Democracy activists take the safe option

“It’s as if brains have been infected by malaria.” Kyaw Thura invoked a common Burmese expression to vent his frustration over the increasing numbers of dissident exiles who are turning their backs on comrades in the so-called “Liberated Area” and seeking new lives elsewhere.

Kyaw Thura has spent 17 years on the Thai-Burma border working for the downfall of the military regime in Rangoon and for the restoration of democracy in his home country.

Dissidents leaving for greener pastures

Sadly watching the departure of like-minded dissidents for new countries such as the United States, he feels increasingly isolated as his power base shrinks month by month.

The Thai-Burma border region, particularly the area around the Thai town of Mae Sot, has long been a hotbed of opposition to successive Rangoon regimes.