PLIGHT OF "LONG-NECK" KARENNI WOMEN HIGHLIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000193

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: 12/7/2017
TAGS: PREF PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM TH BM
SUBJECT: PLIGHT OF "LONG-NECK" KARENNI WOMEN HIGHLIGHTS
STATELESSNESS

CHIANG MAI 00000193 001.2 OF 002


Classified by Econoff Kevin Rosier for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

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SUMMARY
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1. (U) The detention, fining, and relocation by Thai police of
six ethnic Karenni women, also known as "Long-Neck" Karen, for
working as entertainers at a resort in Chiang Mai highlight
several shortcomings in Thai policy toward Hill Tribe and
refugee populations. Had one of the women's village leaders not
used media outlets to highlight their predicament - though he
may have done so partially for personal gain - the ethnic
Karenni women's fate could have been worse. End Summary.

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A PROFITABLE BUT STATELESS PEOPLE
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2. (U) The ethnic Karenni are one of the many stateless groups
of northern Thailand (see forthcoming Embassy Bangkok Septel).
Most displaced ethnic Karenni live in Mae Hong Son in the three
villages of Ban Nai Soi, Ban Huay Sua Thao, and Ban Huay Poo
Kaeng. Each of the three villages has a "site manager" or
village leader, who is typically a wealthy and influential
villager and who often showcases the ethnic Karenni women as a
tourist attraction for both their financial benefit and his.
Though there is a refugee camp that provides assistance to the
ethnic Karenni, most of the women, widely recognized for their
"long necks," live outside of the camp. Some ethnic Karenni
hold temporary residence cards issued by the Ministry of
Interior (MOI),while many remain stateless.

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KIDNAPPED OR SEDUCED?
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3. (C) In a recent case, six Karenni women were detained in
Chiang Mai's Chiang Dao district for "illegally" working at a
local resort. The women told police that they were "kidnapped
by a tour company" that wanted to display them as a tourist
attraction. According to Mae Hong Son refugee camp Commander
Wachira Chotirosseranee, however, the women voluntarily went to
Chiang Dao for the jobs after being offered a salary, housing,
and board, but later asked family to help them return home when
the work was not what they had hoped for. In yet another take
on the story, our contact at the National Intelligence Agency
(NIA) Mae Hong Son Office alleged that a police officer from the
Ban Nam Piang Din Police Station was the one who took the women
to Chiang Dao without consent from their villages' site managers.

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"RESCUING" THE LONG-NECK KARENNI FROM CHIANG MAI
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4. (C) According to our NIA contact in Mae Hong Son, when the
site manager of Ban Huay Sua Thao, the village where some of the
six women resided, learned of their disappearance, he lodged a
complaint with the provincial authorities to no avail. He then
highlighted the case by using television media outlets to
emphasize that the women were taken from their villages. In
particular, the site manager used an ethnic Karenni man's
statement that he missed his wife and daughter and wanted them
home to draw more attention to the story. According to the NIA
source, the media spotlight prompted Chiang Mai authorities to
take action to "rescue" the women and return them home.
According to the Mae Hong Son refugee camp Commander, the women
were fined 500 baht (appx. $14.70) each after the incident.

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COMMENT
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5. (C) Inconsistent facts from various sources leave the
question of whether these women were taken by force unanswered.
It is possible, however, that Karenni women benefit financially
from tourists' attraction to them; so these six women
potentially left Mae Hong Son willingly in search of more money
than they receive from their village leader. To the dismay of

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many NGOs that call villages where Long-Neck Karenni reside
"human zoos," their days of circus-like entertainment are surely
not over. Whether taken by force to tourist centers like Chiang
Mai or "safe and sound" in their villages, someone will continue
to benefit from showcasing the culturally distinct Karenni women.


6. (C) Aside from the question of whether they were taken
forcibly, this case highlights the plight of stateless groups in
Thailand, and the RTG's failure to develop and implement durable
solutions for these populations. We will continue to report on
this issue, and to encourage the RTG to find long-lasting
solutions for Thailand's Hill Tribes and refugees - solutions
that respect their dignity, basic human rights, and that limit
opportunities for their exploitation by greedy businessmen. Had
the site manager of their village not intervened, these women
could have been trafficked elsewhere, otherwise exploited, or
forced to resettle, either in a refugee camp, or in a village
built by Mae Hong Son provincial authorities for them in an area
not easily accessible to tourists, making it next to impossible
for them to earn a livelihood.


7. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassy Bangkok.
MORROW