• 
• 

Published on January 17, 2008

Karen hilltribe farmer Piboon Waynuan has travelled 80 kilometres on winding mountain roads from her remote mountain home in Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai just to attend a concert.

"I'm here to see Chi Suwichan and I'm so excited," says the 28-year-old. "His songs portray the life of Karen people and they are very meaningful."

Chi, also a Karen, sang "Delicious", a song about forest and water resources preservation which was part of the movie, "My Son Has HIV/Aids", a story about a young hilltribe man whose irresponsible sexual behaviour gets him infected with HIV.

Piboon and a group of 40 Karen made the excursion in pickups, and although it rained all the way from her village to Chiang Mai University's auditorium, where the concert was being held, the weather on the journey did not dampen her enthusiasm.

"It's exceptionally rare to have the concert for hilltribe people and I wish there were more."

The International Pop Concert by Mekong Tribe Musicians brought together more than 20 singers and musicians from seven hilltribes and attracted a crowd of more than 5,000 spectators. It highlighted issues the highlanders face, such as HIV/Aids, trafficking, drug abuse and statelessness and was delivered in their mother tongues - Karen, Hmong, Mien, Akha, Lisu, Tai Yai and Lahu.

"Many hilltribe people don't have an education and their Thai language skills are not good," says Jintana Ratanawichaikul, an Akha radio announcer at Radio Thailand Chiang Mai.

"So receiving information in their ethnic languages is very necessary to help them get the messages."

Lofin Sailee, a Mien musician, wrote "Return Home Young Lady", a song about a young hilltribe woman who deserts her mountain home to find work in the town, but ends up working in a brothel.

"Does she know her family is waiting for her to return? They don't care about the small cash she makes from selling her body. Please return since it's so lonely without your shadow," goes the song.

Sae Vavee Juepor, an Akha musician, sang about hilltribe culture preservation in his song "Don't Forget Your Own Culture". He wrote it from his own experience of some Akha who refuse to speak in their mother tongue.

"Some hilltribe people are approached to become a police secret agent to buy drugs and to lead police to the drug dealers," Laomon Longai, a Tai Yai singer, said of his song "Don't Sell Drugs". "But in the end they are arrested at the scene as a drug buyer. And worse, they don't have ID cards and have no one to go to for help."

And in "Citizenship", Lisu singer Yuseuk Laoyipa draws attention to what is a frustrating issue for many hilltribe people - getting birth registration in Thailand.

"Life in the city is full of confusion and immorality. Lisu communities based up on the hills are far away from the city's lights. Our community lives peacefully with birds singing, water flowing, and the cool wind. But the hilltribe people don't have birth registration and it leads to lack of political rights.

"Our rights are easily infringed upon. Hilltribe people are pulled into terrible situations due to lack of information, like being exploited by employers, or being deceived to work in a brothel.

"Please help us attain citizenship just like the others.''

Research by the Unesco reveals that a lack of citizenship is the single greatest risk factor facing hilltribe females in Thailand, which usually resulting in human trafficking or other exploitation.

Without legal status, hilltribe people are considered illegal aliens and subject to arrest, deportation and extortion. They cannot travel outside their home districts and provinces, which limits their job opportunities. Without citizenship, they don't get an official certificate after finishing school, and that lessens their chances for higher education and employment.

"The young hilltribe people hear stories that paint lives in the lowland city as heaven, but too many times it turns out be the opposite. When they come to the city and there's no job, no income, no food, no house to call home, and no one to trust or rely upon. They may be easily lured to not so pleasurable ways to earn their living, namely prostitution and drugs," says Weerawan Wongsa, a Karen radio announcer at Radio Thailand Chiang Mai.

A 2007 survey by Unesco and the Bureau of Social Development reveals that 54 per cent of highlanders in 191 villages in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son lacked birth certificates and 37 per cent have not yet received Thai citizenship. The survey was conducted with 63,724 hilltribe people to determine the relationship between legal status and access to social services.

"Hilltribe people are often looked down upon," says Patchara Mayeu, an Akha maid who was a dancer at the concert. "We don't speak clear Thai. We don't have a chance to attend classes and neither do our parents. But it's because we don't get equal opportunities."

Despite the stated policy of the Thai Ministry of Education that all children - regardless of legal status - are entitled to a primary education, highland children are often excluded.

The Unesco survey revealed that without citizenship, highland children were 57 per cent less likely to enter lower primary school. Of those that do enter school, they are 50 per cent less likely to move on to upper primary school.

The four-hour concert was broadcast live by Radio Thailand Chiang Mai, which transmits across Thailand, southern China, Laos, Vietnam, Burma and regions of India and also on Thailand's Channel 11 television station.

This second international concert by Mekong Hilltribe Musicians against HIV/Aids, Trafficking, Drug Use and Statelessness was jointly held by Unesco and Radio Thailand Chiang Mai. The first concert, also organised by Unesco, was held four years ago, attracting some 4,000 people.

Rojana Manowalailao

The Nation