mae Pa, close to Mae Sot, Lay Lit feels there are many barriers between people like herself and the local Thai community.

I have [noticed], we can say that just like personal problems. I can give an example; one time when I went to the road and I was with a motorbike the engine broke on the way, so I just went to the shop and one of the shopkeepers… we can say that there are many shopkeepers who can fix bikes, or one woman who knows how to fix the bikes. I know that she is Thai, a Thai owner. For me, I feel like I just talk simple and I cannot speak [Thai], but if I speak English they don’t understand. I cannot explain in Thai but I can show ‘here, please, something wrong with my motorbike.’ After that, that woman, she acted very rude. I don’t know, she scolded me a lot she said like ‘wait wait wait’ and she went and took some stick and she turned like she didn’t even see me, she did not talk to me or come and show me anything. I just waited, and then also there were a lot of people around us, and she went and took the stick and she made it black with the engine oil and she touched my leg with it and she scolded me a lot. I thought that ‘I will just go back,’ I felt like oh my god… I cannot speak that language so I cannot explain. If I could speak [Thai], I think I would have told her ‘you can just talk with your mouth and don’t do like that, that is not good.’ I felt very sorry, for me sometimes when I face this kind of problem I really feel that ‘oh [because of] our country’s situation we have to come and live here and because we come and live here, we have no document to travel and we cannot speak Thai.’

So sometimes we have this kind of problem and I feel very sorry and then I cry. In general I feel like, I always believe, that some people are good and some people are bad. So, Thai people also, some are very good to us, some are very bad. We cannot say all Thai people are bad or good, it’s the same with every people.

 

International support: “when the international community supports […] they can improve a lot”

One thing is, I can give one example [of international support]; when we live here and Burma Link did the documentary film with us, and we could share our views to the community, I think that counts as international support.

For the camp, for the international support, it’s like when we study in the school, some of our foreigner teachers would come from New Zealand or America [U.S.], they come and teach in the school and that is when we can say that we got their support for education. They all help like we can say for health care, and vocational training and everything in the camp is from international support.

In my opinion in the camp we have different issues like education, health, and vocational. Also we feel very good for the refugees because they get like an opportunity to get support. They got many things since the refugees started coming to the refugee camps. Like in the past when we studied in the school, some of the people who live in Canada or live in other countries, they came and visited every year, like school donors visited a lot. Yes. We felt very good because we got support from the international that was for everyone, like who was a refugee or student or people who have education or they don’t have education, they [everyone] got [equal opportunities] because of the international support. They could continue and build their lives again, they got new skills for their life and especially we can say that for young people, like students, when they study in the school they got school materials enough. No need to buy, so they could be happy with their studies. Also no need to pay for school, we just paid a little bit, so we could continue our studies year by year till we wanted to apply for any post 10 school in the camps part of like refugee education. After we finished, also we could go and study many kind of vocational training like sewing or cutting hair, making knives; a lot of vocational and computer training, this is very good for the refugee children.

We could give like some women, educated persons, or even if they are not educated, when the international community supports and gives them livelihood, they can plan, they can give training and they can improve a lot.

NOTE: The main food and service provider to Burma’s refugees in the camps is The Border Consortium (TBC). TBC has been working with refugees who fled conflict in Burma since 1984 and is currently a consortium of nine INGOs from nine countries. Since Burma started opening up in 2011, and the KNU signed preliminary ceasefire with the government in January 2012, there have been significant reductions in international funding along the border, deeply impacting the work of TBC and the aid they provide to the refugees. Service provision including education and health has also suffered a significant impact due to funding cuts.

 

Working at KSNG: “I chose KSNG to work together because I know their work and what they do”

I think KSNG is the first organization for me. I feel like, for example when I lived in the camp and I started working at KSNG and after I became the vice president and secretary, step by step, but KSNG is the first organization for me. Also now I am really interested in working with the community. I think that after I finished school, I chose KSNG to work together because I know their work and what they do. That was the first thing I chose.

Currently I’m working with KSNG, I just work together with them and help some people and help them in our organisation. I stay here [at the office], we just live together with our friends like our KSNG staff. We stay together, my brothers and sisters, and just live in the same apartment.

