Life on the Burma - Thai border

Burmese script is written on almost every shop front, most of the men walk round town wearing longyis (sarongs) and traditional Burmese teashops are on every corner. The presence of so much that is quintessentially Burmese is unsurprising, given that Burmese nationals in this border town now outnumber Thais by more than two to one.

It is the same story in the countryside nearby, which is home to an increasing number of Burmese living in UN-administered camps, as well as a large population of economic migrants. Despite the fact they are in the minority, being a Thai in this area has distinct advantages.

Most Burmese are either confined to refugee camps, or working to feed their families amidst the constant threat of deportation.

"Burmese people face many challenges here," said Ko Phyo, the deputy head of local migrant association Yaung Chi Oo (New Dawn). Burma is ruled by a repressive military junta, which is showing little desire to improve the rights and living conditions of its poverty-stricken people. Not only is it hard for ordinary citizens to earn a living, it is becoming increasingly dangerous for some people to continue living there at all.

Members of certain ethnic groups are particularly at risk - especially the Karen, who live in areas of conflict between the military and rebel fighters. Many people from these groups have fled across the Thai border, and are now living in refugee camps.

There are three main camps around Mae Sot - Mae La, Noe Po and Umpium. Together, they are home to about 97,500 people. Many camp residents - particularly the recent arrivals - are just grateful for a safe place to stay and food to eat.

Many of these refugees will eventually get the chance to resettle in a third country, but most of them just want to live like normal citizens in Thailand. "I've been here for 18 years, and I speak Thai," said 44-year-old Sa Thu Mway.

Of course there are plenty of Burmese who do live freely in Thailand - but for many of them, this freedom comes with the risk of being deported. These people are mostly economic migrants, who are ineligible for refugee status even if they wanted it.

An estimated 50% of Mae Sot's 80,000 Burmese migrant workers do not have proper work permits. According to Ko Phyo, this leaves them open to abuse from unscrupulous bosses, most of whom run garment factories.

Sometimes bosses pay less that the legal Thai minimum wage, or withhold payment altogether," said Ko Phyo. "There are also cases of physical abuse and rape."

Deportation gets more serious when the migrant is handed over to the Burmese government. That happened to Ko Phyo himself, and his friends and colleagues had to raise 300,000 Baht ($8,300) to prevent him being jailed.

BBC