This morning we visited the Mae Sot office of the International Organization for Migration. We received an introduction to IOM's work which includes: cultural orientation, health screening, and travel arrangements for refugees bound for resettlement in a third country. IOM tries to prepare refugees for the realities of life in a new country and culture, while also acting as their travel agent to insure that they are booked on a flight that will carry them to their new home.
After visiting IOM we drove the short distance across town to the Moewi River which is the border between Burma and Thailand at Mae Sot. There one can see the "Friendship Bridge" that links the two countries. One can also see the entrepreneur who, for a baht or two, ferries people across the river in the shadow of the military police of both nations.
After our pilrimage to the Moewi River, we boarded our vans to begin the seven hour trip back to Bangkok. We are currently spending the night at the Christian Guest House. In the morning we will visit the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, an NGO that provides food and building supplies to the nine refugee camps along the border. We will also visit the Overseas Processing Entity for Southeast Asia, the International Rescue Committee. IRC processes refugee applications for the U.S. State Department.
Late tomorrow morning we had back to Bangkok's international airport to fly to Yangon, Burma (Myanmar). Please pray that our flight will arrive safely and that we will encounter no difficulties as we enter the country. As there is very limited internet access in Burma and what there is heavily monitored and restricted by the government, I anticipate not attempting to post any messages to this blog until I return Bangkok on February 24.
