he Burmese people in frontier areas use wood culturally, for houses, and especially for cooking. This is about the life of refugees in a refugee camp between the Shan-Thailand borders, that is for people who fled from Burma. Most of the refugees on the Shan-Thailand border are descended from ancestors who used firewood for cooking. But, the situation in Thailand is not the same as their lifestyle in frontier areas in Burma. Because of the rule of law, the Thai government does not allow refugees to cut down trees. Even if a tree is dry or cannot grow up, a Thai government official needs to be informed before the tree can be cut down. The Thai government must consider the difficult life of refugees because if they suffer more, they will cut down more trees, and cutting them down will affect the environment.
The situation in this Shan-Thailand refugee camp is difficult because the refugees rely on wood, and they need firewood for cooking. A family without firewood cannot cook rice and curry for their daily meals because they do not have electricity as people in towns or cities do. So, just to be able to cook, refugees have to get firewood and struggle for their livelihood to get it. Sometimes they take dry wood, which they see in the forest. If it seems like they’re stealing wood, in some cases, Thai government officials can catch refugees, especially if a refugee is seen sawing wood because it is against the law. However, the refugee needs wood. We must think of them. According to the figures shown in the refugee ration book, one person gets only five kilograms of charcoal for a month. So, how many days can they use it for? Just for two weeks, then the charcoal is gone. How could they continue to make fires for cooking? That’s why they need wood.

re you Thai officials? Are you coming here to catch us? Me and my child are not guilty of anything,” said the woman in the photo below. When we arrived in the field to take photos of the woman and child, they were extremely scared of us because they thought that we were Thai officials. They worried that we were going to catch them. We tried to explain to them the goal of our assignment, why we wanted to take photos of them, and what we were going to do with the photos. Then, they allowed us to take photos of them. Even though they just carry these kinds of dried wood for repairing their houses and building fires, they are very scared of Thai officials. If their houses and firewood are gone, they have no chance without them. Consequently, refugees really need somebody to consider this kind of difficult situation for them. It would be very helpful for the relationship between refugees and the Thai government. If the Thai government allows refugees to take dried wood freely, the refugees must become parts of Thai society. They will contribute to Thai community, and the refugees will be more respectful of the law if the Thai government supports their struggle for wood.

o trees are growing in the area pictured below. It is so dry and there are no animals, species, or water. One of the reasons why the weather has changed is because so many of the green trees, which protect the climate, are cut down year-after-year around this Shan-Thailand refugee camp. Moreover, the water from the river is drying because of deforestation. Deforestation must be stopped because trees protect the animals, species, and water. However, refugee life is really difficult without wood for cooking, which can lead to starvation. On the other hand, cutting wood affects the environment for as many reasons as we can imagine.
The life of the refugee is really dependent on the Thai government because they cannot do what they want like in the past, before they lost their houses, land, happiness, and everything they owned. When they arrive in a refugee camp, a refugee is forbidden to go out and work. They are still scared of the Thai government and scared that doing what they need to do to survive is against the law. The Thai government must handle and support refugees to solve this issue. If not, the issue creates worse circumstances for refugees, and it also hinders the environment.

Baw Reh was born in Mae Hong Son in 1997. He grew up in a refugee camp and has studied from refugee education his whole life. He has seven people in his family. All of his siblings are boys and he is the oldest brother. After he finished
community college, he began studying at a university-level program on the border of Thailand and Myanmar.

Vijit was born in Shan State in 1988. He grew up in Thailand in a refugee camp, where he studied for many years. He has only a sister. His parents passed away when he was a child—his father was killed by Burmese soldiers. Now, he is studying at a university-level program on the border of Thailand and Myanmar.

Based on Baw Reh and Vijit's photo essay from AFTERNOON Vol. 1, We Rely on Trees is a look at daily life in a refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border.

Original story by: Baw Reh and Vijit
Produced and written by: Alex Sheriff and Miranda Newman
Associate producer: James MacMillan
Created in partnership with: Ricepaper Magazine