Yoga is a method by which to obtain control of one’s latent powers. It is definitely not a religion, as some people think. Hatha yoga implies that yoga may be practiced by both women (Ha in Sanskrit means the female principle) and men (Tha in Sanskrit means the male principle) with the object of achieving complete control of the body. Hatha yoga is the most widespread of all existing streams of yoga. One feature of (Hatha) yoga is the practice of ‘asanas’ (postures). Many of these asanas were named for animals like: the lion, the fish, the peacock, the turtle and many more. You can imagine how weird and complex some of these asanas were to position one in. However, yoga teaches that it is essential to never overdo and never to strain. Yoga also teaches that through meditation, an important aspect of yoga, the individual learns to be truly and fully conscious of himself (true self-mastery can be obtained by meditation). Also, a lot of emphasis is put on breathing as it is a sure way to calm the nerves and this in turn reduces tensions and improves concentration. I started with ten lessons. One in the morning from 8:00 until 10:30 hours and one in the afternoon from 17:00 until 19:30 hours. A typical yoga lesson started with about 40 minutes of meditation, followed by 1,5 hours of practicing asanas and ending with 20 to 30 minutes of meditation. Our teacher Marcel, a German national with 20 years of yoga experience who is living in Thailand with his family for the last 17 years, proved to be an excellent trainer. He was very relaxed and taught with enthusiasm. We practiced yoga in an open wooden pavilion in the back of his wonderful garden. The number of participants differed per session. Sometimes we were with three people other times with six. But always there was a friendly and open atmosphere. After each session I felt great and relaxed. But the many asanas were also physically tiring. After each morning session I biked back to my guesthouse took a shower and ate lunch at my favorite Thai vegetarian restaurant, Mungsavirat Kangreunjam (across the street of the central prison). There I ate the most delicious dishes, freshly made every morning and presented in big pots and pans from which I could select. I never paid more than 20 Baht (about 0.50 US$). After lunch I read, slept or ran errands and recharged for the afternoon yoga session. The part in that session which I liked the most was the approximately 30 minutes of meditation at the end. It usually just started to get dark during this part of the yoga class and the combination of inner peace and the sounds of gecko’s, frogs, crickets (and huge vicious mosquito’s) from the garden made it a very special happening. Normally I would end the day with a light meal and reading. Another great thing about Chiang Mai was the existence of a small privately owned milk factory. There I was able to buy nice cheese (cheddar, mozzarella and French cheese) as well as fresh butter milk (karnemelk in Dutch), something I dreamt of during the last eight months. After the first week of yoga I decided to take another eight lessons, just to improve my skills and simply because I enjoyed it so much. For those who are interested in taking Hatha yoga classes in Chiang Mai, please contact Marcel Kraushaar at (053) 271 555. One session cost 300 Baht but if you sign up for ten it will cost you 250 Baht per lesson.

On the 28th of May I left Chiang Mai for Mae Sot, about six hours south by bus. Especially the last part of this trip was beautiful. We passed beautiful mountains, which were covered by thick forests. We also crossed two national parks: Taksin Maharat and Lan Sang National Park. I chose Mae Sot as my next destination because I planned to do some volunteer work with Burmese refugees. Mae Sot is a small town at the border with Myanmar (Burma) just across the Moei River. The area around Mae Sot is well known for a couple of Burmese refugee camps. These camps, which exist for more than ten years, provide a save heaven for many Burmese and Karen refugees (Karen people are from Karen State, one of the big provinces in Myanmar alongside the border with Thailand. However, as proud as they are they don’t consider themselves Burmese). The Karen National Union (KNU), is one of the organizations (which used to be a well organized army and successful in fighting the government, however, lately they had to face some defeats) which didn’t sign a peace treaty with the military government (SPSC). They, and some other groups (like the KSO) keep fighting in the jungles of Karen State for a free Karen state (they would like to be part of Myanmar, but only with a democratic chosen government, like the one which was elected in 1990. Then the ‘National League for Democracy’ (NLD won with a majority of votes. However, many Karen had and still have to flee because of the continuous war.

Note: On 18 September 1988 the military government established the SLORC, which stands for State Law and Order Restoration Council. One of the things they did was changing names of cities, rivers etc. They were also the ones who changed the official name ‘Burma’ to Myanmar. However, this is probably the most harmless thing they did, mostly they occupy themselves by arresting political opponents, detaining/torturing them and therefore cause a lot of fear among the people of Burma. Later SLORC was renamed SPSC, which stands for State Peace and Development Council.

