A River Runs Through It
“This year, for the very first time, I went to Thailand because many of the people that I wanted to see, as it turns out, have actually fled across the border, and have now sought safety and shelter in places like Mae Sot and Chiang Mai.” So says Kenneth Wong, and his discussion centers around what he learned during his recent sojourn to the Land of Smiles. Kenneth, a Burmese language teacher at UC Berkeley who also translates Burmese poetry, makes his second appearance on the podcast (his first discussion focused on the history of Burmese cinema).
An avid language learner, Kenneth threw himself into studying Thai before his trip. He purchased language books, began listening to Thai-oriented podcasts, and tested his comprehension by streaming his favorite Netflix shows, such as The Crown and Stranger Things, with the Thai language dubbed over. Yet he was in for something of a shock when he landed in Mae Sot, and saw official signs in English, Thai… and Burmese! “That was my first encounter, and it gave me a hint that Mae Sot was much more Burmese than I expected it to be. When I went around town, it reminded me a lot about some outskirts of Mandalay.” Like so many Burmese now, Kenneth cannot return to his land of origin due to the ongoing conflict. For non-immigrant Burmese, anyway, Mae Sot has become the next best thing; spending time in the local teashops helps satisfy Kenneth’s nostalgia. For Burmese immigrants, however, Kenneth learned it is a different story altogether.
On the language front, Kenneth was a bit surprised that many Thais could converse with him in basic Burmese. On reflection, he realizes it’s like Americans who work with Mexican immigrants along the border, and who pick up conversational Spanish. Conversely, he was dismayed to find that few within the burgeoning Burmese refugee population try to learn Thai. One reason for this, according to Kenneth, is that Burmese young people have less interest in Thai culture as compared to say, Korea’s K-Pop. Perhaps the main reason, however, is that many see Thailand as just a temporary way station on the way to another country (or at least, they hope it is), so there is less perceived need or desire to learn the language. Whatever the reason, Kenneth sees that this has a big downside, though. “If you have a large population of refugees who don't make an effort to learn the language, it could foster resentment among the local population, looking at that as your lack of desire to integrate and adapt,” he says. “You won't have access to some of the social services, or to establish social bonds with local people who could help you if you don't speak the language. So that to me is a not-so-comforting dichotomy.” One exception that Kenneth is quick to point out comes in the form of Joy House, a community-based organization in Mae Sot, sponsored by Jeanne Hallacy, that provides Thai language classes to the refugee population, among other services and support.
Kenneth describes just how difficult it can be for undocumented Burmese trying to get by in Thailand. For example, they must pay a monthly bribe of up to 500 baht to local police to avoid deportation. some work towards getting a “pink card,” which allows them to legally seek employment in certain designated, menial fields, and allows for slightly more mobility within Thailand. Those without either documentation or money for bribes are sometimes so afraid that they will not even leave their rooms, which also adds yet another reason why Thai is not more widely spoken among Burmese refugees. “[All] this creates an environment where the refugees don't really feel like in Thailand, or in Thai government, they have a partner that they can rely on to protect them and give them safe shelter,” he explains. He adds that some have become so desperate that they resort to suicide.
To reach Mae Sot, Burmese immigrants cross over the very narrow Moei River in the dead of night, and if they are successful in evading capture, local camp organizers will assign them shelter. “But if you do get caught, they say you will be tossed back,” Kenneth explains, noting that Thai authorities will force most people to turn back and re-enter Myanmar at a border crossing away from active conflict; on the other hand, known figures in the democratic movement will be handed over to the Burmese military, where a much worse fate awaits them. “You're put between two, very painful choices: to either stay on the Burma side and face possible arrest, torture and death, or come to Thailand side and deal with corrupt systems that gives you mobility only if you are able to afford to pay for it. So there is a lot of resentment among the Burmese refugee population that they are forced [between] these two difficult choices.”
Yet despite all these difficulties, Mae Sot has a flourishing Burmese community, so much so that much of the NUG and other leadership operates out of there (albeit deeply underground) in the hope of returning back home after the military falls. And for those able to go beyond Mae Sot, places like Chiang Mai now host very vibrant Burmese communities, something that Bamama founder Trish addressed in a recent episode.
Looking historically, Kenneth notes sadly that a whole generation of activists went through something similar in 1988… and then ended up in exile for over 30 years, increasingly unable to influence events in their homeland. “They had spent a good chunk of their life [overseas] without making significant effort to learn [whatever] language. So as a result, they are not able to get into good jobs, good positions that requires professional English speaking and writing skills. And now when they try to help the ongoing resistance movement from overseas, they can't really do effective lobbying.”
Turning back to Thai-Burmese relations, Kenneth points out that he came across some positive stories of Thai employers treating their Burmese workers fairly. However, he notes there is a long, and sometimes bitter, shared history that has to be navigated, referencing the Burmese ransacking of Ayutthaya in the 18th century as a traumatic moment in Thai history that still has much resonance today. But he feels comforted by the younger generation who have come to speak out for these migrants. “I think they're less likely to hold a grudge against Burma for something that happened hundreds of hundreds of years ago,” he says.
At the end of the day, Kenneth is anything if not optimistic. “I'm hopeful that some of the activists and refugees I met, even though they are in a desperate situation with an uncertain future, they also turning around and helping people who are less fortunate, and helping people who arrive fresh off the boat as it were,” he says in closing. “I have nothing but admiration for them, for the fact that even though they are struggling, they seek reward in selfless acts. I think these are the people that in the post-coup Federal Union, the kind of democratic kind Burma that we envision, these are the kinds of young people who will lead to nation-rebuilding efforts. These are the kind of people who I hope could become a bridge to foster goodwill between Thailand and Burma, because if they go back, maybe they retain some fond memories of the good experiences that they've had in Thailand.”