For the training, sometimes we go outside. Our staff they can have a chance to attend to learn more about radio, media training, like sometimes environment like KESAN (Karen Environmental and Social Action Network) they come and give training sometimes. And yes just training, not a lot, but our students activist group they suggested to us to do it like in our organization we have to call an event and ask them [trainers/organisations] to come and give more training for organizational management and give refreshments or something like that. The training, for me like for me interesting [training is] like writing proposals and reports because I’m used to doing that. So, I think if I continue working in the future in the organization we can do, not really professional but we can do that. And for the radio [training] I have never attended, but other staff attended because sometimes I don’t want to attend all the trainings. I attend the ones I am interested in.

I feel like we live in a community. We can see this [KSNG] is a kind of social community. I feel like I live in the KNU community. That is community for me, I feel like I belong more to the refugee community. Refugee is our community, refugee people. Also [community] in the Karen State because we work closely with them.

If we live in this compound and go to work here then I feel like a little bit safe, I mean in this compound, but if we do a lot of politics, if we talk about many situations in Burma… I feel like I don’t dare to talk a lot, because we know that the government on that side [Burma] they send the spies a lot even to the refugee camps they send a lot of spies. In education wings, in other refugee CBO wings, NGOs also they send a lot [of spies], we can see.

To be more secure for us, if we talk about this I think it is very complicated, because our country situation, we have to make sure of it. To stay secure, I think that our country has to be like a very real democracy not only with words but real democracy. That is why if we have our own country we can have real democracy and we can talk. If we stay here [Thailand] illegally also it is not very safe. I think we have to make sure that if we stay in our homeland, in our country, if we have opportunity as a citizen, I think we will be more secure. Sometimes we can look at other countries for what we want, the other countries’ citizens for how do they do and how did they get secure. I think for our country also we have to copy and learn lessons from the developing countries for how the government should treat their citizens.

When I stay here I just keep doing my work, like my responsibility that I have taken, that people gave me — I try as much as I can. But some parts I cannot do everything because I think I need more education. For example, sometimes at work [I need to] speak English or other languages and [it is difficult] because it’s not perfect yet. Moreover, when we stay here, sometimes I think about many things, like what do I have to do in the future, here with my life, and in the next year, how do we continue with our life? Also, I’m thinking some more about my family because they need my help, to support them. But currently I cannot support them with anything, they really need my help, but because here also we have no salary but now we are volunteers so I cannot support.

 

Human Rights: “I think the war attacks 99% of those human rights”

For human rights, I studied when I lived in the camp, when I attended grade school. I studied [about human rights] and when I worked in the community I read about UNHCR’s public human rights book. We can understand that human beings they have [rights]. The UNHCR human rights book that they published is very clear and also easy to follow.

But in practical way we see that especially in our community or our country there are a lot of human rights that we don’t get. First our human rights to believe, rights to see, rights to go. In practice, you are not free to go because it is depending on every country, they have their laws also. I think that some people will give you a chance, another way people will control you, and when you stay in between them I think it is very difficult. If we talk about women’s rights also we have a lot, but for example we can say that in our country women are raped, and soldiers and people do to each other like that. That is why I think even though we have human rights, I think the war attacks 99% of those human rights.

They know that people have human rights but they try to kill or rape them. That is very against, extremely against, human rights. We need to take responsibility for this happening around the world. In the human rights book we already wrote down that you cannot just kill the people and rape, or torture, you cannot do that to a human being. But in practice this is happening a lot, so who will take responsibility? I don’t know. In our community, even though they know, they just go [and abuse rights], I feel like that now. If the people who, the community who make the human rights [abuse], the country, they should focus on human rights.

I feel like I can talk a lot [about human rights] because I have seen a lot in my community. A lot of IDP people, we can see many in Burma, the country Burma, every ethnic [minority] had to flee to the forest and they became IDPs and became refugees. Yes, we have, in our community we have like KHRG and KESAN also, that kind of organisations, they try to advocate and tell what happened. For example, NGOs like Burma Link also, are doing advocacy for the ethnic and doing advocacy for the IDP people, like what is happening and how the people became IDP people. They advocate for good rules and write letters, statements, or some documentary films. We have, but I think that even though we have, the IDPs, we still have that kind of problem against human rights. That is why I think we need more advocacy.

