1com Thai News
Long Neck Women Sick of Gawkers
Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand is home to a group of people who are refugees from oppressive conditions in Burma. They are often referred to as ‘Longnecks’ because of the many brass rings worn around the necks of the women which cause them to appear to have elongated necks. The rings push down on the shoulders making the head appear higher. They are sometimes referred to as “giraffe” women. The quaint villages built for them are popular tourist destinations visited by outsiders who come to Thailand on vacation. The Longneck Hilltribe villages are regular stops on arranged tour routes that can be contracted from Chiang Mai or Mae Hong Son.
Burmese refugee Mu La, who wears 27 brass rings puts it this way, “We want to leave here, never mind where to, only away from here. We feel like prisoners.” “Sometimes we receive three or four, sometimes up to 20 tour groups a day.” She is also bitter because in 2005, she was granted asylum in New Zealand with airfare to be paid for by the U.N., but Thai authorities refuse to grant an exit visa, presumably because she earns money for tourist businesses. Another member of the group, 23 year old Zember says, “The tourists think we are primitive people. The guides say they don’t want to see good roads or clean villages or anything modern, so we have to live like this to please the tourists.” At times of year when there are no tourists, the villagers rely on charity to survive.
Some of the villagers are quite content, remembering what life was like under the dictatorship in Burma. Men were forced into unpaid labor and women were often marched across mine fields by Burmese troops to clear the mines. Before moving to the tourist villages, most lived in refugee camps at the Thai, Burmese border. If they leave the camps they are no longer considered refugees.
Zember says “After I had learned English, I was shocked when I finally understood the tourists’ comments. They said they were disgusted that we displayed ourselves for a little money like animals in a zoo.” She has now removed her rings. “I just want to lead a normal life.” She says. Other women in the village have followed her lead.
Long Neck Hilltribe Women Sick of Gawkers
Long Neck Women Sick of Gawkers
« Vietnam Competes for Food Exports | Home | 1com Thai News | Sex for Grades Disallowed for Engineering Students after Complaints »
Related posts:
- Place related post plugin php here...
