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  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugee children play a Burmese version of "jacks" with rocks in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants033.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugee children play a Burmese version of "jacks" with rocks in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants032.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugee children play a Burmese version of "jacks" with rocks in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants031.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees walk past Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants035.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees on a footpath in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants024.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees walk past Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants034.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:     A girl carries her laundry home in Mae La Refugee Camp.  Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants022.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Overview of Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants037.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Overview of Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants036.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese boy in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants030.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese boy in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants029.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese boy in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants028.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Overview of Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants026.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Overview of Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants025.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:     Burmese women walk home in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants023.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese children play home made drums in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants021.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese children play home made drums in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants020.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  A family's clothes hang in a window in their home in the Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants019.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Children run up a hill lined with homes in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants018.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Children run up a hill lined with homes in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants017.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: Children run up a hill lined with homes in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants016.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:     A man sits at the top of a hill in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants015.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:     Woman walk on a road in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants014.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:     Woman walk on a road in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants013.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese Muslim woman shops at a snack stand in Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants010.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:  Overview of Mae La Refugee Camp. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants027.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese refugee in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walks to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation018.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese refugee in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walks to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation041.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese refugee in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walks past a vegetable vendor in the camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation027.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese refugee in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walks to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation017.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:     A Burmese boy shops for snacks in a small snack stand in Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants009.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: The owner of a snack stand makes betel nut leaves for customers. Burmese chew betel, which has a slightly stimulative effect. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants011.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND:      Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants008.jpg
  • 22 MAY 2013 - MAELA REFUGEE CAMP, TAK, THAILAND: The owner of a snack stand makes betel nut leaves for customers. Burmese chew betel, which has a slightly stimulative effect. Mae La (Maela) is the largest refugee camp for Burmese in Thailand. Over 90% are ethnic Karen. It was established in 1984 in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province in the Dawna Range area and currently houses 40,000 refugees. The Thai government has indicated that it would like to close the camp and repatriate the refugees to Myanmar as soon as the political situation in Myanmar is stable enough.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMigrants012.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MYAWADDY, KAYIN STATE, MYANMAR:  A family of Burmese refugees repatriated to Myanmar from Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Thailand walks into their new housing in a displaced persons facility for returning refugees in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation067.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MYAWADDY, KAYIN STATE, MYANMAR:  A family of Burmese refugees repatriated to Myanmar from Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Thailand walks into their new housing in a displaced persons facility for returning refugees in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation066.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MYAWADDY, KAYIN STATE, MYANMAR: A family of Burmese refugees repatriated to Myanmar from Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Thailand look at their new housing in a displaced persons facility for returning refugees in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation065.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees staying at Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp watch other Burmese refugees leave the camp when those leaving were repatriated. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation035.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees staying at Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp watch other Burmese refugees leave the camp when those leaving were repatriated. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation028.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MYAWADDY, KAYIN STATE, MYANMAR:  A family of Burmese refugees repatriated to Myanmar from Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Thailand walks into their new housing in a displaced persons facility for returning refugees in Myawaddy, Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation068.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees staying at Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp watch other Burmese refugees leave the camp when those leaving were repatriated. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation033.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Buses of Burmese refugees leave the the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp on their way to the Thai / Myanmar border in Mae Sot during their repatriation. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation050.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Fish mongers sell fresh fish to Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation042.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation038.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation037.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation030.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees on a bus in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait to leave the camp and be repatriated to Burma. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation023.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walk to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation019.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp finish their paperwork before being repatriated to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation013.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walk to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation010.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation004.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: MOHAMMAD RAFIQ, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar rides his motorcycle home after a day of picking up empty plastic bottles on the side of Malaysian highways. He said he makes about 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit a month (about $270 US). He came to Malaysia as refugee, this menial work is the only work he can find. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia073.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: A Rohingya refugee who works as a street cleaner in a middle class neighborhood in Kulai, Malaysia. He said he is paid about 40 Malaysian Ringgit per day (roughly $11 US) to cut the grass in public spaces and keep sewer lines open. He came to Malaysia as refugee, this menial work is the only work he can find. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia071.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: A Rohingya refugee who works as a street cleaner in a middle class neighborhood in Kulai, Malaysia. He said he is paid about 40 Malaysian Ringgit per day (roughly $11 US) to cut the grass in public spaces and keep sewer lines open. He came to Malaysia as refugee, this menial work is the only work he can find. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia070.jpg