 

Peace Process in Burma: “I will be happy if we can discuss and we can get peace in our country, but currently I have no belief”

I thought, in the past we just try and we just believe that if people do they will get peace. Especially also we thought that if we get the new government with Aung San Suu Kyi, we can get peace, many people believed that. But after that we still have the military and we know that Aung San Suu Kyi cannot do everything because she does not have every power. Because in the 2008 Constitution, the power still in the military that is what we don’t understand. If we compare to the other countries, they are very different. Because the new government, especially the president, we believe that the president is, even though he is under the law [constitution], he could have power to manage his country. But now with our peace process in Burma, it is not like that. Military is going one side and the government is going another side. That is why for me, honestly, I don’t believe now [in the peace process]. Currently, in 2012, they started talking about peace in 2012, 2013, 2014, I’m still not sure, because for me in my mind, if I tell the truth I do not believe in the military, never. I do not believe them. But sometimes if we think positively we can think like we forget the past and we do the best for the future. But then in the future it is again and again [the same thing], they do not give the real peace. They just continue their old ways and using many techniques. That is why I don’t believe them, to really get peace. I will be happy if we can discuss and we can get peace in our country, but currently I have no belief in them.

If we talk about the peace process we can say that currently in our country we try to find peace and the KNU government and the other ethnic armies and government they try to negotiate to get peace. But they have to negotiate a lot because all the ethnic, the ethnic people they already lost their opportunity a lot, and they have to get the opportunity that they lost. I think if we talk about peace in the country, we can say that the military, if they still keep doing the same way as before, then we cannot build peace in the country. For me in the past I just think if they need peace they can negotiate and just give and no more fighting in Burma. When they take so long, for me I don’t understand that, I don’t understand people just trying to talk a lot. I feel, in the past, I see in a positive way, like ‘oh now the media very popular [visible], so now when they do the peace process they cannot lie and they will do very quickly.’ I thought that because we believe that when there is a lot of media, they don’t dare to lie. But they have many techniques about that. So that is when they just go play and not real peace. Yeah, it is very complicated, peace.

I think it [peace] could be possible, one way is, for example now they have to negotiate. The ethnic people, they ask for their opportunity, and if they [the government] are not selfish or greedy, they can give the opportunity to the ethnic, I believe that. Also, the new government should have, the president of the new government should have the opportunity to control the country.  If they have the 2008 Constitution then it’s not possible. It will be possible when… After the 2008 Constitution if they make again they should make one that everyone agrees with. When the people vote like with the 2008 Constitution, they have to go and vote something. You have to vote for the government side, you have to say that you agree. If you don’t agree with them, they don’t like it.

The new government [should be] one that the citizens can control. They can plan for the future, this can lead to peace. Now they [government] want to control all the things like education, everything, the military also controls everything, so it is not easy to get peace. If you need peace you have to pay something [a price] I think. Peace, if you build peace, you need peace, you have to give something, like any resources anything under your control you have to give.

 

Youth and political dialogue: “our leaders should find and open up opportunities for the youth”.

In my opinion in order to have peace inside Burma and to have a better situation the youth should be involved with any activities. In my perspective, I see youth as the strength of the country to be the leaders. That’s why it is the time for young people to take up the responsibility for changing Burma to move towards peace. Our young people need to be smart and take up the responsibility of politics. For youth, if they’re able to participate in the political process they can join their leaders, but our leaders should find and open up opportunities for the youth. In my opinion, there are a lot of young people who want to be involved with political dialogue in Burma but it’s very difficult because the government leaders are over 50-60 years old. They follow the rules from the past and aren’t willing to change them, they don’t want to give a chance to the youth.

The most important way to ensure that Burma is free and a democracy is to include the youth more in political situations. They need to change and correct this constitution. The young people should be involved within the community activities because some of them are very active and intelligent.

 

The future: “if we get real peace in Burma, I can go back inside Burma and work somewhere”

If I compare the situation in my village and the skills that I have now I think I can do something for the children. Like sometimes we can show them computer skills, we can teach them English skills to explain the level of grammar like adult grade 12. Something like that. I can start with that, we can do that. Also we can share some experience about how we came here, especially in our village with the children and young people they don’t know especially about our Karen history. So, if I go back to my village I think I can do many things. For example, when I live here we organise the World Peace Day event. I think if I go back if I have a chance to go back then I can organize that I think. Also work together with the local leaders. We can do that.

