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RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RHHJJPI/PACOM IDHS HONOLULU HI
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK NY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CHIANG MAI 000129 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM ECPS OEXC TH BM
SUBJECT: AN OVERVIEW OF BURMA-RELATED CIVIL SOCIETY TRAINING PROGRAMS 
IN CHIANG MAI 
 
REF: CHIANG MAI 32 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000129  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. SUMMARY. Exile political and social activists from Burma are 
using Chiang Mai as a base for the training and development of a 
new generation of leaders. Like their counterparts in the media 
(reftel), political exiles have found Chiang Mai to be a 
convenient and relatively safe harbor from which to engage in 
activities restricted by Burma's ruling junta. With help from 
foreign government funding and implicit RTG permission to 
operate on Thai soil, organizations here have created a shadow 
educational and professional development system for hundreds of 
young activists. End Summary. 
 
¶2. Leadership training NGOs that have established roots in 
Chiang Mai in recent years include the Foreign Affairs Training 
program for political activists, the Community Development and 
Civic Empower program for social development workers, and the 
School for Shan State Nationalities Youth for younger leaders 
from underserved communities. Like other civil society training 
groups in the city, these organizations cite Chiang Mai's 
proximity to Burma, low cost of living, and good connectivity 
with the outside world as top draws. Western governments and 
foundations provide most funding, while Thai officials 
sympathetic to these programs' causes are willing to host their 
schools in Thailand -- although security concerns usually prompt 
the organizations to operate out of unmarked compounds on the 
edge of town. 
 
¶3. Security issues mean most students keep a low profile as well 
and say they rarely interact with their Thai neighbors. Some 
tell of slipping across the border in the middle of the night or 
trekking through the Burmese jungle for several days in order to 
reach Chiang Mai in time for their program's start date. When 
they arrive, they find themselves in a microcosm of the Burma 
that could have been - a dynamic mix of ethnicities living and 
working together toward shared goals. Here in the classroom and 
on the compounds, English and Burmese are more likely to unite 
the students than their own native languages and dialects, and 
many students admit to forming their first positive impressions 
of other ethnic groups via their experience in Chiang Mai. 
 
¶4. ConGen Chiang Mai has supported these groups through book 
donations, speaking at class graduations, and inviting students 
to the consulate for discussions on U.S. foreign policy,. At the 
same time, students and staff have become valuable sources for 
information on Burma and border security issues. Most USG 
Burma-related funding in Thailand concentrates on health issues 
or on activities along the border, but even programs not 
receiving U.S. grants are overwhelmingly pro-American. 
Instructors draw inspiration from U.S. models on everything from 
political development to educational testing. 
 
¶5. The following three organizations represent the variety of 
programs -- political activism, community development, and 
professional skills - present in Chiang Mai. The programs are 
different in scope and mission, but all produce similar results: 
students gain skills and inspiration to pursue careers that 
likely would be denied to them in Burma. 
 
Political Exiles Get Crash Course on International Human Rights 
Advocacy 
 
¶6. The FOREIGN AFFAIRS TRAINING (FAT) program is sponsored by 
the National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB), a 
multi-ethnic, Thailand-based political exile group that supports 
democracy building and reconciliation efforts in Burma. The 
program, now on its fifth class, receives money primarily 
through an NCUB grant via the Dutch government. Other EU 
governments assist with logistical support. FAT brings together 
up to two dozen young leaders from Burma-focused NGOs for 
training sessions on international relations, history, English, 
and professional skills. For nine months, the students, most 
aged 21-25, receive a crash course in the liberal arts with a 
focus on Burma affairs and using their knowledge for public 
advocacy. Each FAT class draws from a variety of Burmese groups, 
both inside and outside of Burma. The current class represents 
several ethnicities, including Burman, Karen, Karenni, Mon, and 
Kachin. 
 
