Curry and Courage: A Journey of Education and Activism in Thailand
Liam is a student from Chiang Mai University, he is originally from Shan State. His interview was collected on March 4, 2023.
“When I first arrived, I felt guilty. At the time, I avoided posting anything about this new life; I kept a low profile. Soon, I decided to give my time to those that needed it and got involved in the education sector.”
"I am currently studying at Chiang Mai University (CMU) in Thailand. I am in my first year of the social science development program. It's been around eight months since I arrived here.
I was studying in a private school when the coup happened, and my classes got suspended because of the political chaos in the country. So I decided to join the protests and the revolutionary movement. I was mainly involved in demonstrations and organizing fundraising for people participating in the civil disobedience movement (CDM).
I eventually went back home to Northern Shan State. I still had in mind that I wanted to join the revolution, but I have no connection with People’s Defense Forces, so I decided to support people in need by organizing fundraising, supporting children's education and so on. I prefer this supportive role.
I was lucky in my studies. While looking for scholarship programs, I continued my studies in Yangon. Many teachers and guest speakers emphasized our duty and responsibility to contribute our education to our community. So I want to study more to contribute in a better way. I didn't get a scholarship but was accepted at CMU with a student grant. I had to take a risk as I came here mainly depending on my savings.
When I first arrived, I felt guilty. At the time, I avoided posting anything about this new life; I kept a low profile. Soon, I decided to give my time to those that needed it and got involved in the education sector. I joined an alternative education program created after the revolution as a volunteer; I am a program coordinator. I am primarily in charge of the collaboration with Chiang Mai University. We are still keeping a very low profile and everything is done online. This program offers various courses such as Peace and Conflict Studies, Human Rights, Gender etc.
At the moment, financial security is my biggest challenge. As my family cannot support me, I need to find a way to support myself, so I work and study simultaneously. I am more independent than I have ever been in the past and I am supporting and working with some local businesses in Shan State in Myanmar to make a living.
I like what I am studying here, especially global history, but social science can be quite challenging. Sometimes, I miss home and my friends, but we are primarily students from Myanmar in my class. Out of 43 students, 40 are from Myanmar. Our teachers are Thai and Taiwanese. Most students are CDM students from medical universities or other areas. Other students are from student unions, or from the border areas. We are from various regions and divisions, such as Karen, Shan, Kachin, Karenni, and Burmese are in the minority. The majority is Karen. Some are wealthy students from Myanmar; for some reason, they are quite isolated in the class. I think they might be from military backgrounds.
As I am from Shan State, our language is quite similar to Thai. However, the food, especially the curry, is really hard for me.
I am still involved in some activities with Myanmar. I send monthly donations. I give mental support and mentor students for their educational journey from my community. I have also been requested to be a peace educator with CMU and work on a program with Lashio University.
Every day is a hard day for me. I feel pain and stress. Nevertheless, I focus on my goal: I will contribute to education in Myanmar. I try hard to do what I can for our people. I talk with my family online when I see or hear something terrible. They give me emotional support. If I am stressed, I walk around the Chiang Mai University compound.
My family has had many financial problems since they joined the CDM movement. We also have to deal with this. I wish to develop and support my community back home; I want to become a good community leader. For them, I need to try hard. Young people are tomorrow's hope, so I really want to support education and youth development. I wish to become a social science researcher, go back to Lashio and establish a Community Development Centre.
My dream for the future of Myanmar is for each State and Region to have complete governance over their locality, human resources, natural resources, building infrastructures, and social and health care. I want to see independent states flourish."
These stories are collected by the Real Stories Not Tales team. Real Stories Not Tales is a dedicated team in and out of Myanmar that aims to bring awareness to the reality of people's lives since the Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1st, 2021. Stories are collected through interviews with each protagonist by the team, either in Burmese or in English. Each character is drawn by a professional illustrator. RSNT is an anonymous name that is used by the group to guarantee security to all parties involved in the collection of the stories.