August 1, 2000
AP
News
HUAY PUU KAENG, Thailand - Some tourists see the charming
children with their necks rigidly encased in heavy brass coils and
say, "Poor, girls."
Their mothers view things differently: The coils are passports to
a better way of life and some profit for the Padaung tribe.
Once a tradition of this ethnic minority group from neighboring
Myanmar - no one knows why the custom developed - it's now money
that keeps the coils on the so-called "long-necked women."
More than a decade after fleeing their homeland, several hundred
Padaung live in settlements along northern Thailand's rugged border
with Myanmar. Denied the basic rights of Thai citizens and regarded
as illegal immigrants, they are nonetheless allowed to remain
because of their value to tourism.
They've become the unofficial symbols of Mae Hong Son Province,
attracting thousands of foreigners and Thais who come to gawk,
photograph and buy their souvenirs.
Encouraged by their mothers, many girls accept money from tourist
boat operators to become long-necked women. The companies pay 500 baht, about dlrs 13, a month to every girl who dons the coils, which
elongate the neck bthienraphap. "I do not see what the future holds for
them."
Their numbers at Huay Puu Kaeng have increased from a few dozen
to 107, with marriages occurring only within the group.
"The girls will end up doing what their mothers are doing to
survive," the teacher says.
