or the past 18 months, I have been living and working in a refugee camp located on the Thai-Myanmar border. The camp, located on the Thai side of the border, is one of nine camps in the region that house displaced peoples who have fled decades of violence, ethnic discrimination, and political persecution in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma)*. The camp is isolated, located deep in the jungle, about a seven-hour drive through the mountains from the nearest city. The camp currently houses around 9000 refugees, a multi-ethnic and multi-religious group of people who represent many of the over 135 ethnicities that can be found in Myanmar. Almost all groups in the country, at one time or another, have found themselves the target of the country’s notoriously brutal military regime, and thus have fled Myanmar in various waves over the years.

And although Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of the country’s independence leader and a human rights icon in her own right, and her party, the National League for Democracy, has taken a position of power alongside the military, it seems the violence is yet to abate. This is most apparent in the current crisis plaguing Rakhine State, which has seen the military commit what the United Nations has called “ethnic cleansing” against a stateless Muslim minority group who call themselves the Rohingya. Though international news is now focused on Rakhine, a number of other conflicts continue in other ethnic minority regions in the country including Kachin, Shan, Karenni, and Karen States. Those who fight for freedom of speech and democratic reform also face oppression at the hands of the Myanmar
government.

The camp in which I work is primarily inhabited by the Karen ethnic group. This group has, through numerous armed groups, attempted to secure autonomy and self-determination for its people. This has resulted in a 60-year civil war with Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw. The refugee situation in this part of Thailand is protracted, meaning that it has continued for many years with no clear end in sight. Many of the camps have held displaced persons for over 20 years.

Though civil war, characterized by extreme violence, systematic rape, and murder, is the main factor that led many people from Karen State (and other areas of Myanmar) to flee to Thailand, other factors now motivate new waves of people to relocate to the camps. The camps in Thailand have emerged to become a vital base from which the rural-poor of ethnic areas in Myanmar can access basic social services not available at home. People may come to the camp to seek medical treatment or other services provided by the various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who have offices in camp including services geared toward: physical and mental disability, drug abuse, microbusiness, hospitality training, and vocational training.

Most significantly, young people, whose families cannot afford the education in Myanmar, send their children to schools in camp. All of the camps have pre-school, primary education, and high school education provided by the Karen Refugee Committee Education Entity (KRCEE), which is offered for free to migrants. KRCEE also provides post-secondary education for those looking to continue their studies. Though the education is not officially recognized in Myanmar or Thailand, people have found it valuable because of the skills they attain through the program. Myanmar has notoriously poor education with the vast majority of students unable to pass their final high school exams. Students are forced to memorize as opposed to learn, and are actively discouraged from asking questions, especially to those in positions of authority. Alternatively, the education in camp, though not perfect, has focused specifically on critical thinking and language skills.

I am the social science teacher at one of the post-secondary schools run by the KRCEE. Our school is made up of 17 young adults, chosen from the numerous camps in Thailand or throughout Myanmar. Our student body is multi-ethnic and multi-religious representing Karen S’gaw, Karen Po, Burmese, Karenni, Shan, Naga, and Pa-O ethnic groups, and Christian, Buddhist, Animist, and Atheist religious beliefs. Students join the program for a two-year curriculum focusing on peace and conflict studies, education studies, development studies, and academic English. This is then followed by a one-year internship at an NGO. Outside of class, students conduct their own primary research, teach English at local schools, and run workshops on peace and conflict for children, youth, parents, and leaders both inside the camp and in rural Myanmar. The school’s goal is to prepare students with the critical thinking skills necessary for them to return to their communities as leaders and encourage peace and development through education and the acceptance of diversity and difference.

I am proud of the school and what we offer. I believe it’s extremely valuable and fills a necessary gap in educational opportunities available along the border. I believe the power of critical thinking is necessary for Myanmar to end the decades of violent war and government corruption, and help the country transition to one which is peaceful, accepting of diversity, and prepared to lift its citizens out of poverty. I am also extremely proud of the students I have had the privilege of working with over the past two years. Each of their histories’ contains numerous obstacles that they were able to overcome and become a source of hope for the camp, their communities, and their country.

*Editors’ Note: Our contributors have used Burma and Myanmar interchangeably in AFTERNOON. Burma officially became The Union of Myanmar in 1989; however, we’ve relied on our contributors’ preference given their lived experience.

James MacMillan is a peace and development foundations instructor teaching at a university-level program on the Thai-Myanmar border. His previous publications include a research paper, Southern Partners? China and Ghana’s Northern Regions: African Perspectives. He received his masters degree from York University, and his undergraduate from Ryerson University.