I’m currently riding through the mountains of Thailand after a long first week of my favorite ministry so far. We lead a hygiene Clinic for Burmese refugee children. Many are orphans. All have no country to call home. Not accepted in Burma and not welcomed in Thailand they live as best as they can as aliens only miles from what use to be home.
We saw it first hand. It’s called no man’s land. It consists of a dangerous river and the surrounding river bed. It is a strip of land not a quarter of a mile thick that stretches all the way between Thailand and Burma. No country has claimed it. The civil war in Burma that has raged for over 60 years has left so many without a home and unwelcome in their birth country. Many without papers then get stuck in no mans land.Their houses are made of sticks and tarps that sit out in the hot sun. Sometimes it floods and people lose what little bit they have.
Some history about the Burmese civil war if you are not informed of the crisis just like me walking into this month of ministry. I’m no expert, but what I have gathered is that Burma has experienced one of the biggest humanitarian crisis and refugee situations in the world. Millions of people from Burma, mostly ethnic nationalities in the country’s borderlands, have fled armed conflicts and Burmese military run human rights abuses that have occurred for a number of decades. The civil war in Burma has been named the longest running civil war conflict in the world. The military has targeted ethnic civilians, mostly villages in rural areas where armed opposition has been operating. Around 3 million have fled the armed conflict in Burma. Due to Thailand’s proximity, many have fled here to avoid persecution. While others have fled due to poverty through forced labour, outrageous taxation, and restrictions on movement and trade. So many are new tuck in refugee camps for generations due to their Burmese ties. Stuck in poverty here as Thai authorities prohibit refugees from traveling and farming outside of the camps. Only so many can be “supported” as refugees in Thailand so often people are suck in no man’s land.
No man’s land is a place that has no rules. No country claims it so no laws are enforced. It’s a place where you can buy illegal goods and where there are no taxes. There are shacks built up to the walkway, The shacks are in no mans land, the walkway in Thailand. Here you can buy cigarettes, alcohol, porn, even people. And who cares? We were informed that the often bribed police officers don’t. People cross the river boarder back and forth constantly. Sometimes they go by boat, others swim. Often times, our ministry host informed us, tragedies happen. A few weeks ago the bottom of a boat carrying many children fell out. Many drowned in the raging river flooded by monsoon season. Doesn’t that break your heart? Risk you life just to have a shot at living it, often in poverty.
I am blessed to have a country. I am an American and I live with much freedom and opportunity because of it. I have a home, family and friends I am going back to in 8 months, and jobs and opportunities open to me when I get there. Millions in this world don’t. I don’t have a government targeting me or a military that is armed against me. Many here can’t say that. I ask you as Americans and I ask you as Christians to pray for those suffering in this crisis. Please pray for people to be raised up to come and continue to help. Pray for those here who are dedicating their lives to make a difference for a broken and hurting people group. Pray that the Burmese people will experience citizenship, it maybe a while in their homeland but let us pray that their citizenship be in Heaven. That in this crisis, God is in control and His love be shown mightily to these people.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
Ephesians 2:19
I have more to tell you all about hygiene camp! It was a fun and exhausting week that happened to be my favorite of my race so far. Until then,
God bless.
