Burmese Migrant Workers Chiang Rai:   Aseu’s Story

Aseu’s life is filled with uncertainty. An ethnic minority worker from Myanmar, she came to Thailand more than 10 years ago in search of a better life. Alone, and without family, she eventually found work at a rubber plantation. The work was hard and the hours long, but as a single woman Aseu faced greater challenges. Every day she feared the unwanted advances of her male co-workers, who also worked at the plantation. Scared, she talked to her boss, who suggested she should marry a man named Amou, who also worked at the plantation. A hard worker, Amou was seen as a good potential husband. Aseu took the advice and married Amou. But life after their marriage was not easy and after the birth of their third child, a son, Amou changed. He became an alcoholic, violent and started beating Aseu. Then, after 10 years of marriage, Amou walked out on his family. Aseu was left with the enormous responsibility of raising her children alone. She managed to pick up some low paying work, but without enough money to rent a home, the family were forced to sleep in roadside huts and at the local bus station.

Then one day the neighbour of a school run by Chiang Rai’s Grace Burmese Church, alerted staff to Aseu’s desperate situation. The staff found Aseu, brought her to the school and started helping her by finding her a job and a safe place to live. The church offered to pay Aseu’s rent for three months, while she was able to earn 130 baht ($US4) a day working at a restaurant. Aseu’s eldest daughter, 7, was also granted a ‘white card’, enabling her to have residency in Thailand and to attend school. She is now enrolled in first grade at Sahasat School, a Christian school for tribal children in Chiang Rai.

Just when Aseu’s life appeared on the improve Amou tracked her down after two years of separation. Aseu was naturally frightened and feared for her family’s safety. She sought advice from the Grace Church pastor. The next day, Aseu’s daughter vanished from school. Aseu discovered Amou had abducted their daughter from school, promising to take her to buy a new school uniform. Two MMF staff, who have helped with the development of the Grace Church school, began the search for Aseu’s daughter. One staff member had spotted Amou earlier that day at an intersection in Chiang Rai. They returned to ask local shop-keepers if they’d seen him. He had told shop-keepers that if his ex-wife came looking for him to tell her he had gone to a town 40-kilometres from Chiang Rai. Staff travelled to the town to only to discover Amou had tricked them. The migrant assistance team returned to Chiang Rai, and used their Burmese community contacts to try and track down Amou and his daughter. After five-minutes someone called to say they had been spotted travelling on the highway on the southern side of the city. Staff drove to the scene and confronted Amou. They convinced him that the girl’s education was important and that it would be better for her to live with Aseu. He agreed, but a week later Amou returned to Aseu’s house. He asked to stay for two weeks while looking for work, but again got drunk and abusive and broke windows at the home. MMF staff again intervened telling him if he did not stop the violence or leave within two weeks they would call police.  Amou eventually left.
 
Aseu’s life still has many unknowns. Aseu and her youngest two children still have no official legal papers, depriving them of the opportunity to attend Thai school. These children attend the Burmese school six days a week, including Saturday’s while Aseu works. Aseu still has many fears but she knows she has been blessed by the love and compassion of the Grace church members and MMF’s migrant assistance staff.

Note:  The Mekong Minority Foundation and Grace Church of Chiang Rai are working together to improve the plight of Burmese migrants in Chiang Rai.

Article originally written by Alisa Coats.  Thanks to Dr. Scott Downman for assistance in editing. 

July 2009