The Killing Fields of Shan State
Introduction
In February 2004, several Inter Pares' staff members hiked into the mountains on the Thailand-Burma border to speak with refugees from Burma's Shan State. This is a report of their visit.
From the town of Chiang Rai in Thailand we drive northwards. Soon we are in the hill country, climbing a winding road into the heart of the "golden triangle." To the east of us is the Laos border. To the west is Burma (Myanmar); a bit farther north is the border of China. As the road becomes progressively steeper our truck engine groans in protest.
The road eventually comes to an end at the top of a mountain ridge. From here we can see the eastern edge of Burma's Shan State below us, a valley stretching east to west. Until recently, this rugged border region was virtually impenetrable, the fiefdom of Khun Sa, the infamous drug lord who presided over the world's largest poppy-growing territory. Khun Sa is gone now. In 1996 he "surrendered" to the Burmese authorities and is now a big businessman, living under the protection of the military junta, one of the most brutal of Asia's military dictatorships.
On top of the hill to our right a Thai army outpost looks out over the valley. Looking back at us from the hills across the valley are the outposts of the Burmese army. The ridge to our left is occupied by the rebel Shan State Army. Farther down the valley is the United Wa State Army, allies to Burma's junta and Khun Sa's successors as drug traffickers.
We leave the truck and begin to walk a circuitous route under the cover of the trees down the hillside. The slope turns sharply upwards and it is tough going. Midway up the hill a group of men with motorbikes is waiting for us. We clamber onto the backs of the motorbikes and continue the climb along a winding track. In places the track is so steep that we have to get off the motorbikes and continue on foot. Finally we reach the top of the ridge and enter the refugee camp.
We are here to interview some of the refugees who fled to this mountain-top from the valley below. In 2001 this area was the scene of intense fighting between troops of the Burmese junta and the Shan State Army. The fighting spilled into Thailand as the Shan State Army retreated to a hilltop and Burmese troops crossed the border to attack from behind. The Thai army responded to this infringement of their territory and after a vicious confrontation the Burmese soldiers withdrew. The refugees, too fearful to return home, remained here and built a rough refugee camp along the steep sides of the ridge.
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| Reviewed July 31, 2009 |  |
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