Stuck in the middle: How defectors in Thailand get by



Evergreen Stuck in the middle: How defectors in Thailand get by Refugees in Southeast Asian nation remain safe from being sent back, but struggle with transition, little money Rohan Radheya June 12, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON NK News One morning, as I walked my dog along the banks of the Kok River in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai, I noticed a group about my own age sleeping under a bridge. This is uncommon in Chiang Rai, a developed city where homelessness is rare.  I asked them what they were doing and a young man in the group answered in broken English that they were Burmese Karens who came in via Mae Sai (the Thai-Burma border). I had known many Karens, but when I threw a few Burmese words at him he admitted that he couldn’t understand. One morning, as I walked my dog along the banks of the Kok River in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai, I noticed a group about my own age sleeping under a bridge. This is uncommon in Chiang Rai, a developed city where homelessness is rare.  I asked them what they were doing and a young man in the group answered in broken English that they were Burmese Karens who came in via Mae Sai (the Thai-Burma border). I had known many Karens, but when I threw a few Burmese words at him he admitted that he couldn’t understand. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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Stuck in the middle: How defectors in Thailand get by

Refugees in Southeast Asian nation remain safe from being sent back, but struggle with transition, little money

Rohan Radheya June 12, 2014

Stuck in the middle: How defectors in Thailand get by

NK News

One morning, as I walked my dog along the banks of the Kok River in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai, I noticed a group about my own age sleeping under a bridge.

This is uncommon in Chiang Rai, a developed city where homelessness is rare.  I asked them what they were doing and a young man in the group answered in broken English that they were Burmese Karens who came in via Mae Sai (the Thai-Burma border). I had known many Karens, but when I threw a few Burmese words at him he admitted that he couldn’t understand.

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