BURMA COMES TO THAILAND

A Photo project I made in 2005/2006. Touching the subject of refugees inside Thailand fleeing the Burmese army and the SPDC or/and for economical reasons. I will not get into and describing every situation or person. The photos are taken at border areas such as Mae sai/Tachilek, Mae sot/Myawaddy, Ban Hua mae kham, Bangkok (railway slums), Tha Ton, Ban Mae Sariang, Mae hong son and Toet Thai. I was mostly traveling to rural areas and smaller villages by motorbike. People I photographed and interview where: Shan (Tai Yai), Hmong, Burmese, Karen, Thai, Lisu, Lahu, Akha and Naga tribes fleeing fighting in the northeast regions of India. Most of the refugees I met had recently or in the last few years arrived to work in Thailand. Many are victims of corruption and slave like working conditions.
The poverty for most of these people on both sides of the border is indescribable. One of the worst situations I experienced is for the refugees inside Burma fleeing the uprising in North east India´s provinces such as Nagaland, Assam and Manipur. These are refuges trying to cross through Burma and into the promise land Thailand. They get caught on the border to Thailand and sent back to special camps around Mywaddy (Burma). These camps not even UN has access to. Food are delivered from the UN food program through temples and delivered to the camps, by then most food had been taken by Burmese army or allied troops.
Just add a comment if something comes to mind.

Corp. Dj-ingen Photography, 2008