After the 8-8-88 uprising (which was the biggest national protest against the military government on August 8th 1988) many Burmese and Karen fled the country, most ending up in the Thai border areas. Mae Sot itself is full of ‘illegal’ Burmese and Karen who fled their country but didn’t want to be ‘locked up’ in one of the refugee camps. However, since more than a decade, many of these ‘illegal’ migrants became part of the local economy. Most have low-paid jobs on farms or work in small factories. All do work most Thais wouldn’t like to do. But, they are ‘illegal’ which means that they risk being arrested and send back to Myanmar. However, Thailand, like most other Asian countries, has a lot of corrupt officials. Daily many Burmese cross the border ‘officially’ and pay the Thai border officials (as well as the Burmese immigration officials) 30 Baht (less than one 1US$) to enter the country. But to keep getting a steady flow of unreported income, the local police arrest a lot of Burmese by raiding houses, hospitals and randomly arresting people in the street. When caught, most Burmese will end-up in one of the two detention centers in Mae Sot (which are awful overcrowded places where some people even were tortured) waiting for their deportation or they can pay 300 Baht (about 8US$) or whatever they have in their pockets to re-buy their freedom. This all creates an environment where people, who left their country because of war and a military dictatorship, constantly live in fear and have no place to go. Sure, the refugees could go to one of the camps, but life is not very pleasant there either. However, these refugees are ‘protected’, provided with medical care by one of the many NGOs like MSF (‘medics without borders’) and are safe from corrupt officials.

I came in touch with a group of ten Burmese students. Most of them between 20 and 28 years old During the early 90s the Burmese military government closed all universities (as they played an important role in organizing activities against the military dictatorship, like the national 8-8-88 uprising which was initiated by students). Most of these students came in touch with are active in the ABFSU (All Burma Federation of Student Union) which the SPSC declared an illegal organization and now operates underground. I was asked to organize English conversation lessons. Some of these students were able to travel ‘freely’ back and forth between Burma and Thailand (paying bribes of course) and used Mae Sot as a place to meet and planned contra governmental activities. Others were not able to return to Burma as the SPSC would arrest them based on their past ‘illegal’ activities. It was sad to see that so many young Burmese are not able to attend an university and spent most of their time in Burmese tea shops or are running from the Thai police.

Via the owner of one of the local restaurants (River Restaurant, which has good food and the people who run it are ver friendly and helpful) I came in touch with the Mae Tao Clinic, better known as Dr. Cynthia’s Clinic. Cynthia Maung, a Karen, fled to the border in 1988 after the military regime took over. In 1989 she established the Mae Tao Clinic, just 4-km east of the Thai-Burmese border. The clinic is nothing more than a dozen cheaply constructed buildings on a small patch of land. Initially the clinic provided medical care for Burmese students who fled the 1988 uprising. Since then the clinic has expanded to meet the needs of an increasing number of Burmese and Karen displaced people in refugee camps, illegal migrant workers, as well as an increasing number of people crossing along the Thai-Burmese border. The clinic is politically neutral and is supported by funding from international organizations and private donators. The clinic runs inpatient (IPR, were all malaria patients were treated) and outpatient (OPR) services, child health care programs, maternal health care, family planning, laboratory services (predominantly checking blood for malaria parasites), an eye clinic and a trauma clinic. The clinic also has a pharmacy and of course the clinic has a typical Burmese teashop. On Wednesday and Saturday they also perform dental procedures. On Saturday morning they vaccinate newborn and children and on Friday people can come in to see the optician. The clinic also provides a training program in primary health car. Dr. Cynthia’s medical team consists of two doctors and 70 health care workers (junior and senior), all volunteers who receive only the basic necessities such as food and shelter for their work. Most of the staff are Karen or Burmese refugees from Burma and ‘illegal’. Most don’t dare to leave the compound of the clinic (approximately 150 by 90 meters), some haven’t been ‘outside’ the clinic area for more than two years, afraid of being arrested by the Thai police. Daily between 100 and 200 patients visit the clinic. Every night the clinic provides accommodation for about 80 to 150 inpatients who stay at the compound for several days to several weeks. Sometimes it is so full that two people share one wooden bed and that even the space under the bed is occupied. In June 1999, the team won the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. Together with the staff, the clinic also hosts foreign doctors and medical students interested in studying medicine in developing countries.

On my first visit to the clinic I met Elisabeth, a Dutch nurse who worked at the Mao Tao clinic as a long term volunteer. She kindly showed me around and gave me an inside of the day-to-day activities and ‘challenges’ of the clinic. During my stay I met several other foreigners who worked at the clinic: Sallie (USA), Julia (Canada), Oahn (Australia), Hannah and Helen (UK) and Josef (Austria). All were short-term volunteers, some with a medical background. Unfortunately the clinic wasn’t that organized that there was a structure designed to give volunteers well-described tasks. I soon became the add-on to the medical team of the Trauma unit (ran by about 15 men and woman), one of the most interesting units. I decided to spend my mornings and early afternoons at the clinic, leaving time in the afternoons for the students. My ‘tasks’ involved entertaining patients (and their many relatives), decorating, providing assistance to the medics involving all kinds of non-medical activities and leading English conversation classes. I was very impressed by what the different medics were able to do. Knowing that many had just basic (10 month) training and most learned from on the job experience. In the Mae Tao clinic the six most treated diseases were (in order of importance):

