Located 7km east of Burma, Mae Sot is a lively border town with a diverse population making it a fascinating place to live and learn about a variety of issues related to Burma. Of the 120,000 people living in Mae Sot, it’s estimated that between 60-70% of the population is Burmese. Due to its location on the border, the town is home to a significant number of Burmese civil society organizations including everything from large umbrella groups to specific ethnic minority organizations.
A Thai town quite unlike any other, on the streets you’ll find Burmese women with powdered faces cycling down peaceful side lanes, Thai and Burmese Muslims mingling around the town mosque, people hard-bargaining with teak and gem traders from India, China, and Burma and a foreign crowd made up of mostly teachers and NGO workers. Many Burmese come to Mae Sot for work as economic migrants, while several refugee camps exist a half-day’s drive both north and south of town, housing thousands of people who have fled political oppression in Burma or direct attacks by the Burmese military on their villages.
There is a bustling day and night market in the centre of town with plenty of great, cheap eats and a handful of local night spots. Most people coming here travel easily around town by bicycle, although motorbikes are also available for rent. Lying just east of Karen State in Burma, Mae Sot is located in Thailand’s Tak Province (about two-thirds of the way up from Bangkok to Chiang Mai). It is a great place to get an understanding of the Burma movement as a whole.