¶7. Following formal studies at a Chiang Mai compound, FAT 
graduates serve in one-year internships at human rights NGOs 
around the world. Previous students have worked in the United 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000129  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Kingdom, Czech Republic, Poland, and South Africa. They return 
to their original sponsoring NGOs, such as the Karen Women's 
Organization or Ethnic Nationalities Council, with the aim of 
taking on more leadership responsibilities. FAT graduates have 
briefed visiting USG officials, spoken at international peace 
building conferences, and placed op-eds in regional media. One, 
a Thai citizen, received an International Visitor program grant 
to study NGOs and civil society in the United States. 
 
Community Leaders Learn Development Skills to Bring Back Home 
 
¶8. The COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND CIVIC EMPOWERMENT (CDCE) 
program also organized by the NCUB, focuses on building 
grassroots organizing skills to help support social services 
lacking in many Burmese communities. CDCE's three-month program 
includes specialized skill training for social services, such as 
grant writing, budgeting, and participatory development. The 
program is now on its second class of 30 students and charges a 
$2,500 tuition fee, which has allowed it to nearly cover its 
operating costs (students usually receive grants from other 
donor agencies to attend). The Dutch, Norwegian, and Swiss 
governments provided funds for the initial start-up costs. 
 
¶9. Organizers say they intentionally avoid political issues, 
both to appease nervous administrators at Chiang Mai 
University's Faculty of Social Sciences, which hosts the 
program, and to protect graduates, who return to their villages 
in Burma to take on high-profile roles. Although a few students 
have been former political prisoners, most participants have 
non-political backgrounds. Most are under age 40 and have had 
prior experience in civic development. CMU officials have asked 
that future sessions be expanded to include participants from 
other underdeveloped areas, such as Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and 
Yunnan Province, China. 
 
Shan State Youth Get Exposure to the Outside World and Their 
Neighbors 
 
¶10. The School for Shan State Nationalities Youth (SSSNY), one 
of more than 30 Chiang Mai NGOs receiving funds from the New 
York-based Open Society Institute, provides capacity building 
and educational opportunities for Shan State residents. The 
school recruits students aged 18-22 from a variety of ethnic 
groups living in Shan State, including Shan, Kachin, Palaung, 
Lahu, and Pao. Like the NCUB's FAT, the Shan Women's Action 
Network (SWAN) designed the program to train the next generation 
of leaders who would otherwise be unlikely to find opportunities 
for professional development and political advocacy inside 
Burma, or in Thailand, where the RTG denies refugee services to 
ethnic Shan. However, SSSNY recruits younger students primarily 
from severely underdeveloped areas in Shan State. Unlike their 
FAT counterparts, students here have little prior exposure to 
higher education or NGO advocacy. 
 
¶11. Instructors at the school - primarily American and Canadian 
- teach English, computers, and history, but also offer advice 
and guidance on professional development, such as Western styles 
of dress and etiquette. Organizers say overcoming the lack of 
quality secondary education and cultural barriers among the 
multi-ethnic student body are significant challenges for the 
students. One instructor noted during the most recent class's 
opening ceremony that several students spoke three to four 
languages fluently, but had tasted ice cream for the first time 
the night before. SWAN leader Charm Tong, who founded SSSNY in 
2001, said the program has graduated more than 190 students, 
most of whom have returned to Shan State or the Thai-Burma 
border area to work with NGOs as community health workers and 
teachers. 
 
COMMENT: A Great Start for Education, But Long-Term Staying 
Power Unknown 
 
¶12. As the current generation of exile leaders moves into 
retirement or resettles in foreign countries, communities inside 
Burma and along the Thai border are in serious need for capable 
and well-trained staff to continue political struggles and 
provide humanitarian aid. Burma's instability has pushed these 
training programs into Thailand and created the shadow 
educational system that now exists. Many former students have 
already taken on larger responsibilities in political and civil 
society organizations, but some fear that too much exposure to 
 
CHIANG MAI 00000129  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
the outside world pushes others into careers and personal lives 
away from the troubles of Burma, a choice made easier the longer 
they are separated from relatives and communities inside Burma. 
While initial job placement rates are impressive, most programs 
have only just begun to track alumni and analyze the impact of 
their work. 
CAMP