No-Mans land.
The name itself made me curious the first time I heard it. It is a land that has no place for outsiders. It is a land where outlaws live together free from any external government or published law system. No-Mans is a mile long sandbar, surrounded by a waist high fence, which is sandwiched between the Thailand and Burmese boarders. The sandbar is attached to the Thailand side (a river separates it from the Burmese side), but arguments over the land mean that it cannot legally be used by either country. Due to this, the property was taken over by thieves, drug smugglers, and murderers. Roughly 300 people live and do business in makeshift shacks in this small area. Surprisingly it is not overpowered by chaos even though the population is comprised of outlaws. In order for this community to function, there still is order and a law system. The law system is not written or known by any outsider. Everything is taken care of internally by No-Man’s chief. This chief is in essence the mob boss over this area. Due to his history of being one of the biggest mob bosses ever in Burma, everyone within the community listens to him and respects him. He is the law. For instance, if there was to be a murder within the area, the Thai police will come, but all they can do is talk to the chief and nothing more. The chief then has the final say in any punishment or action that must be taken.
Many of the outlaws within the village have brought their families with them. They do this because they are legally not allowed outside of the boundaries of No-Mans. If they are caught outside they can be imprisoned. This means they cannot go out to get groceries or any other necessities they may need. This is where their children come into play. They children are not guilty of any crimes, so they can legally leave and enter the area freely. Unfortunately as these children live and grow up in this area they can go from innocent to following in their parent’s footsteps very quickly.
There are many different heartbreaking stories we have heard about this area since it is a hub for sex trafficking and human trafficking. The saddest story I have encountered is about a woman called Big Mama. Big Mama is an older lady that lives within No-Man’s. She bought and owns a few children and uses them for personal gain. I do not know the ages of the children, as it probably changes frequently, but they are most likely under the age of 10. She forces these children to work for her. By working, I mean begging until they reach their financial quota for the day. Many of these children don’t reach their quota for the day since strict anti-begging laws were recently passed in the area. They then have to work the nights offering prostitution services until they have reached their quota.
This is a tough area to be working with. The long term missionaries that have lived here for over a decade have only entered the area a few times (they were invited in by the chief). Since nobody can go in, the only things that can be done are on the boundaries or in a marketplace where they sell fresh fish and produce through the fence. Building relationships with the people has been crucial for our organization, Outpour Ministries, for showing many of the people that there are other ways to live. But it has proven very tough over the past few years. There is so much brokenness and corruption that it is impossible, well really hard, for so many of these people to ever view life in a different light.
