The Padaung, or “long neck,” women in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province have long been a steady tourism draw, but a deal brokered with Burma’s State Peace and Development Council, the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front and the Karuna Foundation in Burma could see the Padaung relocated to Burma’s Karenni State as early as next year, according to a KNPLF official.

“We [have] already prepared for them in two places near the Maw Chi mine area [southeast Karenni State],” said Htoo Kyaw, the vice-chairperson of the KNPLF, which split from the Karenni National Progressive Party in 1978 and signed a ceasefire agreement with the SPDC in June 1994.

“We want our ancient tradition back,” added Htoo Kyaw. “I don’t want our people to be treated as lower class citizens in another country.”

According to Htoo Kyaw, all the expenditures for the Padaung resettlement-include living expenses, housing, salaries, sanitation and other miscellaneous expenses will be covered by the SPDC, KNPLF and Karuna Foundation.

“We will take full responsibility for them [Padaung] to be safe and happy,” said Htoo Kyaw.

The Padaung are expected to travel by truck from Mae Hong Son through Mae Sot to a resettlement area across the Burma border.

One motivation for the relocation plan is clearly commercial. “We can invite foreigners to visit the resettlement areas,” said Htoo Kyaw, adding that the Padaung would be better cared for than they were in Thailand.

Local authorities in Mae Hong Son have kept tight control over the Padaung community, who live in three camps that have earned the nickname “human zoos.”

The Padaung migrated to northern Thailand more than 10 years ago because of poor agricultural prospects at home and increasing aggression-including forced labor-by Burmese junta soldiers.

“They [Padaung] will have more freedom in Burma, and they will get twice the monthly income than when they were in Thailand,” said Htoo Kyaw, adding that Thailand severely restricted the movements of Padaung outside their camps because they had no legal status as immigrants.

The Padaung women in Thailand earn about 1,500 baht (US $38) every month, from tourists who pay 250 baht (US $6.25) to enter their villages. They also earn smaller sums from selling traditional clothing, jewelry and handcrafted goods.

Young female Padaung-a sub-tribe of Burma’s ethnic Karenni people-begin wearing the traditional neck rings at the age of five or six. As they grow older, more rings are added. Adult women often wear as many as 23 rings.

Padaung villagers in Thailand have been a boon for tourism over the years, but often to their own disadvantage. In 1998 Thai police raided a Padaung village in Chiang Mai Province and charged the businessmen who ran the tourist attraction with holding the villagers against their will.

Some 300 women and girls live in the three villages to be resettled next year. Other populations of Padaung women live in the Union of Hill Tribe Villages in Chiang Rai Province.