Ranong, surrounded by lush jungle, adjacent to the Andaman Sea on Thailand’s west coast, is an intriguing place. A Thai border town, with Kawthaung in Myanmar a speedy half-hour boat ride away, it has one of the highest density of migrants in Thailand, with Burmese* numbering approximately equivalent to Thai. Living (or even simply visiting) here, … More Inequality: An Opportunity to Learn?
Aleisha Keating writes of the barriers to schooling and the value education gives in the lives of Myanmar migrants in Thailand. … More Education Makes Our Vision Clearer
Teaching Burmese migrants here in Thailand, I hear of their stories, their struggles and their aspirations: their predicament often dominates my thoughts. While working with a migrant population is a new experience for me, migration itself is woven into my heritage. Aotearoa/New Zealand, where I grew up, is a country founded on migration. My ancestors predominantly … More The Migrant’s Plight
“Stop where you are Under fading stars This is the world we’ve made There is no better place, it’s true Light a fire where you are” (“Stop Where You Are” by Corinne Bailey Rae (2016)) December 1st. The first day of the last month of the year. The beginning of advent. And World AIDS Day. … More Stop Where You Are
After almost three weeks here in Ranong, Thailand, I am almost at a loss about what to write about. So many new experiences and perspectives, faces and names, foods and words. Should I share some of my experiences in learning to live in a place whose cultural and political context contrasts other places I’ve lived? … More Initial Reflections: Life on the Thai-Myanmar Border
An Ethical Yarn 