Kla
Life of a Shan Immigrant in Thailand Article and photographs by Peter Hemenway
There is a large community of people in Chiang Mai, Thailand that refer to themselves as Tai Yi. Many of the these people have migrated from the Shan State in Northern Myanmar to Thailand in search of work.
Kla is originally from a Shan farming village. He started working in the rice field at 12 years old and began learning about Budhism at the same time but his teachings were limited due to the fact that his family had not enough money, hence he had to work. He attended and completed a three year program training from The International School of Morality, a Western School that happened to be offering education in Shan State.
When he was 15, Myanmar soldiers came to his village and forced many people to join the military. A soldier had tried to get Kla to join but he refused. His family ( he is one of 6 surviving siblings) then moved to the city to avoid the soldiers that were forcing themselves upon the village people.
There was little work in the city though his father was able to get work as a contractor in the agriculture sector, employing farmers.
Later when he was 17, the army came to the city and were murdering hundreds of people. At this time he had to find a job and help his family. He worked in the rice fields for employment.
The army never left the city but fortunately the killing stoped.
Kla then came to Thailand when he was 21. His intention was to make money in order to financially assist his family.
He first worked as a mechanic for two years at a construction site in Bangkok. He had taken some photos of these times as well as the life he had in the rice fields when he was younger and what life was like.
Below is a photograph he had during his employment in construction:
After the construction job he took a job in a bread factory job for one year. His intention was still to get money before returning to see his mother and younger sister in Myanmar and help them financially.
One day he was going to see a brother that lived in Bangkok but police stopped him. He was arrested as an illegal migrant and also the police stole his ATM card as well as his Myanmar Identification papers.
Kla could not pay the 5,000 Thai bt bail as he only had 3,000 bt and when he contacted his brother for help his brother because of lack of being also unregistered worker was unable to help. The situation of course was distressing for Klas parents and other members of the family in Myanmar when they got the news that Kla had been arrested.
He was sent to prison for 2 months in Bangkok then after being released the police sent him to the Myanmar border town Mai Sot ( Kla refused to talk to me about his experience in prison).
He worked to survive in Mai Sot finding a low wage job delivering food to customers at a restaurant for the 100 bt per day (USD. $3)
He had some friends from Myanmar that he had grown up with and also had attended the same program in Buddhism and morality at the same time Kla was attending. They were living in Chiang Mai so he went there to look for work.
He lived in Chiang Mai for 7 month, and it was in Chiang Mai that I first met Kla. He was having difficulty finding work at the time.
A friend of Kla that was living in Chiang Mai
After living in Chiang Mai he returned to Bangkok as the employment situation did not work out for him during his 7 months in Chiang Mai.
He picked up a job at a gas station and then at a candy store for 5 months. He then returned by bus to Tachliek, a border town in Myanmar where he then returned to his family’s village. He was able to find work seasonal farm work and then once again returned to Bangkok to find work, which happened to be with a car wash company.
He returned to Tachliek in Myanmar which is a border crossing town into Thailand to work in sales.
Kla and his roommates are showing me their room they rent. It is in the back of this room which serves as an entrance to the small room with a mattress.
The room and mattress that he share with his two roommates in Tachliek
He later returned to Bangkok as he heard of another job there. The work is grinding automobile parts and has been at that job for over a year. He makes the equivalent of just over a US dollar per hour.
Shop for grinding auto parts
Workers live at the area they work at
Kla has spent a total of 7 years in Thailand and his primary reason for being here has been always to help his family in Myanmar.
He wishes to return to his village in Myanmar and help his mother as well as complete a house for himself. He needs $5000. After helping his mother and completing his house he would then work as a farmer for a living.