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Like many Burmese lay people, most Burmese monks, who appreciated and enjoyed living in Thailand but could no longer bear the difficulties caused by the new restrictions, left the kingdom altogether for the West and neighboring countries. In Singapore, U Tilawka and other Buddhist monks can apply for permanent citizenship and are permitted to live in temples. Temple trustees also have the right to nominate abbots. Recently, U Zawana, a 35-year-old former abbot of Wat Pafang who enjoyed great respect among both Thai and Burmese, went back to Burma. During his stay in Lampang, U Zawana regularly returned to Mandalay for brief visits and, the monks at Wat Pafang expected he would do the same. But he never returned to Thailand and left the monkhood instead. Monks in Lampang said that he grew depressed, perhaps because of the new visa restrictions, but particularly due to the growing ego conflicts among Burmese monks in Thailand. Wat Pafang is currently without an abbot and Burmese laymen who regularly visit Lampang expressed concern and sorrow for the uncertain future of the two Burmese temples. One visitor to Lampang, U Nandathaya, says that unity among monks at Wat Pafang and Wat Tha Ma Oo is paramount in order to preserve the two temples, but that others could help as well. "We need assistance from [Burmese] embassy officials. No one is standing up for us." Burmese monks who have left Thailand for other countries believe that they were deliberately forced out of the country by the tightened visa regulations. They also feel that the ban on nominations for temple abbots by Burmese was designed to impel these foreign monks to return home. Rangoon’s inaction and lack of support on issues of temple maintenance and succession have stirred feelings of neglect among the monks. Other foreign monks who come to stay in Thai temples have an easier time than their Burmese counterparts. A Malaysian monk who is currently staying at Wat Sri Chum [see p 34] in Lampang said that he and his compatriots receive one-year visas for Thailand and have encountered few bureaucratic hassles. "The Burmese don’t have the proper papers—they are ‘Robin Hood’ monks," he said wryly. But both Burmese monks and laypersons have come to live in northern Thailand for years and fear for the future of the temples in Lampang if the remaining Burmese are sent home. Mae Mee, 83, whose grandfather constructed a temple in Lampang, recalls the days when Burmese and Thais coexisted peacefully. She also explains that many Thais also move to Burma because "they don’t need passports". Born in Thailand, Mae Mee speaks only a few words of Burmese but that has not compromised her affection for Burma. But while she speaks fondly of her visits to Rangoon—particularly Shwedagon Pagoda—she laments that the country has experienced few positive developments in her lifetime, especially in comparison to Thailand. Now, she worries for Burmese monks who have to renew their visas every month. During the conversation a Thai man in his 60s with a Burmese wife approached Mae Mee and ingratiated her by saying that Burmese temples should be maintained by "Myanmar monks". But secular political issues have not been wholly separated from religious practice, as both monks and laypersons experience political prejudices because of the government’s actions back home. Burmese temples in Lampang are foreign, and hence mysterious, to outsiders. Such misunderstandings can often lead to conflict, and in the case of Thai-Burmese relations, even the smallest row can sometimes spark a major conflagration between the two countries. It is unsurprising then that the Burmese embassy in Bangkok keeps records of the temples in Lampang. A confidential document from the embassy contains a report on Wat Kyaung Khan, built in Lampang in 1918 and built by U Ngwe Tin, the son of the architect of Wat Pafang, U Shwe Aut. The report states: "In 1986, at Way Kyaung Khan, local sangha (Buddhist council) asked Burmese monks who have no visa to stay in temples to leave. The temple was later occupied by Thais." The document continues, "In 1996, Thai officials said they found 39 illegal Burmese monks living in Lampang who were told to leave." The document also notes Tha Ma Oo Sayadaw’s (U Dhamananda) candor and his uneasiness with local Thai monks and clergy but adds that he receives many Thai local laypersons as guests who seek advice or wish to pay their respects. Centuries have passed since the earliest Burmese temples marked the landscape of northern Thailand, but lingering animosities remain. From the sacking of Lanna in the 16th century to the delicate bilateral relations today, historical and political baggage remains a heavy obstacle to forging a greater understanding among civilians from Thailand and Burma. Just as it is difficult to predict the future of bilateral relations between the two governments and the two countries’ people, the future of Wat Pafang and the other Burmese temples in Thailand remains uncertain. One can only hope the tranquil charm of Wat Pafang will not become a relic of the past.