Separated from Burma by a few kilometers of dusty highway and the so-called “Friendship Bridge, like many towns on the Thai Burma border, Mae Sot is a sanctuary for many Burmese refugees in their flight from the political and social upheaval and persecution back home in Burma. It has also become a centre for exiled political activists in their continual fight against the brutal military regime that has forced them to flee.

It is the place where all political prisoners fleeing Burma make their way towards, slipping across the border unofficially, hoping to start their lives once more. The first port of call for many is to the many exiled organisations based in the town such as the AAPP or to their colleagues who have recently escaped, but life in Mae Sot is not safe as not only do the Thai authorities not recognize political prisoners as refugees, but also there is the constant threat of being kidnapped or attacked by Burmese military intelligence and being returned to Burma will mean a return to its notorious prisons.

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