Chagga and his neighbors have not had easy lives. I met him in Thailand, but they aren’t Thai. They’re part of an ethnic group called the Lahu and they originally lived in Myanmar.
They faced a lot of persecution, though. When he was younger they had to escape the Burmese military, which is how he wound up in Thailand. Things got better but they were still tough.
As noncitizens they couldn’t own land. And local governments and industries often tried to have them kicked out of the forest that they lived in and relied on for survival.
Being trained in forest management didn’t just support their livelihood, it also helped them make a case to stay.
When I met Chagga, he was with his grandson. I asked him if he thought the boy would have a better life than he did. Kind of an obvious question but he replied.
When I was his age, we had to put down our animals because their sounds would give our location away to the soldiers.
Of course he is going to have a better life.
He Escaped War