Thai Burma Border Health Initiative

Thai Burma Border Health Initiative
514 E. Green St
Gallup, NM 87301 USA
contact@tbbhi.org

Learn More

Burma, also known as Myanmar, was one of the richest countries in SE Asia, but now is one of the poorest. Governed by a military junta that has jailed Aung San Suu Kyi, the democratically elected leader of the country, the country has one of the worst human rights records in the world. In 2000 the World Health Organization ranked the health situation in Burma next to worst in the world.

You can read more about Burma on the websites of the:

US Campaign for Burma

the NY Times; the Irrawaddy;

the Online Burma/Myanmar Library

Thailand is one of the richest countries in SE Asia, and is currently a democracy, although a military coup recently removed the previous democratic government headed by prime minister Thaksin. The King, who is now 81 years old, is universally loved and respected by the Thai people. There is great worry about the future of the country when he is no longer able to influence the course of events.

You can read more about Thailand on the websites of the:

Bangkok Post and the NY Times

The border between Thailand and Burma is a very distressed area. The Burmese army has fought with several ethnic minorities for decades, and continues to drive them from their homes to and over the Thai border. In the Mon area where TBBHI works, many Mon people are IDPs (internally displaced people). IDPs, because they are in their own country, have none of the rights that refugees have.

You an read more about the situation on the border on the websites of the:

Thai Burma Border Consortium;

the Human Rights Foundation of Monland;

and the medical section on the Online Burma/Myanmar Library

There are also several good books available about the situation on the border. These include:

The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U

Burmese Days: A Novel by George Orwell

Finding George Orwell in Burma by Emma Larkin

The Voice of Hope: Updated and Revised Edition by Aung San Suu Kyi and Alan Clements

Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's Prisoner of Conscience by Justin Wintle

War in the Blood: Sex, Politics and AIDS in Southeast Asia by Chris Beyrer

The Piano Tuner: A Novel by Daniel Mason