- Title: THAILAND: PADAUNG REFUGEES FROM BURMA ATTRACT TOURISTS TO THAILAND
- Date: 6th April 1995
- Summary: MAE HONG SON, THAILAND (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV KAREN VILLAGE 0.11 2. SV WOMAN WITH BABY 0.16 3. CLOSE-UP OF RINGS ON NECK 0.23 4. SLV MEN AND WOMAN WITH TRINKETS 0.30 5. MCU GIRL WITH RINGS ON NECK 0.33 6. SLV WOMEN SPINNING 0.38 7. CLOSE-UP OF WOMAN SPINNING 0.40 8. CLOSE-UP OF WOMAN'S F
- Embargoed: 21st April 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MAE HONG SON, THAILAND
- City:
- Country: Thailand
- Reuters ID: LVA3UI4NIBBWFWVAVP823DR1NWRA
- Story Text: INTRO: A group of Burmese refugees in Thailand are tolerated because of the tourists they attract -- the distinctive long necked Padaung women wear a number of brass rings encircling their necks which are supposed to protect them from tigers.
----------------------------------------------------------------- Illegal Burmese immigration into northwestern Thailand is a long-standing problem for Thai authorities, but there is one group of refugees whose presence is tolerated and sometimes even welcomed.
These are the Padaung people, best known for the distinctive long necks of the women of the tribe. The women of this minority Karen group wear brass rings around the neck from childhood, and add to the number of rings as they grow older. This leads to their having unusually long necks, covered with shining brass rings at all times.
According to ancient folklore, the gods once got angry with the female sex and sent a tiger to bite women in the neck. The practice of wearing rings around the neck was begun to protect women from the tiger and has been followed ever since.
The dream of the Padaung women is to wear 32 rings around the neck, the maximum permitted.
For the Thai authorities, the Padaung women are a major tourist attraction. Visitors pay more than 10 U.S. dollars each to take their photographs. The colourful scarves worn by the Padaung women and dolls with rings around the neck are also sold in small shops in the villages of the area.
Many of the women in one village said they fled from Burma because authorities there had forced them to travel to Rangoon to be paraded as tourist attractions but for little reward.
One woman said she made three trips to Rangoon but was only given food and no money.
The Padaung women measure status by the number of rings worn around the neck -- and they need money to purchase them.
One woman said she paid 6,000 baht (240 dollars) for the 22 rings she wears, while another said her daughter's 18 rings had cost 4,000 baht (160 dollars).
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