I think in the future if we get real peace in Burma, I can go back inside Burma and work somewhere. I think I can work in many ways with other NGOs or CBOs, I plan to. If there is real peace in Burma, if everyone goes back we will also go back and work in the country. But if, for my future life if there is no peace in Burma, if no real peace in Burma, I think I have to continue working like this, in other organisations, like Karen organisations. We have many organisations and issues to work for.

About the World Peace Day in September 2016

Every year, as part of KSNG activities, Lay Lit celebrates World Peace Day in a new place.  Last year, she organised the celebration with nine of her KSNG colleagues for over 1,000 residents from 10 villages in KNU Brigade 2.  Lay Lit and her team hosted World Peace activities, such as debates, improv speeches, poetry competitions and sports, at these annual events.  Speakers at this year’s World Peace event included various Karen leaders, members of the Karen Women’s Organization (KWO), the District Chairman, village chiefs, and local citizens, among others.  All speakers shared their thoughts about and commitments to peace. She thinks that these activities are important tools to help explain that peace isn’t about just one ethnic group, but rather about unity and every ethnic group.

 

PART 3: REFUGEE CAMP SITUATION

Decreasing support and funding cuts: “they reduced the support for the refugee camps … that is why the ’voluntary’ return is happening”

Day by day the support [for refugees] is less, so they’ve have to cut down everything. If we compare with the past, I feel like personally since 2013 the support and everything in the camp is like ‘a lot of fish but no water.’ I feel like that. In the past it is very good, there was a lot of support, also in the Karen New Year they could celebrate, a lot of people. Now there is much less support, so the people try to find their way out. Only some people learned that if they have a relationship with the people in Thailand, like Thai villages, they can go and work but some people do not have that and they have to worry for their life. When we compare the past and now, very different situation, even education, everything is different. Teachers also they do not get salary much now. We can say that they get pocket money not salary.

For the camp only some NGOs like Right to Play and ADRA they stay and support. They still support but not enough, we can say that not like in the past. Like for the rations and also for all the support from TBC (The Border Consortium) — everything is reduced. They reduce rations every day [all the time]. That is why there are a lot of problems. I mean international community who have already supported the refugees in the past, like they supported a lot in the camp, but because they reduced their support, refugees go back. Like some NGOs now they support in Burma and support some other organizations in Burma. But they reduced the support for the refugee camps … that is why the “voluntary” return is happening. Also, I want to say that the UNHCR have to make sure… what I have learned in the school is that the UNHCR is very human and very formal.

I have known in the past that the UNHCR is the one who stands for the refugees 100%, but now that I grew up and started working here, I feel like they do not stand 100%.

 

Talking about repatriation in the camps: “[I thought] we have to go back, so I don’t want to study anymore”

I have noticed it [repatriation talks] started a long time ago. I heard in the past just rumors — not started [repatriation] yet, ‘oh people will go and send back the refugees soon.’ This way sometimes when I was studying on grade 9, 10 or 12, if I heard that I didn’t want to read books, [I thought] we have to go back, so I don’t want to study anymore. I felt like that in the past because the camp will close so we just feel like that. The students in the camp also just feel like, ’oh the camp will close or people will go and send us back, so I don’t want to study’ or something like that. I just heard like that but nothing had happened yet. I was just thinking, I just imagined that even if the refugees return, I will do step by step. After I finished post 10 school and teaching two years in the camp, nothing happened yet, no one sent the refugees back, but when I came back to Mae Sot to study and work for 2 more years, then last year in 2016 it happened in practice, we know that people were sent back, they started doing the voluntary return.

There are many rumours in the camp about the situation, especially the big issues are the returning issue and resettlement. Some people who hope to go for resettlement, they are waiting and some people are becoming very hopeless. I work very closely with some women and also they want to go to the 3^rd country for their future, but they cannot go so now they decided to go back to Lay Kay Kaw [resettlement site in the Karen State]. But they are very strong people. Currently because there are many changing situations, so I feel like people have very much lost their way, and everyone is trying to think their way out and how to do and how to go. Very complicated. A lot of the people [are leaving], we can say that houses are also a little bit less because some people already went back.

