VZCZCXRO4754
PP RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHCHI #0076/01 1141015
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 241015Z APR 07
FM AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0454
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA PRIORITY 0013
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU PRIORITY 0050
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI PRIORITY 0498
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0015
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0011
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0008

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000076 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF TH BM
SUBJECT: LONG-NECK MINORITY GROUP CAUGHT IN REFUGEE AND CITIZENSHIP 
LIMBO 
 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000076  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. Summary. Northern Thailand's large population of stateless 
people struggles with complex and ambiguous RTG residency 
policies, as evidenced by the dilemma of a small group of ethnic 
Padaung caught between the cracks. In recent months, NGOs have 
criticized RTG officials for denying a group of 500 Padaung 
originally from Burma the right to resettle in third countries, 
a problem that is emblematic for refugees, migrant workers, and 
ethnic minorities living near the Thai-Burma border. In the 
Padaung case, NGOs claim local officials want to hold on to 
tourist revenue derived from the group's exotic "Long Neck" 
appearance.  However, Padaung and other stateless groups face 
even greater challenges navigating bureaucratic Thai citizenship 
and refugee policies than they do coping with the tourism 
industry. End Summary. 
 
¶2. Organizations such as the U.S. Campaign for Burma (USCB) 
lashed out at the RTG this month for denying a group of ethnic 
Padaung living in Mae Hong Son near the Burma border the chance 
to resettle in third countries through the office of the United 
Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). NGOs say the Thai 
tourism industry exploits the "Long Neck" Padaung women, bussing 
in tourists to visit villages in northern Thailand for quick 
photo opportunities and marketing the images as part of "Amazing 
Thailand" tribal life. 
 
¶3. Thai officials counter, however, that this Padaung group is 
ineligible for resettlement.  They note that most Padaung living 
in Thailand do not have refugee status, which is given only to 
specific groups fleeing political violence in Burma and not to 
those seeking greater economic opportunities in Thailand.  RTG 
officials in Mae Hong Son told the Consulate they are 
consolidating the three Padaung villages frequented by tourists 
into one site closer to the provincial capital, so as to give 
the Padaung better access to non-tourism related livelihoods. 
However, many Padaung and NGO activists are skeptical about this 
plan, claiming it will further lock villagers into a life 
trapped in a "human zoo." 
 
AN ALMOST LOST TRADITION IS REVIVED FOR TOURISM 
 
¶4. The Padaung, a sub-group of the Karenni people from Burma's 
Kayah State and sometimes also called Kayan, have literally 
stuck their necks out to become one of the more memorable images 
of a visit to northern Thailand. From post cards to magazine 
ads, tourism agencies promote tours to see Padaung women and 
their apparently elongated necks. Anthropologists say the custom 
of placing up to dozens of brass rings around the neck - which 
actually force the clavicle bone into a lower position so as to 
give the illusion of a longer neck - dates back hundreds of 
years, but had nearly disappeared in modern times. 
 
¶5. Decades of conflicts between Burma's military junta and armed 
ethnic groups led the Padaung to flee to Thailand in significant 
numbers in the 1990s. Once in Thailand, many Padaung preferred 
to work in the tourism industry rather than face an uncertain 
future in a refugee camp. Ambitious businessmen encouraged 
Padaung women to revive the Long Neck tradition and pose for 
tourists seeking glimpses of exotic cultures. Hundreds of 
Padaung took the bait and soon found themselves marketed as a 
"Thai hill tribe" alongside other non-Thai minority groups mired 
in citizenship limbo in northern Thailand. 
 
NGOs DECRY THE HUMAN ZOO TOURIST ATTRACTION 
 
¶6. According to NGOs and some Karenni activists, RTG authorities 
have denied Padaung requests to apply for resettlement to third 
countries, preferring to keep them as tourist-draws in Thailand. 
They say the RTG will not classify the 500 Padaung villagers as 
refugees, allow their children to attend Thai schools, or allow 
adults to seek outside employment. Children instead attend 
school in nearby Karenni refugee camps. 
 
¶7. Local UNHCR staff say many Padaung registered as refugees 
several years ago with the RTG.  Some entered refugee camps 
while others ended up in their current settlements, which some 
local UNHCR staff believe should count as de facto camps. UNHCR 
staff say Padaung face continued hardships as a result of the 
tourism industry's exploitation. One local human rights group 
charges that RTG authorities collude with the Karenni 
Nationalities People's Liberation Front, an ally of the Burmese 
government, to traffic Long Neck women from Burma into the 
tourist villages in Thailand. 
 
¶8. Despite the iconic image of the Long Neck women, many 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000076  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
tourists and tour agencies reject the exploitative marketing of 
the group. Most English-language guide books, including Lonely 
Planet, discourage visits to the Long Neck villages and several 
local tour guides have told ConGen staff that they do not take 
tourists to these villages.  However, other agencies regularly 
include the Long Neck villages on their tours and dozens of 
tourists per day pay a small fee to enter the villages and take 
a quick photo. 
 
RTG SAYS IT'S TRYING TO HELP, BUT WON'T ADDRESS CITIZENSHIP ISSUE 
 
¶9. Local officials in Mae Hong Son say they have decided, with 
input from Ministry of Interior officials in Bangkok, to 
consolidate the three villages into one site near the provincial 
capital by the end of April. While some groups suspect the 
governor and business interests in the local tourism industry of 
further manipulation, the RTG says the relocation will allow 
Padaung to diversify their opportunities beyond tourism. RTG 
officials reject international criticism on the Padaung issue, 
claiming critics have confused the situation with the ongoing 
resettlement of non-Long Neck Karenni and Karen refugees. 
 
¶10.  The Thai commander of one nearby Karenni refugee camp said 
the RTG does not classify the Padaung in these villages as 
refugees. RTG officials believe that many Padaung come to 
Thailand for reasons other than fleeing fighting in Burma, such 
as to pursue better economic opportunities, and have voluntarily 
chosen not to live in refugee camps. But activists charge that 
the RTG's refusal to grant either refugee or permanent status 
leaves many Padaung in a bureaucratic no-man's land. 
 
¶11. Moreover, few Padaung are granted permission to leave the 
villages. Some receive one of a variety of differently colored 
residency cards that allow them - and other groups who enjoy 
less-than-full citizenship status in Thailand - to leave their 
settlements under certain circumstances. USCB has reported that 
local officials threatened to take away the cards if Long Neck 
women stray too far from their role as tourist novelties. 
 
COMMENT: THAILAND'S CITIZENSHIP DILEMMA 
 
¶12. Despite signs of cultural exploitation, it is not clear what 
outcome the Padaung themselves want to see.  Some have chosen a 
taste of freedom and economic opportunity in the tourist 
villages over an uncertain life inside a refugee camp. Although 
understandable, this choice runs afoul of ground rules for 
refugee status set up between the RTG and UNHCR, and leaves the 
villagers in legal limbo - effectively disqualified from refugee 
status, but without a clear path to legal residency or 
citizenship that would allow for free movement and 
opportunities.  Thailand's stateless population - one of the 
world's largest - must contend with complicated and bureaucratic 
citizenship laws. This dilemma has left thousands stranded in 
border camps while many more slip farther inside Thailand to 
work illegally and risk exploitation. 
CAMP