In June, EastMojo Mizoram correspondent Kimi Colney interacted with Myanmar nationals living in exile in Thailand. This is the second of the three-part series from that visit. Read the first part here.
On the morning of April 12, I received a call inviting me on a trip organised by “Borders to Broaders Conversations” to Mae Sot, a city in western Thailand that borders Myanmar. Hearing the name Mae Sot and the word “border” immediately brought to mind Champhai, a town in Mizoram, India, which also shares a border with Myanmar.
Champhai has long sought development. While its shops boast fancy lights and décor, the roads remain rickety, and the infrastructure struggles to keep up. But beneath the surface, the region faces a more dangerous reality—a virus of smuggling and illicit trade that thrives in the shadows of the Golden Triangle. Mizoram has earned an infamous reputation as a smugglers’ hub, serving as a transit hub and a market for methamphetamine and heroin, the majority of which is attributed to Myanmar.
A report by Nikkei Asia states that the political instabilities caused by conflicts between Myanmar’s military regime and ethnic militias have created an environment conducive to drug cartels trafficking narcotics, particularly methamphetamine. They found that Northeast India is a transshipment hub while the markets are in Africa, Europe and Southeast Asia.
The consequences are deeply felt within the state, which has an alarming rate of drug users and drug smugglers. A term has even emerged to describe the lavish homes built from drug money—”damdawi in“—which translates to “medicine house” but refers to the wealth acquired through the illegal drug trade. These houses line the streets of Champhai, casting a dark shadow over the town. Upto 44 people have died due to drug use from January to July 2024 in Mizoram, and out of these 44. 75% of the deaths are due to heroin use.
The two border towns to Myanmar, Champhai in India and Mae Sot in Thailand, often make it to the headlines but for different reasons. A simple Google News search for ‘Champhai’ yields numerous results related to drug seizures and smuggling. In contrast, searching for ‘Mae Sot’ primarily brings up news about its connection to Myanmar and the ongoing situation in the country following the coup.
As I prepared for the trip to Mae Sot with my baby, my mother-in-law agreed to accompany us to help with childcare during meetings. I repeatedly warned her that we would spend most of our time in rural areas like Champhai. I explained that Mae Sot wasn’t the glamorous Bangkok tourists rave about and advised her to brace herself for a more modest experience. I even asked our host in Chiang Mai whether Mae Sot had ATMs. He responded with a polite laugh, saying, “That’s why I want you to go there, to understand how a border town can be.”
When we arrived in Mae Sot, I understood why he laughed.
The trip was eye-opening. It highlighted not just the differences between the two border towns but also the stark contrast in development between India and Thailand. I began to compare Mae Sot to Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram, realising just how behind we are.
To put the picture into perspective, the area of Mizoram is approximately 21,081 km² while the area of Tak province is approximately 16, 406 km², Mizoram is larger in land area compared to Tak Province, by around 4,675 km². Population-wise, Mizoram has more than twice the population of Tak Province.
Aizawl has one mall, the Millennium Centre, located in the heart of the city. It has a lift and escalators and offers various clothing shops, though the prices are often exorbitant. Across from our hotel in Mae Sot, which had a sprawling lawn and a spacious swimming pool, stood Robinson Lifestyle Center. This mall was not only far larger than Millennium Centre but also offered a wide range of goods, from high-end to affordable items. It had a food court, a children’s play area, an electronics stores, and was nearly four times the size of Millennium Centre.
If Aizawl cannot match up to Mae Sot, then Champhai is simply out of the question. Navigating Aizawl’s streets is a struggle—narrow, potholed roads with open, dirt-filled drains greet you at every turn. In contrast, Mae Sot’s roads are smooth and well-maintained, resembling what Mizoram’s highways aspire to but consistently fail to achieve.
As soon as we reached our hotel in Mae Sot, my mother-in-law made a WhatsApp call to her daughter and immediately remarked, “The hotel where we’re staying is far better than any of the hotels we have in Aizawl.”
On August 19, 2024, a meeting discussing development initiatives for Mizoram chaired by the Chief Minister mentioned while the Northeast has 57 star hotels, Mizoram has none. In India, the Ministry of Tourism’s Hotel and Restaurant Classification System assigns star ratings based on criteria such as the hotel’s facilities, service quality, and overall guest experience.
As a car enthusiast, she quickly noticed the spacious pick-up truck brands like Mitsubishi Triton, Mazda’s, and Nissan Navara’s, which was a common sight on every street. What she enjoyed most, however, was the compact yet well-stocked 7-Eleven convenience stores, which we encountered at every petrol station between Chiang Mai and Mae Sot.
Both my mother-in-law and I made it a point to visit every 7-Eleven we came across, savoring the aisles and their offerings for as long as we could, much to the amusement of our Thai friends. It became evident, without needing to say a word, how we came from a third-world state within a third-world country.
The trip left me feeling conflicted. On one hand, I wanted to invite our Thai hosts and friends from Mae Sot to visit Mizoram for a similar exchange. On the other hand, a sense of embarrassment washed over me as I imagined them navigating Mizoram’s poorly developed infrastructure. Contemplating the complexities involved in organising logistics provided me with a sense of relief, as it made me realise that the travel plan was unlikely to succeed given all the intricacies involved.
While I take immense pride in our culture, community, and the tight-knit bond we share, I am deeply ashamed of the state’s lagging development across all sectors. Too often, we settle for the crumbs provided by the government, both at the central and state levels, failing to see how much more could be accomplished if only we had leadership committed to genuine progress rather than favouritism and corruption.
When it comes to the treatment of refugees, both Thailand and India are non-signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention, but the conditions for refugees in each country are quite different.
