Posted on Mon, Feb. 25, 2008

This is the story of Zember, also known as Mu Lo. She is a young woman who lives outside a Thailand refugee camp, a place like a human zoo. Zember, one of those on display, is protesting for her freedom.

I’m linked to Zember, 22, through our mutual friendship with an importer who grew up in Johnson County. He sent me an essay Zember wrote about her life. She gives a descriptive narrative for her plight:

My world is very small here as we are not allowed to go anywhere. People from all over the world come to see us and I want to see their countries too.

Likely, you have seen photos of Zember’s people. They are often referred to as the “long-neck women.” Civil war refugees from Burma, they wear brass rings coiled about their neck, slowly pushing their rib cage downward so that their necks appear abnormally elongated. Zember, 22, used to wear such rings.

I took my rings off. I love my culture, but it is our tradition which has made me a prisoner. First I took off the heavy shoulder rings, then a few weeks later I made my neck rings shorter, then took them all off my neck and my leg rings which hurt my legs a lot….

But now the people in my village and the Thai people stare at me and gossip about me because I took the rings off. They say I am not beautiful anymore and I am no use….

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees recently got involved in the struggle of Zember and others in her village. They have refugee status, but the Thai government will not let them leave. Zember has become a bit of a celebrity after being interviewed by a BBC reporter.

The story chronicled the village’s no-man’s land existence. Thailand’s government says the people are not refugees because they live outside the camp. But it was the Thai government that put them into the separate village.

Zember and the other women basically performed for tourists. Foreigners can rent all-terrain vehicles to tool around the camp and watch the long-neck women stand outside their huts, weaving scarves or selling postcards of their photos. Other popular postcards show the long-neck women bathing seductively in steams.

John Henson, the Johnson County-bred importer of foreign handicrafts, stumbled upon them looking for new markets. Henson and I have been friends for 20 years. I always called him “Guatemala John” because that is where most of his goods originated. But in recent years, his wanderlust has strayed to Asia. He met, became fascinated by, then concerned about, the plight of Zember’s people, the Kayan.

I greatly respect how he wants to help them, but only in ways they wish to be helped. He rightly despises ugly foreigner intervention. Henson has begun importing some Kayan wares, such as scarves and carvings into the U.S., then donating the profits back to the village.

He is also working on education programs; helping more learn to read and write in English — a valuable skill for relocation.

Saturday, a trunk showing, including Kayan items, will take place at Blue Heron Design, 11 SE 3rd St, Lee’s Summit. Proceeds from the Kayan items will be returned to their village, along with 20 percent of other sales.

The women of the village can only run stalls for tourists and weave scarves to sell. The men can do some carpentry for our community, but they are not allowed to work. My father collects empty beer cans and sells them to get money. The men feel shame because they have to live off the money the women earn, so many of them get drunk on rice wine because they have nothing to do. Farming is not possible as we have no land, but our culture is farming….

Zember wants to go to New Zealand, where some other Kayan have settled.

The reason I want to go to New Zealand is because I hear that the women there are very free; they can do any job. I want the chance to learn more and change my life. I already speak English so I think it would be easy for me to study in New Zealand.

Zember’s story is a good one for U.S. audiences, a reminder to check ourselves as we travel, often forced to view others from a fishbowl perspective. So often, Westerners seem to earn their halos from other people’s pain. As if the poor must remain poor for our cultural and tourism benefits.

I cannot live here anymore. Most of all I want to be free.

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To reach Mary Sanchez call 816-234-4752 or send e-mail to msanchez@kcstar.com.