As he prepared for a new life in the United States, A Ngar Nyunt was a little disappointed to learn he would have to give up chewing betel nuts, a traditional habit in his native Myanmar. The teeth-staining nuts aren’t available in America one of the things the 38-year-old refugee learned in a course about his homeland-to-be. But A Ngar Nyunt said it was a small sacrifice for getting his wife and 8-year-old son out of the overcrowded camp where they have lived for years. The goldsmith is among 2,600 Myanmar refugees scheduled for resettlement under a U.N. program to alleviate the hardships of mostly ethnic minorities who fled persecution only to languish in fetid camps just over the Thailand border.

Before leaving, the new immigrants are required to spend months learning basic English and becoming acquainted with American culture. They are taught how to flush a modern toilet, how Americans greet each other and how to use a toothbrush. “I feel happy and content,” said A Ngar Nyunt before leaving the Tham Hin Refugee Camp for California on Tuesday. In California, he will receive temporary housing, a stipend, English classes and vocational training to help him adjust and find a new livelihood.

The U.S. plans to take thousands more from camps along the border, home to about 140,000 refugees who have fled Myanmar’s military dictatorship. In May, the State Department waived provisions of the Patriot Act to consider the asylum applications of 9,300 ethnic Karen, who had been barred from entering the U.S. because of their association with a rebel group trying to overthrow a government. More waivers may come in the future. “We welcome you with open arms,”

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey told dozens of refugees in a bamboo-made meeting hall during a visit to Tham Hin with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres. The UNHCR is working with other countries to accept others refugees, including Australia, Britain and Canada. “We encourage people to return to the country of origin when the conditions are there for them to return with safety and dignity,” Guterres told the refugees. That prospect seems distant in Myanmar, whose military has ruled since 1962 and often brutally represses ethnic minorities.

A Ngar Nyunt, an ethnic Mon, fled after troops attacked his village. Most of the refugees are Karen, one of many ethnic minority groups who live in remote areas and have a radically different culture and traditions from the Burman majority. The junta rulers launched one of their biggest offensives against the rebel Karen National Union this year a campaign refugees and aid groups say involves torture, killings, forced relocation, land mines and destruction of food supplies.

The ruling generals say they have a duty to prevent rebels from shattering Myanmar’s unity and deny violating the rights of ethnic minorities. Those who escape usually find themselves in camps like Tham Hin, about seven miles from the Thai-Myanmar border and about 140 miles west of Bangkok. Home to 9,500 refugees, the camp is so overcrowded that bamboo roofs almost overlap each other. Thai authorities prohibit refugees from leaving the camp without permission.

Refugees earn some income through farming, sewing, weaving and other trades, but rely mostly on food handouts. Lincoln Kya, an 86-year-old teacher, is among 1,000 refugees whose asylum applications have been suspended under U.S. anti-terrorism laws. But he says his involvement in the Karen insurgency was limited to six months of military training in 1974. The teacher fled to Thailand in 1997 after junta troops burned down his village. If the U.S. rejects his application, Lincoln Kya said he would consider going to Australia. All he knows is that remaining in Tham Hin is not an option.” I have been kept here like a prisoner,” he said.