Page 29 - ELG2505 May Issue 494

FEATURE
ELT lifeline in Thai refugee camp

In Thailand’s northernmost refugee camp, Ban Mai Nai Soi, WEAVE’s
struggle to deliver English language education offers crucial support

for displaced individuals, a story William Grice uncovers amidst tales
of resilience and restriction.

t was a sweltering day as I rattled along jungle tracks in the back From coup to camps: The conflict driving refugees
of a sturdy pickup truck, traversing paramilitary checkpoints and to Thailand
river-crossings, when the sprawling refugee camp of Ban Mai Nai Before we proceed, let me clarify the current situation along the
ISoi finally appeared before me. Thailand-Burma border, specifically in Mae Hong Son Province,
After navigating the final stretch, a shallow jungle stream strewn home to Ban Mai Nai Soi refugee camp.
with rubbish, we arrived at a camp building – little more than a Following a 2021 coup d’etat, Burma has faced brutal civil war
makeshift structure – where a local English teacher, named Rebecca, between pro-democracy fighters backing Aung San Suu Kyi and the
was waiting to give me a tour. military junta led by General Min Aung Hlaing.
This was all part of my internship with Women’s Education for Since then, rebel alliances have formed and claimed key victories
Advancement and Empowerment (WEAVE), an educational NGO across the country’s ethnic states, with events on the upswing as
empowering female refugees along the Thailand-Burma border; my disillusioned youth abandon Hlaing’s urban strongholds to join the
role was to assist with syllabus alignment. resistance.
You see, building on insights from my previous EL Gazette article Drawing parallels with Suzanne Collins’ hit series,
on enhancing English education in Thailand’s refugee camps, I had The Hunger Games, Burma’s breakaway states are effectively
decided to fly out and take a more hands-on approach. uniting against Naypyidaw just as Panem’s districts revolt against
As my tour unfolded, spirited refugee girls recounted stories of the Capitol.
supporting pro-democracy fighters in Burma, serving as medics just What’s more, Collins’ fictional tyrant, President Snow, finds his real-
behind the frontlines; others spoke of fleeing their villages in Karenni world counterpart in General Min Aung Hlaing, whose oppressive rule
State, their voices filled with pain and quiet resilience. seems only to fuel the flames of rebellion.
Later, we climbed to a hilltop school for boys, where the atmosphere As a result, the Shan hills along the Thai border hide a brutal
was strikingly militarised, more reminiscent of secondary school Army conflict, with the frustrated Burmese military, bolstered by unwilling
Cadets than most ELT classrooms. conscripts, resorting to scorched-earth tactics.
Yet, what was truly happening in this remote jungle refugee camp in This has driven Karenni refugees east across the Salween River from
northern Thailand? Karenni State into Thailand, seeking refuge in Ban Mai Nai Soi, one of
And what role does ELT play in shaping young people’s lives? four camps in Mae Hong Son Province.
editorial@elgazette.com 29