In Thailand, refugees are provided with a space to reside, along with stipends from the UNHCR. In Mizoram, however, the fate of refugees is largely left to the mercy of local NGOs, a few INGO partners and minimal government support. They are housed in temporary shelters built by the apex NGO, Central Young Mizo Association and its branches. To be registered under the UNHCR or have a UNHCR card, the refugees have to travel to Delhi.
However, travelling within India legally is impossible for refugees, as they require valid documents such as an Aadhar card, a Voter ID, or, as foreign nationals, a passport and visa. However, the refugees from Myanmar do not have access to these documents.
An NGO worker from Mizoram, speaking to EastMojo on the condition of anonymity, said, “The UNHCR did not mention any possibility of issuing UNHCR cards for the refugees in Mizoram.”
In 2023, Benjamin Sum, an acclaimed singer from Myanmar who had fled to Mizoram and built a reputation there, came under scrutiny when it was discovered that he had used fake identification documents to acquire a vehicle. This revelation led to significant criticism from netizens in Mizoram.
Both countries provide education opportunities to the refugees and migrant children, however, language barriers cause a great disadvantage.
In Thailand, there are various provisions made for migrant children to study the local language so they can integrate better. According to a Cabinet Resolution on 5 July, 2005, all ‘non-Thai’ children are eligible to enjoy basic education (grade 1–9) in public Thai schools. Schools are reimbursed the education fee for each migrant child from the Thai Government based on a specified rate and equal to a Thai child. Similar provisions are not made in India, despite the schools in Mizoram opening their doors to migrant or refugee children.
In 2022, the Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation (LPN) in Thailand created 15 training centres for migrant workers to learn about language, rights and culture with courses held every Sunday.
On August 16, 2024, the Central YMA began offering Mizo learning classes for displaced persons, which faced criticism.
A popular Instagram page among the youth, The Mizo Observer, shared this information and invited comments from their followers. The post mentioned that according to the Mizoram Public Service Commission, individuals seeking employment in the state who have not completed class ten or twelve board exams in Mizo must pass a Mizo language proficiency test. Meanwhile, CYMA has started Mizo learning classes for refugees. The post also stated that while there is sympathy for the refugees, it is important to recognise that Mizoram is the only homeland for the Mizo people. The post received around 98 comments, with nearly 99% of them supporting the Mizo Observer’s stance and expressing similar sentiments. One commenter suggested that the refugees should be sent back.
While there is no “better life” for refugees anywhere, Thailand offers more structured assistance than India does, leaving refugees in Mizoram vulnerable and dependent on the scant support they can find.
A Himal magazine report noted that Thailand engages more openly with Myanmar’s stakeholders, while India remains closely tied to the junta. Despite Thailand’s humanitarian aid, an official told the Himal Mag that neither country, India or Thailand, guarantees refuge but the only difference is that Thailand offers more illegal job opportunities.
In Thailand, I recall an asylum seeker from Myanmar telling me, “Mae Sot feels like home.” “Despite facing restrictions and threats from the police, Mae Sot provides exiles with a safe space where they can enjoy their food and the company of friends from their homeland, as well as find job opportunities, albeit, illegally.
However, underlying this hospitality is a complex and often uncomfortable reality in both the host countries.
A journalist from Bangkok shared that racism towards Myanmar refugees and migrants is quite pervasive in Thailand. She said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, this issue became visible with the mistreatment of Myanmar migrants.” According to a report by IOM Thailand, people living near the border such as in Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces and other areas with Myanmar migrants like Rayong, often have a more positive attitude towards Burmese.
In the case of Mizoram which shares the longest border with Myanmar in India, the term “A Bur lutuk” is commonly used to describe actions that are seen as strange or embarrassing and, it translates to “it is very Bur or Burmese.” This phrase reflects a deep-seated prejudice towards people from Myanmar, despite the shared ethnic and cultural heritage.
While Mizo society is quick to extend help in times of need, it remains to be seen whether the ingrained attitudes towards their brethren from Myanmar have changed.
An acquaintance who came from Myanmar to pursue further education in Mizoram recollected experiences of rampant racism while he was staying in a hostel. He mentioned that he was bullied emotionally and physically, and brought to tears on many occasions. Although I have personal ties to Myanmar—my grandfather lived and married there—I too once felt a sense of shame when talking about those connections.
Over time, it seems that this racist attitude is gradually fading. Laldinpuii, a high school teacher from Aizawl, where refugees have been enrolled since 2021, mentioned that she has not encountered any cases of racism toward the students, noting that they get along well. Manuni, a resident of Champhai, also acknowledged that while there are instances of racism or differential attitudes towards people from Myanmar, the large population has contributed to this attitude slowly diminishing.
Over time, it seems that this racist attitude is gradually fading. If you visit Mizoram today, you will find that there is genuine concern shown towards the refugees; people care that they are fed, kept warm, and find a small sense of home in the similarities of food and features.
Laldinpuii, a high school teacher from Aizawl, where refugees have been enrolled since 2021, mentioned that she has not encountered any cases of racism toward the students, noting that they get along well. Manuni, a resident of Champhai, also acknowledged that while there are instances of racism or differential attitudes towards people from Myanmar, the large population has contributed to this attitude slowly diminishing.
It is encouraging to see the ingrained attitudes slowly beginning to shift, but the question remains: will Mizoram ever truly feel like home for those seeking refuge here? And I am quite certain that if I posed this question publicly, the quickest response I would receive would be, ‘Are they supposed to feel like home?’
Also Read: The Sky is Ours: How a Mizo movie is challenging stigma against divorced women
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