ERIKA LAU

THE KAYAN LAHWI

The Kayan Lahwi of the Kayan minority are a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group, originally from the Kayah State in eastern Myanmar. Due to ethnic and political tensions in Myanmar in the late 1980’s, many of the Kayans fled persecution to seek safety and refugee status in north west Thailand. Decades later, many still live with uncertain legal status, which limits their access to education, formal employment, healthcare, and freedom of movement. Currently, there are around 1,000 or so Kayan refugees living in several de facto refugee camps.