November 11, 2007The Sunday Times (UK)
The long-necked women of a popular Thai tourist destination have spoken out about the prison-like conditions they are forced to endure as inmates of what they describe as “a human zoo”.
Padaung women, who fled Burma as refugees in the 1980s, are famous for wearing dozens of brass rings that give the impression of grotesquely elongated necks. Thai businessmen quickly spotted their curiosity value and set up tourist villages, charging visitors about £20 to see the women, whose images have subsequently appeared on postcards and in holiday brochures and promotional material for Thai tour operators.
Yet conditions in the villages are “worse than prison”, the women say. “Our men are forbidden to seek work, we cannot grow our own food and if we try to leave, we are beaten,” says Mun Mun, who lives in the village of Nai Soi. “We have no privacy. We are like animals in a zoo.”
Officials who run the villages deny that the women are exploited and say they are free to leave. But six who recently tried to flee were allegedly kidnapped and returned to work in the tourist village.
“We believe that the only purpose of their kidnapping is for exhibition in these tourist camps over the peak holiday season, which is beginning now and will continue over Christmas,” said Thai police major Worapot Phuttawong.
The luxury operator Cox & Kings said that it “does not actively promote visits to tribal groups in Thailand”, and the adventure specialist Explore said: “We are aware that the treatment of Padaung women in Thailand, and the conditions that they live in, are controversial. As a result, we do not visit these women on any of our tours.”
Padaung women, who fled Burma as refugees in the 1980s, are famous for wearing dozens of brass rings that give the impression of grotesquely elongated necks. Thai businessmen quickly spotted their curiosity value and set up tourist villages, charging visitors about £20 to see the women, whose images have subsequently appeared on postcards and in holiday brochures and promotional material for Thai tour operators.
Yet conditions in the villages are “worse than prison”, the women say. “Our men are forbidden to seek work, we cannot grow our own food and if we try to leave, we are beaten,” says Mun Mun, who lives in the village of Nai Soi. “We have no privacy. We are like animals in a zoo.”
Officials who run the villages deny that the women are exploited and say they are free to leave. But six who recently tried to flee were allegedly kidnapped and returned to work in the tourist village.
“We believe that the only purpose of their kidnapping is for exhibition in these tourist camps over the peak holiday season, which is beginning now and will continue over Christmas,” said Thai police major Worapot Phuttawong.
The luxury operator Cox & Kings said that it “does not actively promote visits to tribal groups in Thailand”, and the adventure specialist Explore said: “We are aware that the treatment of Padaung women in Thailand, and the conditions that they live in, are controversial. As a result, we do not visit these women on any of our tours.”
9 comments:
Tai Kadai or Siamese are known of unscrupulous and ungrateful culture for century in region.Robbery of Khmers can attest to that.
People of this culture is driven by greed and no morality in exploiting one another.
No surprise Siam exploited Khmer refugees then why not these exotic appearance women of oppressed Burma origin?
Siam is a home of dictators and hpocritical Teochew dynastic ruling families.Siamese the original tribe was wiped out by Tai Kadai and Keo(Kinh)in 1932.
Definitely it is a case of exploitation with the lack of respect on the part of Thailand.
It is interesting to learn about the anatomy of the woman's elongated neck. I like to know the effect of the stretched spinal cord, the surrounding neck bones and joins, plus all the arteries and vanes that supply blood and oxygen from lung to the head ... Perhaps, we can pick up something that will be helpful to us.
this is the case of survival of the fittests. Khmer must learn to survive or otherwise extinct.
No, righteousness will always prevail in the end.
I can understand why AH HUN SEN like to do business with the Thaicong because he wants to see Cambodian people in a zoo too!
It is so unreal these days to see the picture and read on the newspaper about Cambodian beggars hurdle into a tiny truck by the Thaicong officials like animal to be deported back to Cambodia and to see AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave officials use fire to burn down Cambodian people home and use guns and electric batons to make dirt poor Cambodian people sleep on the ground like a dog!
Now AH HUN SEN even allowed the Thaicong to build a cultural museum which represent Cambodian people and nation to promote their fucken business!
AH HUN SEN is going too far with his economic Vietcong theory!
Oh, don't worry about those people, 6:29. They are just impatient for better days, which is why they sneak in to Thailand to work. Regretfully, however, that won't be the last bunchs either. The soon things cool off, they will sneak into Thailand again as usual.
What we must do to fix this problem is to wrap up all border disputes that is pending between us and the Siem; that way, we can start to build trading zone in that area to make life easier for our people. As a consequent, that should help keep people from sneak into Thailand illegally and get into trouble. Right now, I am sure that the Siem fully understand that those people don't have any choice.
To 8:05AM!
Cambodian people had been waiting for 30 years to have a better day and how much longer do you say? Sure the fucken Vietcong and the fucken Thaicong will understand your fucken arse if you want to be raped by them! Stupid Vietcong slave mother fucker!
Well, most of the years at the onset was wasted because it was too violent to attract any businesses. Thus, we really only have about the last 15 years to grow from nothing. A while back, I estimate 2016 is where most people will appreciate the booming economy, and by about 2020, we should be able to get rid of international aid... . That is if we can maintain a decent growth as we did the last 5 years or so.
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