Once in Ranong (southern part of Thailand)
Numbers of NGOs, Missionaries and Volunteers are working for Burmese refugees, legal and illegal workers in all over the world, especially border area of Thai and Myanmar (Burma). Most of Burmese refugees are living in Southern and Northern part of Thailand border line and it is one of my interests to travel around border area to see and know how our people are living there.
It is my first summer holiday in Thailand and a bit nervous. Sincerely speaking, I just heard that lots of our people are living in the border area as refugee and suffering from all sorts of human life. So I am so eager to roam around all these border area. But my friend asks me “What can you do, except just roaming around?” Sure, I can’t do anything for them as a student, but I could say that he really doesn’t know what my real purpose to visit there.
Although I can’t do anything for this time, I have commitment to do something in the near future and it is good to know the life of our own people. Even thousands of non-Burmese people are involving in the welfare of our people, I surprise why my friend asks me that kind of nonsense question. I wanna say that every Myanmar people (Burmese) has responsible for that.
At last, I made decision to visit first to Ranong, southern part of Thailand. I have some friends in Marist (Catholic Mission) community and now they are in that area and trying to help education and health care of our people. It is double chance for me to visit and get a huge experience from their practical fields.
In fact, Marist mission is new to that place but they have a big plan like education for children, center for migrant workers, youth activities and clinic for all Burmese people. All their programs are at the starting point, except education for children. My Pilipino friend is teaching English as volunteer in Ranongthani School for summer class. I met about 50 Burmese children in that school and I was so impressed by their willingness of learning education. Although my friend is a Pilipino, it is fun that he could speak Burmese, not very well but understandable to his students. I visited several times to that school and I even had chance to substitute the class when a Burmese teacher was not free. I was so glad to substitute the class because I could communicate directly with the children and knew more about their real feeling.
There are still some questions in my mind: Why are these children here? Why don’t they have a chance to learn education like other children in Myanmar (Burma)? Who should take responsible for all these children? And Why…..? Of course, I know that I couldn’t get the right answer now but I would say that a personal commitment of every Myanmar people (Burmese) is the most import in this situation.
It is my first summer holiday in Thailand and a bit nervous. Sincerely speaking, I just heard that lots of our people are living in the border area as refugee and suffering from all sorts of human life. So I am so eager to roam around all these border area. But my friend asks me “What can you do, except just roaming around?” Sure, I can’t do anything for them as a student, but I could say that he really doesn’t know what my real purpose to visit there.
Although I can’t do anything for this time, I have commitment to do something in the near future and it is good to know the life of our own people. Even thousands of non-Burmese people are involving in the welfare of our people, I surprise why my friend asks me that kind of nonsense question. I wanna say that every Myanmar people (Burmese) has responsible for that.
At last, I made decision to visit first to Ranong, southern part of Thailand. I have some friends in Marist (Catholic Mission) community and now they are in that area and trying to help education and health care of our people. It is double chance for me to visit and get a huge experience from their practical fields.
In fact, Marist mission is new to that place but they have a big plan like education for children, center for migrant workers, youth activities and clinic for all Burmese people. All their programs are at the starting point, except education for children. My Pilipino friend is teaching English as volunteer in Ranongthani School for summer class. I met about 50 Burmese children in that school and I was so impressed by their willingness of learning education. Although my friend is a Pilipino, it is fun that he could speak Burmese, not very well but understandable to his students. I visited several times to that school and I even had chance to substitute the class when a Burmese teacher was not free. I was so glad to substitute the class because I could communicate directly with the children and knew more about their real feeling.
There are still some questions in my mind: Why are these children here? Why don’t they have a chance to learn education like other children in Myanmar (Burma)? Who should take responsible for all these children? And Why…..? Of course, I know that I couldn’t get the right answer now but I would say that a personal commitment of every Myanmar people (Burmese) is the most import in this situation.
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