1. Malaria

2. Severe mal nutrition (among adults and children);

3. Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI);

4. Abscesses;

5. Diarrhea and

6. Skin infections.

In sometimes very difficult circumstances the medics have to perform difficult procedures. Also the fact that many are under constant stress and are ‘confined’ to the clinic compound make their position not very pleasant (fatigue is not uncommon). But they do their work with dedication, as their main objective is to help their people. Very complex cases were sent to a Thai hospital here in Mae Sot, as they had better facilities than the Mae Tao clinic. Unfortunately this involved risks for the patient as the Thai police easily could arrest them. It was sad to notice that in the last few weeks patients came in. Not because they weren’t there but because many were afraid to come to the clinic as the Thai police arrested many people lately. It is not uncommon that the police enter the compound or simply waits outside the clinic to capture those who are leaving. I was very frustrated by that especially after people told me that most could buy their way out. Knowing that Burmese have hardly any money (some couldn’t even pay for the trip to the clinic), it made me sad to know that the Thai took advantage of the situation. This also meant that many, who needed medical attention, stayed in the jungle or their houses in Mae Sot which could mean death (especially when the patient suffers from malaria or severe diarrhea).

For me it was a great learning experience. I saw the most diverse illnesses and witnessed small operations. But most important was the realization that we in the West have such a good life, compared with those people here. The fact that we are free to go anywhere we want, say whatever we please and to have easy access to excellent medical care is something we easily forget. Here on the border with Burma this is not the fact, even in a ‘free’ and ‘democratic’ country like Thailand. Fortunately the clinic received international and local recognition. However, this doesn’t mean that the future of the clinic is all that bright. Theoretically the local and national government could close the clinic any moment, something which would be disastrous for the many Burmese and Karen who need medical care.

With one of the senior medics I made several trips to Sa-O, a village south of Mae Sot (about 50 minutes by motor bike). He made it his cause to, besides working at the Mae Tao clinic, to provide medical care and education for Burmese migrant workers and their children in that area. Most of these ‘illegal’ Burmese, who work on Thai farms, are not able to come to Mae Sot because of the chance of being arrested. Unfortunately he has to this in secret and therefore has to face a lot of difficulties. It is amazing how much time and energy he puts in all these activities (without proper funding) and the risk of being arrested. Fortunately these people, even Thai, who appreciate his work and support him.

On the 11th of June, day 252 of my trip, my 30-day visa for Thailand expired, so I had to make a border crossing (and return) to get another 30 days. Fortunately Mae Sot is a border place where that can be done very easily. Before lunch I biked to the border. There I parked my bike next to the motor bikes of the immigration police and got my Thai exit stamp. I walked over the bridge to Myawadi, the Burmese border town (in Karen State) on the other side of the Moei River. The bridge, since its completion in 1997, has been closed several times due to conflicts between the Thai and the Burmese governments in a dispute over the reclamation of the riverbanks. From this bridge I had a nice view of the area and watched Burmese illegally cross the river on inner tubes without any trouble from the Thai (border) police. On the Burmese side a ‘welcome committee’ of Burmese military and border officials waited me. Here I had to fill in several forms and pay the ridiculous amount of US$10 (which I reluctantly paid as it supports a military junta that most likely buys bullets from it to kill their own people). Officially foreigners were only allowed to stay in Myawadi for one day. However, you have to deposit your passport and a military intelligence person will follow you all the time to make sure you don’t do anything ‘illegally’, talking to Burmese can be such an act. When it became clear that I also was ‘luckily’ to get a personal escort, I decided to return to Thailand immediately, something the Burmese wants you to do anyway (they just open their border to cash the US$10). I cannot recall a shorter stay to any country I have been to in the past. While walking back I thought about my fantastic month-long trip to Burma in March (see journal 9). However, my experience with the Burmese people in Mae Sot gave another dimension to that experience. It actually strengthened my sympathy and admiration for the people of Myanmar.

Besides the many sad things I saw in Mae Sot, I also had a lot of fun. It was great to pass time with the Burmese students and medics from the Mae Tao clinic (and their patients) and organize little ‘outings’ for them. With the other foreigners I had pleasant gatherings in the restaurants, the Mae Sot night market and in a little, Thai privately owned, cinema where they had a nice selection of modern western movies. Overall, I had a very good time in Mae Sot during which I saw a lot, learned a lot and realized what a good life we have in the western world. For sure it was again an experience not to forget and I hope to stay involved with the Burmese cause; "a free Myanmar".