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Mural of the Myanmar-Thailand Region at the 'Help Without Frontiers Thailand Foundation' in Mae Sot. Photo taken by Michaela Pelican, December 2023. Click to see whole image

 

Blog: Learning from Neglected Conflicts: Impressions from the Thai-Myanmar Border

 

Project Meeting at Chulalongkorn University. Photo taken by Chatkaew Kruidang

In December 2023, members of the CIF International Research Cluster on “Conflict-Induced Displacement” convened in Thailand to join the International Migrants Day Conference at Chulalongkorn University and go on a field visit to the city of Mae Sot, Tak province.

This experience brought together a diverse group of junior and senior researchers who contribute to various sub-projects within the cluster. Our objective was not only to gain insights into the complexities of conflict-induced displacement in the Thai-Myanmar border region, but also to bridge the perspectives from the two distinct conflict zones in Cameroon and Myanmar studied by the project.

 

Mae Sot, located in the west of Thailand at the border to Karen state in Myanmar, is the research site of two of the cluster’s subprojects and a place of great relevance for migration processes in the region. Since the 2021 military coup, violence escalated in Myanmar, triggered a humanitarian crisis, and caused significant displacement both internally and across the border.

To navigate through the multifaceted aspects of this context, we visited key locations in Mae Sot and engaged in dialogue with different local actors, including NGOs and community initiatives. The following blog entries will give an insight into some of the impressions that the cluster members gained from this trip. This will lay the foundation for future research and collaboration that bring together learnings from neglected conflicts in distinct locations.

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Panel on “Neglected Conflicts and Displacement” at the International Migrants Day Conference, Chulalongkorn University. Photo: Madita Teusen
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The research team at Curve 33. Photo: by our patient driver
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The borderland in December 2023 Photo: Su Myat Thwe
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Simon presenting his research results to his research team and local community members Photo: Madita Teusen
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Seeing the fence at the Thai Myanmar border Photo: Su Myat Thwe

 

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Visiting a Burmese temple in Mae Sot Photo: Raweeporn ‘Lily’ Dokmai