  • 02 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA:  A Rohingya refugee family from Sittwe, Myanmar, in their home in Kulai, Malaysia. None of them has official UNHCR refugee status, they face daily harassment from Malaysian police. They pay about 400 Malaysian Ringgit (about $110 US) a month rent for their home, which has numerous holes in the roof and exterior walls and floods in the rainy season. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia061.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: Government officials from Myanmar greet Burmese refugees being repatriated to Myanmar from the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Thailand. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation061.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Buses of Burmese refugees leave the the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp on their way to the Thai / Myanmar border in Mae Sot during their repatriation. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation051.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp get on their bus to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation047.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: An IOM (International Organization for Migration) official helps Burmese refugees with last minute paperwork before they leave the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation040.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation029.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Fish mongers sell fresh fish to Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation025.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees on a bus in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait to leave the camp and be repatriated to Burma. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation024.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees on a bus in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait to leave the camp and be repatriated to Burma. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation022.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  An IOM (International Organization for Migration) official helps Burmese refugees with last minute paperwork on their bus before they leave the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation021.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees on a bus in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait to leave the camp and be repatriated to Burma. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation020.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation016.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp finish their paperwork before being repatriated to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation012.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation011.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walk to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation009.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp walk to waiting buses before their repatriation Wednesday. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation008.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A family of Burmese refugees in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation003.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Officials in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp get buses ready to take Burmese refugees back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation002.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Officials in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp get buses ready to take Burmese refugees back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation001.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: MOHAMMAD RAFIQ, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar rides his motorcycle home after a day of picking up empty plastic bottles on the side of Malaysian highways. He said he makes about 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit a month (about $270 US). He came to Malaysia as refugee, this menial work is the only work he can find. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia074.jpg
  • 03 JUNE 2015 - KULAI, JOHORE, MALAYSIA: MOHAMMAD RAFIQ, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar rides his motorcycle home after a day of picking up empty plastic bottles on the side of Malaysian highways. He said he makes about 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit a month (about $270 US). He came to Malaysia as refugee, this menial work is the only work he can find. The UN says the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in western Myanmar, are the most persecuted ethnic minority in the world. The government of Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has refused to grant them citizenship. Most of the Rohingya in Myanmar have been confined to Internal Displaced Persons camp in Rakhine state, bordering Bangladesh. Thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar and settled in Malaysia. Most fled on small fishing trawlers. There are about 1,500 Rohingya in the town of Kulai, in the Malaysian state of Johore. Only about 500 of them have been granted official refugee status by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The rest live under the radar, relying on gifts from their community and taking menial jobs to make ends meet. They face harassment from Malaysian police who, the Rohingya say, extort bribes from them.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    RohingyaRefugeesKulaiMalaysia072.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: A Thai defense volunteer helps a Burmese woman in a wheelchair to the border in Mae Sot for her repatriation from the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation059.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  Thai defense volunteers help Burmese children off the bus that brought them to the border in Mae Sot for their repatriation from the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation055.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  Thai defense volunteers help Burmese children off the bus that brought them to the border in Mae Sot for their repatriation from the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation054.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A woman being repatriated from the the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp looks out the window of her bus before it leaves the camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation048.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A man staying in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp (left) says goodbye to a friend being repatriated back to Myanmar from the camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation046.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  The main road into the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation044.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  The main road into the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation043.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A woman staying in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp (left) says goodbye to a friend being repatriated back to Myanmar from the camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation039.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese man leaving the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp loads his personal belongings onto a bus before his repatriation. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation036.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A Thai defense volunteer helps a disabled Burmese refugee woman get to a truck that will take her back to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation034.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese child in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation032.