The horizons of people living in the camps are very limited. People feel they cannot develop themselves. Those who have finished school have an opportunity to work for the camp authorities as a teacher or a health worker but this does not lead to much of a change of scenery as they are still working in the same places with the same people and have little hope of advancement in the future. Some people manage to find work with an outside organization, despite being prohibited by the Thai authorities, however their refugee status still holds them back. The salaries are lower than for staff with proper documentation and their opportunities for advancement in the organization are less. For the many people who do not have education life is even more limited. There are few jobs available and fighting off boredom and depression is a never ending battle. People see little chance of their situation changing. Some leave the camp to look for food from the jungle which they can bring back and sell but this entails risking arrest by the Thai authorities or even being shot at by Burmese troops if they stray over the border to where the forests are less degraded.

Despite all that has been said many people are sure to miss things from camp life. Although the camp is not their real home there are aspects of Karenni life which continue in the camp that will be hard to transfer to a third country. People will be spread around and will be unable to organize Karenni festivals and brew the traditional rice wine. Other traditional parts of Karenni culture may not be compatible with peoples’ new lives. Animist rites involving specific materials and even the sacrifice of animals will certainly be a lot harder in Finland! The sense of community present in the camps will also be difficult to maintain in the West where people will have to learn to rely on themselves.

...Traditional parts of Karenni culture may not be compaitable with people's new lives ...

As to what life in the West will be like for those that are successful it is hard to say. Most applicants want to keep working for their communities and the Karenni people but they will have to balance this with earning a living and supporting their families. Many seem unaware of the financial pressures they will face as refugees in the West. People talk of coming back often to visit their friends and family, but I wonder where will the money come from?

In August the UNHCR announced that refugees wishing to resettle from Site 1 Ban Kwai/Nai Soi Camp, near Mae Hong Son, could register their applications. Due to the large number of refugees wanting to apply the registration period had to be extended.

After registration the resettlement cases were sorted and those of us who had passed the first round of the selection process were called to be interviewed individually by UNHCR in the camp. We were then asked about why we were applying, what problems we face in Thailand and why we cannot go back to Burma. After that we had to wait until November for an interview with the countries that had selected us for potential resettlement. In this interview we had to go over the details of our application again and were also asked questions about our lives; why we want to resettle?, have we ever been arrested?, have we ever used amphetamines?, and many more along those lines.

The change of the mood in the camp since the application process began can be seen and felt. Those confident of success have begun reducing the prices of goods in their shops, selling off their possessions and celebrating. Others are still racked by uncertainty as to whether they have done the right thing or not. Now though, all that is left to do is to wait for the results.

To go to the other articles published in the November 2005 BI Newsletter click on the links below:

Refugee Resettlement: One Step Forward or Two Steps Back?
The Dilemma of Humanitarian Aid in Burma