THINKBOX
The pain of silence
- Published: 28 Dec 2012 at 00.00
- Newspaper section: Life
Earlier this month on the Human Rights Day, I spent the night on a passenger bus back to Bangkok from Mae Sot.
Before that, I spent two days in Mae Sot, a small town at the Myanmar-Thailand border. There I met some Burmese refugees, migrant workers, and international activists. It was even arranged, unexpectedly, for me to cross the porous border on a small boat. On the other bank of the Moei River, where a Karen military base is located, I was given the opportunity to put some questions to the top brass of the Myanmar armed resistance organisation KNLA (Karen National Liberation Army).
The experience was great for a person like me, who is fascinated by the unknowable of that country. However, I was struck most by what happened on the last night - it included all the elements of great fiction, though the ending turned out to be a false alarm.
This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.
