Myanmar’s Shan State: a complex tragedy  by Richard Humphries
THAI-MYANMAR BORDER — Mae Sai is the end of the road in northern
Thailand. This is not to suggest that the lackluster town is
undeveloped: It does a roaring trade in gemstones (both real and
fake), tourist trinkets, snacks and all kinds of contraband.
It’s literal. The main street, Pahonyotin, runs north until it
reaches the Sai River. Across that waterway, which forms part of
the border between Thailand and Myanmar’s Shan State, is a
“Friendship” bridge leading to the Myanmar town of Tachilek.
Not everyone in the area has used the bridge to cross the
border. Some 300,000 Shans have found other ways to cross into
Thailand — and have never gone back. While some were seeking
better economic opportunities, many were fleeing any number of
human-rights abuses in their homeland, as well as the fighting
that has become endemic there.  “In Thailand, we Shans are like
a can of worms,” said one undocumented woman. “Open the can and
we can spread everywhere