 

The UNHCR repatriation roadmap: “I don’t want them [UNHCR] to continue doing voluntary returning, they should do it when it’s meaningful”

I started to know [about repatriation] when working here, when we work here at KSNG. When I started working, during my internship year, that was my first time and I went to a KCBO [Karen CBO] meeting. At this event, the main UNHCR person in Mae Sot and also in Burma was invited at the KCBO meeting, and that was the first time I knew that people are preparing to send back the refugees. For me I didn’t understand [why]. I didn’t understand, I started knowing that they discuss if refugees go, they will give materials — you have to choose one like a mosquito net, phone, that is what I didn’t understand. Very crazy for me.

UNHCR also explained about their roadmap, they explained about that. When I attended the meeting, I felt like the UNHCR explained that they will do voluntary return, and if refugees go back they have to go and talk and give their name [to the UNHCR], the UNHCR asked the people in the camp. They mean that the refugees have to go and knock their door. For me I asked a question, ‘in my experience, we live in the camp and most refugees are not used to talking with foreigners and they don’t know how to go and ask the [UNHCR] people, so how will you do about that?’ The UNHCR [staff member] from Burma she answered me, a little bit angry, she said that ‘yeah we already gave many trainings in the refugee camp about how you can go and ask and we see that refugees are very active, and since then they dare to go and ask.’ I felt like her answer was a little bit [too] strong so I didn’t want to continue and I just stayed silent.

For their roadmap and when they talk about refugee repatriation, one difference I have seen is that they talk about how KCBOs are also included, but then the KCBO leaders say they do not know anything about that.

They [UNHCR] just put the name of KCBO, they [UNHCR] do like that. And KCBOs also not agreeing with that and I feel like in their work they [UNHCR] have no transparency. That is when I started knowing… But for me, also I was not interested in this topic because I cannot agree with this repatriation. If people talk about it I very much disagree but in practice we can see that they are already going back, sent back. But there is no transparency, I feel just like that. Also, now the KNU they just they founded their committee about returning issue, but some leaders want to go slowly and think carefully, and some of them want to rush.

For me, sometimes in the meeting [with the UNHCR] even though we want to talk but we do not have the time and sometimes we have lots of questions but we do not have [they don’t give] time. Only people speak and speak. For me, I went to join the meeting one time and I think that if we talk about that, the UNHCR do not agree, for me I want to ask them not to do repatriation. I mean I don’t want them to do like ‘voluntary repatriation,’ they can do real returning, very meaningful, they can do in that way. Now they already started voluntary repatriation and they set up the [VolRep] offices in the camps. If we talk about that maybe it’s not easy, and also they [UNHCR] don’t want to [talk]. One thing is they made a presentation in the stakeholder meeting in Mae La camp, they presented about how they have done many things like they went and discussed with the government about landmines and also there are no more landmines, they talked about that. But there are still landmines, even though they say that ‘no more landmines and we already went and discussed’ but in reality they have many. I don’t want them [UNHCR] to continue doing voluntary returning, they should do it when it’s meaningful.

 

Not time to return: “if you want to send back the refugees to go back, you have to make sure that refugees can go back”

I can say that for me if I think about that [repatriation], I feel very tired, because if we return there is nothing there [in Burma] and the government does not talk about that and does not focus on that issue. So there is no plan, and they just know only their side for the negotiation. We [refugees] do not know exactly what is happening, it is not very good. Our return is not the same way like in other countries. We have seen in some wars, some people, they had become refugees and when they came back to their homeland, it was very organized and they got their country, they were free to rule themselves. But our Karen and other ethnic who live in the refugee camps, return is something not very… we can say that not very meaningful, not very organized. I think that is the most important thing, we can say that the people who organized this also the people who support the refugees, international [actors], I think they should make sure of this. Actually ‘voluntary return’ I had never heard of it in my life. When they do voluntary return, I think no need to do that voluntary return, but you can give the people in the camp information and other side can continue in a political way and try to negotiate with the government about this. I think if everything is okay, I think they can send [refugees] back.

If they want all refugees to go back then I think no need to do voluntary return just make sure everything in the country [is okay] and they can return and nothing bad will happen when the people return.