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese child in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp waits to be repatriated to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation031.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese man and his son in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait to be repatriated to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation014.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese children living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait to be repatriated to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation007.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: A Thai defense volunteer helps a Burmese woman in a wheelchair to the border in Mae Sot for her repatriation from the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation060.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  An IOM (International Organization for Migration) official helps Burmese children off the bus that brought them to the border in Mae Sot for their repatriation from the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation056.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese man waves as he leaves the the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp during his repatriation. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation052.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese men leaving the the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp wait for their bus to leave the camp during their repatriation to Myanmar. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation049.jpg
  • 26 OCTOBER 2016 - NUPO TEMPORARY SHELTER, MAE CHAN, TAK, THAILAND:  Burmese Buddhist monks in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp. Sixtyfive Burmese refugees living in the Nupo Temporary Shelter refugee camp in Tak Province of Thailand were voluntarily repatriated to Myanmar. About 11,000 people live in the camp. The repatriation was the first large scale repatriation of Myanmar refugees living in Thailand. Government officials on both sides of the Thai / Myanmar border said the repatriation was made possible by recent democratic reforms in Myanmar. There are approximately 150,000 Burmese refugees living in camps along the Thai / Myanmar border. The Thai government has expressed interest several times in the last two years in starting the process of repatriating the refugees.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugeeRepatriation026.jpg
  • 18 FEBRUARY 2008 -- BONG TI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: A Christian Karen woman reads her bible while her grandson stands next to her in a refugee village near the Bamboo School in Bong Ti, Thailand, about 40 miles from the provincial capital of Kanchanaburi. Sixty three children, most members of the Karen hilltribe, a persecuted ethnic minority in Burma, live at the school under the care of Catherine Riley-Bryan, whom the locals call MomoCat (Momo is the Karen hilltribe word for mother). She provides housing, food and medical care for the kids and helps them get enrolled in nearby Thai public schools. Her compound is about a half mile from the Thai-Burma border. She also helps nearby Karen refugee villages by digging water wells for them and providing medical care. Thai authorities have allowed the refugees to set up the village very close to the border but the villagers are not allowed to own land in Thailand and they can't legally leave the area to get jobs in Thailand.   Photo by Jack Kurtz
    ThaiBurmaBorderBaanUnrak015.jpg
  • 18 FEBRUARY 2008 -- BONG TI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: A Karen woman and her grandson in a refugee village near the Bamboo School in Bong Ti, Thailand, about 40 miles from the provincial capital of Kanchanaburi. Sixty three children, most members of the Karen hilltribe, a persecuted ethnic minority in Burma, live at the school under the care of Catherine Riley-Bryan, whom the locals call MomoCat (Momo is the Karen hilltribe word for mother). She provides housing, food and medical care for the kids and helps them get enrolled in nearby Thai public schools. Her compound is about a half mile from the Thai-Burma border. She also helps nearby Karen refugee villages by digging water wells for them and providing medical care. Thai authorities have allowed the refugees to set up the village very close to the border but the villagers are not allowed to own land in Thailand and they can't legally leave the area to get jobs in Thailand.   Photo by Jack Kurtz
    ThaiBurmaBorderBaanUnrak013.jpg
  • 18 FEBRUARY 2008 -- BONG TI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: BILAY, a Burmese refugee in Thailand, walks through a village of Burmese refugees near the Thai-Burma border in Bong Ti, Thailand, about 40 miles from the provincial capital of Kanchanaburi. Sixty three children, most members of the Karen hilltribe, a persecuted ethnic minority in Burma, live at the school under the care of Catherine Riley-Bryan, whom the locals call MomoCat (Momo is the Karen hilltribe word for mother). She provides housing, food and medical care for the kids and helps them get enrolled in nearby Thai public schools. Her compound is about a half mile from the Thai-Burma border. She also helps nearby Karen refugee villages by digging water wells for them and providing medical care. Bilay, who survived polio as a child, said he was forced to do slave labor for the Burmese army before he escaped to Thailand.  Photo by Jack Kurtz
    ThaiBurmaBorderBaanUnrak008.jpg
  • 19 FEBRUARY 2008 -- SANGKLABURI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Burmese refugee children study Thai in a first grade class at Baan Unrak School. Classes at the school are taught in Thai, but many of the refugee children don't speak Thai so they have to take remedial classes. Baan Unrak children’s home and school, established in 1991 in Sangklaburi, Thailand, gives destitute children and mothers a home and career training for a better future. Baan Unrak, the “Home of Joy,” provides basic needs to well over 100 children, and  abandoned mothers. The home is funded by donations and the proceeds from the weaving and sewing shops at the home. The home is a few kilometers from the Burmese border. All of the women and children at the home are refugees from political violence and extreme poverty in Burma, most are Karen hill tribe people, the others are Mon hill tribe people. The home was started in 1991 when Didi Devamala went to Sangklaburi to start an agricultural project. An abandoned wife asked Devmala to help her take care of her child. Devmala took the child in and soon other Burmese women approached her looking for help.    Photo by Jack Kurtz
    ThaiBurmaBorderBaanUnrak041.jpg
  • 19 FEBRUARY 2008 -- SANGKLABURI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Burmese refugee children study Thai in a first grade class at Baan Unrak School. Classes at the school are taught in Thai, but many of the refugee children don't speak Thai so they have to take remedial classes. Baan Unrak children’s home and school, established in 1991 in Sangklaburi, Thailand, gives destitute children and mothers a home and career training for a better future. Baan Unrak, the “Home of Joy,” provides basic needs to well over 100 children, and  abandoned mothers. The home is funded by donations and the proceeds from the weaving and sewing shops at the home. The home is a few kilometers from the Burmese border. All of the women and children at the home are refugees from political violence and extreme poverty in Burma, most are Karen hill tribe people, the others are Mon hill tribe people. The home was started in 1991 when Didi Devamala went to Sangklaburi to start an agricultural project. An abandoned wife asked Devmala to help her take care of her child. Devmala took the child in and soon other Burmese women approached her looking for help.    Photo by Jack Kurtz
    ThaiBurmaBorderBaanUnrak039.jpg
  • 19 FEBRUARY 2008 -- SANGKLABURI, KANCHANABURI, THAILAND: Burmese refugee children study Thai in a first grade class at Baan Unrak School. Classes at the school are taught in Thai, but many of the refugee children don't speak Thai so they have to take remedial classes. Baan Unrak children’s home and school, established in 1991 in Sangklaburi, Thailand, gives destitute children and mothers a home and career training for a better future. Baan Unrak, the “Home of Joy,” provides basic needs to well over 100 children, and  abandoned mothers. The home is funded by donations and the proceeds from the weaving and sewing shops at the home. The home is a few kilometers from the Burmese border. All of the women and children at the home are refugees from political violence and extreme poverty in Burma, most are Karen hill tribe people, the others are Mon hill tribe people. The home was started in 1991 when Didi Devamala went to Sangklaburi to start an agricultural project. An abandoned wife asked Devmala to help her take care of her child. Devmala took the child in and soon other Burmese women approached her looking for help.    Photo by Jack Kurtz
    ThaiBurmaBorderBaanUnrak038.jpg
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Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

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