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Long-neck Karen wait for visitors at Sattahip, Chon Buri. Moved from Mae Tang, Chiang Mai, they have become a new attraction here for residents who do not need to travel as far as the Burmese border to see them. Living in a new village, open for three wee
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Tribe treads new path
Daily Xpress
Published on May 19, 2008
Amid a chorus of claims of 'human zoos', long-neck Karen have moved to a tourist attraction in coastal Chon Buri
Leaving their homes far behind, long-neck and long-ear Karen are the latest tourist attractions in the coastal province of Chon Buri. This has happened amid loud complaints from the international community that these hilltribe people have been coerced by money-men into "human zoos". "Our family gets Bt3,000 a month for just staying here," says a 50-year-old woman with big holes in her ears. To her, wages are the big attraction in coming to Sattahip in Chon Buri. Otherwise, she prefers the cooler weather in Chiang Mai. "It's so hot here," she says. She and her two daughters are among 13 Karen families who have travelled from the North to live in a new settlement. Located adjacent to a vineyard and near a famous Chon Buri temple, their new village welcomes tourists who pay entrance fees. The fee is Bt25 per local and Bt250 for a foreigner. "We can earn extra money by selling our handmade souvenirs to tourists," a long-ear woman says. Majang - who has many metal hoops around her neck - says the Karen people moved to this settlement only a few weeks ago. "But you know, I already miss home," she says.
'They can travel freely' Despite criticism from human-rights activists and international bodies such as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sattahip district chief Narong Thirachantarangkoon defends the Karen settlement. They all have highland identification cards and are allowed to travel freely throughout the country, he says. "This is not human trafficking. The Karen people voluntarily come here. They also get better pay. The wages are higher here than in Chiang Mai," he says. Narong denies the settlement is a human zoo. "I don't think so because the Karen are willingly living here. This is better than staying in their home region and starving."
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