I can see that for example, before the refugee [crisis] was happening because of the civil war, but we can say that now there is still civil war and they do not promote opportunity and they do not talk about the refugees. Also still in the country there are many situations that are complicated [not solved]; economy, education, everything. That is why I do not agree yet for refugees to return. Before the refugees came here because of the civil war, so if you want to send the refugees to go back, you have to make sure that refugees can go back [safely], that is the main thing. For example, now we can say that according to our KSNG position paper, and also the main KNU position statement and KRC statement, they wrote down more than ten points about how we will be ready at the time if refugees go back. Let me give example like if landmines are taken out then the return issue can happen. For example, if they [also] accept the refugee education and recognize refugee education then the return issue can happen. They have a statement like that but now when I compare [with the current situation], none of the points on the statements are ready. That is why I think it is very impossible, and I very much disagree.

Also, I think now they are just opening the way like refugees can go back and check, they just allowed [look and see visits], but in reality you cannot go back. If you come back to Thai side they will check you or something, ask where are you going, on Burma side also they can check. That is why we disagree.

 

What should be done: “For me the most important one is that they have to recognize our education”

For me the most important one is that they have to recognize our education, so we can start with the education that we have, and also opportunity that we can do our personal way to survive. That is the first thing, education. For example, if you have education you can set up a small shop. For example, if you have computer skills, if you want to open like a computer basic course or something they will not allow. So if you can do that, you can continue for your survival also other people and other children will get more skills. We could do that but we cannot use our skills if they do not recognize our education, so we cannot do anything, just go back and sleep and in the morning go to the farm and come back. Some people will survive in many ways, some are working and some are following the education way — they should give opportunity for them. Because in the past, like our relatives they had their farm and they were working on their farm, but for us we can follow the educational path. But we need people to recognise our education.

I think the government and KNU have to negotiate first because the refugee people, our Karen people, we especially rely on the KNU, and also other some ethnic rely on the KNU and also the UNHCR, we rely on them. That is why they should promote enough information for the refugees like can they go back or not. In my opinion, they should try to find resources and give information to the camp, and they have to make sure what is happening, still happening in the country, and will the government recognise the refugee education. I think they [UNHCR] can talk to the government and they can do advocacy about that [recognizing refugee education]. They can do that because they are a big player, and they can ask the government to recognize the refugee education. After that there are many other things [to solve], like still have landmines, still civil war. If they know that everything is okay then they can start and have the refugees go back to their country.

I feel like when refugees return to their homeland they should promote some opportunity [for refugees]. They should give back what they took before refugees left, like some people they lost a lot of farms, the government took their farm. If we say about that, they just look back to the constitution again and they just show ‘here, the constitution is like this, if the people do not live there, the land belongs to the government.’ They should give back the land. Many people lost their land in every camp, that is what they should consider, the people who go back, they [should be able to] go back where they lived and restart their life as before. I don’t understand why they just build like one house [resettlement site with houses right next to each other], it is not different from living in the refugee camp. Only [houses], no compound, no farm, nowhere to farm.

When we live in our village, we have land, in the morning we go to our farm and come back. If you live in the resettlement site you cannot do anything. You do not have a farm. I think for the survival, very difficult.

Now the main issue is the peace process in Burma and for the refugees the voluntary returning. We need to make sure about everything for the refugee people and ethnic people. We need people and community, international community, to focus on that and support us. They should continue to support refugees in the camps, because according to KRC reports, in the camps they have many problems because of the ration problem. Even the rations are reduced, in addition to other issues, the rations are reduced. The most important thing is, if we talk about the refugees, refugees cannot do anything because they do not stay in their country, they had to come temporarily to another country.

We can say that if people give them they can eat. If people provide them opportunities they can take them. If people do not support them they cannot get anything. That is what the international community and donors and people who are very important like the UNHCR should focus on the refugees, I think. They should do advocacy for refugees, never forget refugees. They used to do for the refugees a lot but [it changed] because of the peace process in Burma. The situation is not safe yet so we still need their help. It is very important.

READ ABOUT BURMA LINK’S KEEP SUPPORTING CAMPAIGN HERE (SEPTEMBER 2017)