YimSiam Posted September 12, 2007 Report Share Posted September 12, 2007 Mae Sot in the NGO junket capital of Asia. Depends what you mean by junket - yes, it's a place where a lot of NGOs send people for workshops, fam visits, etc, but it's really not much when it comes to folks making pointless trips to enjoy the perks or cash that other spots offer. There aren't really any VIPs there anymore (Pado Man Shar? Dr. Cynthia? The ABSDF? Zzzzz....) compared to, say, Dharamsala India where you can meet the Dalai Lama and get a picture with the monk for the office wall back home... The cash in Mae Sot is minimal - what is the Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rate for Mae Sot, compared to say Kathmandu, which is a much, much more desirable and popular junket spot these days, maybe the top position (election advisors, not to mention the ultimate vague and ineffectual industry: transitional justice)? Compare the scene at the Bai Fern on a weekend evening with that at Kathmandu's Summit Hotel, or the Foreign Correspondents' Clubs throughout southeast asia... Not much glory to the usual Mae Sot trip, either - MS doesn't compare to the exoticism of Pyongyang or the machismo of going to Banda Aceh - or even Ulan Baator. And there are only a very small handful of actual fulltime fully-paid jobs for foreigners, unlike Phnom Penh, where it seems anyone can be the country representative for some small outfit or other, complete with staff, office, and requisite blue-plated white 4x4... Those who are attracted to Mae Sot are those with a need to be the saviour -- either as missionaries bringing the word of God to the Karen on both sides of the border, or as supposed mercenaries, Rambo journalists, etc. It's not really that attractive to the mainstream NGO/INGO/IO crowd, and doesn't approach the level of wasted money/corruption you'll find in any of the other big spots. Or so I've heard. YimSiam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted September 13, 2007 Report Share Posted September 13, 2007 I have probably been to the Mae Tao Clinic 20 times over the last 3 years. Every time I am there there's at least on group being given the tour of the facilities. I remember asking one of the senior staff once what percentage of those who visit return with support in one form or another. About 5% she said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidel Posted September 14, 2007 Report Share Posted September 14, 2007 I'm detecting a tone of derision from you guys towards people in the aid-worker community, and while I agree that there are many useless, sponger bastards working in the field, I'd ask you not to tar everyone with the same brush. My friend who was working out of Mae Sot, and actually entering Burma illegally, is an experienced field worker with a masters degree in public health. She was working with Burmese medical volunteers on preventative health care for IDPs. In this case the minimal amount of cash she would have been able to give them would not have matched the benefit gained from her knowledge and guidance in the area in which she specialized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted September 14, 2007 Report Share Posted September 14, 2007 Fidel you are right that there are some good people up there doing some very special work. I definately don't tar everyone with the same brush. Unfortunately it seems that the Burmese are the ones who do most of the hard work for the love of their people, nothing else. Free Burma Rangers are a courageous group who I admire immensely. If you ever see someone wearing the green t-shirt with the white cross I'm told they are amongst the bravest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidel Posted September 14, 2007 Report Share Posted September 14, 2007 You're right Bust. These guys are unbelievable. Of course, I agree that the best people to deal with a situation are those closest to it. The organization I work for aims to employ only nationals of the country in question, where possible. Where I work there are only 2 international staff out of a team of 100 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YimSiam Posted September 14, 2007 Report Share Posted September 14, 2007 The driver and the woman who brings the tea? Or maybe not... For various reasons, I'd be the last to say that all humanitarian or development aid workers are corrupt, ill-guided or ineffectual, but it's always worth looking closely and deciding how the mission fits with your vision of a perfect world - for example, if we consider the Free Burma Rangers (who are undoubtedly balls-out brave, I don't question that for a minute, and who are contributing to a people I respect and admire greatly) we might look at them as a small band of committed people who provide crucial medical care to people in extreme need, at great personal risk... ...or, we might wonder whether a group reportedly founded and led by a white American ex-GI that chooses to prioritise Bibles, hymnals and toys among the limited goods they can carry into Karen state (and that seems to try to veil it's semi if not overtly religious activities in its own statements and on its website) has priorities you share? Praise the lord, and pass the ammunition! YimSiam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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