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49-583: Huai Nam Dang National Park is direct east of Pai in Pai District of Mae Hong Son Province and about 50 kilometres (30 mi) north of Chiang Mai in the Mae Taeng and Wiang Haeng Districts of Chiang Mai Province. The park's area is 1,252 square kilometres (483 sq mi). The highest point is Doi Chang peak at 1,962 metres (6,437 ft), the height ranges from 400 metres (1,300 ft) to 1,962 metres (6,437 ft). The park's streams are

98-477: A battle that ended with the total destruction of the village. The entire village was burnt to the ground. All structures standing in Ban Vieng Nuea today are the result of the subsequent rebuilding efforts of the villagers. There was already a "road" (that took up to a week to traverse) leading from Chiang Mai to Pai in the late-19th century. This settlement was known as Ban Wiang Tai, and it developed into

147-407: A hippie destination, it is filled with hot springs. Known among backpackers for its relaxed atmosphere, the town is full of cheap guesthouses, souvenir shops, and restaurants. In the environs of the town are spas and elephant camps. Further outside of town, there are several waterfalls and a number of natural hot springs varying in temperature from 27 to 39 °C (81 to 102 °F). Some resorts tap

196-400: A huge mudslide and severe flooding in 2005, resulting in major structural damage to homes, resorts, storefronts, and bridges. The town had almost completely recovered by the time the 2006 high season began. Although it is a sleepy town in the mountains, Pai has over the past decade generated an unusual amount of controversy (even for Thailand) concerning the conduct of local police, as well as

245-605: A lack of rights and uncertainty in housing, a lack of rights in legal status, a lack of stability in life, and weaknesses in bureaucratic planning. It sought to provide a planning framework to address these issues. The Master Plan was not renewed after 2017; it was 'subsumed' into planning by the Office of the National Security Council and by the Ministry of Culture. In the 19th century, the tribes living in

294-599: A language in the Lolo/Yi branch of the Tibeto-Burman language group but have no traditional written language. Although many Akha, especially the younger people, profess Christianity , Akha Zang ('The Akha Way') still runs deep in their consciousness. The Akha are a shamanic group that share the ancient universal archetype that the Goddess spins a universe where nature is not distinguished from humankind. They embody

343-812: A malicious way by many...What the journalist cannot convey sometimes is his opinion of whether the witnesses are telling the truth or show immediately what links these witnesses have to the police....I am very concerned at several aspects of this case: "I have noticed another significant change over the last year, which is the reason for writing this letter. The method of law enforcement in this small town needs to be seriously examined....I accept that changes are necessary. I also agree that noise pollution should be carefully monitored and controlled, as should drug abuse and any other illegal acts or unpleasant kinds of behaviour, but we ought not to be scared to leave our homes or guesthouses!...One Saturday in particular remains in my memory, where several police officers decided to inspect

392-511: A new age of prosperity for Pai, others point to the loss of Pai's traditional customs and culture. In the tourist high season of November through March there are large numbers of tourists. Prior to 2006, foreign tourists predominated, but now Thai tourists are catching up in numbers, particularly after Pai was featured in two popular Thai-made romantic movies, The Letter: Jod Mai Rak ( Thai : จดหมายรัก , 2004) and Ruk Jung ( Thai : รักจัง , 2006). During high season, tourist numbers swell to

441-507: A party at a bar in town. I believe that they were looking for drugs. I along with many other tourists was especially shocked to see that one officer was carrying a machine gun...This kind of behaviour is likely to scare tourists and leave very negative impressions on them with regards to Pai town as a holiday destination...The police are also actively confiscating other vehicles, testing individuals at random for drugs and alcohol abuse, detaining owners of restaurants and bars for remaining open past

490-504: A police force is meant to do." Hill tribe (Thailand) Hill tribe ( Thai : ชาวดอย, ชาวเขา , pronounced [tɕʰāːw dɔ̄ːj, tɕʰāːw kʰǎw] ; Northern Thai : จาวดอย, คนดอย, pronounced [tɕāːw dɔ̄ːj, kʰōn dɔ̄ːj] ; 'mountain people/folk') is a term used in Thailand for all of the various ethnic groups who mostly inhabit the high mountainous northern and western regions of Thailand , including both sides of

539-476: A strong negative impact on the atmosphere here in Pai town. The previously friendly and welcoming town appears to have changed into a place where everyone is afraid to even walk down the street in case they are accused of doing something wrong. Should the police not be employed to protect civilians? Should they not be approachable in case I or someone else requires some help? They are certainly not even close to doing what

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588-566: A treaty to give all territory to the Chinese emperor, or continue to fight until the Chinese wiped out Iu Mien society utterly. King Pan and his government chose to give up all territories to China and signed the treaty "Passport to travel in the hill" or "Passport to cross the mountain". The document contained relevant information and had been written by the Chinese emperor in Chinese characters. "Iu Mien people have rights to maintain their identity, language, culture, and worship system and live on

637-607: Is a small town in northern Thailand 's Mae Hong Son Province , near the Myanmar border, about 146 km (91 mi) northwest of Chiang Mai on the northern route to Mae Hong Son . It lies on the Pai River . The town has thesaban tambon status and covers parts of the tambon Wiang Tai of Pai District . As of 2006, it had a population of 2,284. Pai is on Route 1095 , which connects Mae Hong Son with Chiang Mai . Pai Airport, which had been decommissioned for 20 years,

686-629: Is from October to February with max.temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) and min.temperature of 2 °C (36 °F). Summer is from March to April with max.temperature of 28 °C (82 °F) and min.temperature of 12 °C (54 °F). A survey of the Huai Nam Dang area was set up in December 1987. Later on 14 August 1995 Hui Nam Dang National Park, covers Chiang Dao, Mae Taeng and Mai Pai forests, with an area of 782,575 rai ~ 1,252 square kilometres (483 sq mi) has been declared

735-625: The Bangkok Post said that "Nearly a million hill peoples and forest dwellers are still treated as outsiders—criminals even, since most live in protected forests. Viewed as national security threats, hundreds of thousands of them are refused citizenship although many are natives to the land". The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security's 2015 Master Plan for the Development of Ethnic Groups in Thailand 2015-2017 listed 13 mountain peoples and recognized problems in five areas, namely

784-693: The Akha , Lahu , Karen , Hmong/Miao , Mien/Yao , Lisu , and Palaung , each having a distinct language and culture. The Akha are closely related to the Hani of China's Yunnan province. They are also known derogatorily in Thai as the Gaw or the E-gaw . The Akha are one of the dominant cultural influences in the area. There are two to three million Akha and Akha-Hani in total, 70,000 of whom live in Thailand. The Akha speak

833-598: The 1930s. Population estimates range from 7.5 million to 14 million people. The more conservative estimate would make their population equivalent to that of Switzerland. The approximately 320,000 Karen in Thailand comprise half of the country's total hill tribe population. While the Karen still practice slash-and-burn agriculture like other hill tribes, they differ in that they live in permanent villages at lower elevations and have been aggressive in developing environmentally-sustainable terraced rice fields. Those factors have allowed

882-436: The 81st national park. Doi Chang and Doi Kiew Lom mountains offer popular viewpoints of neighbouring mountains and a " sea of fog " effect on winter mornings. Park namesake waterfall, Huai Nam Dang, consists of four levels and is about 50 metres (160 ft) high and 40 metres (130 ft) wide. Mae Yen is another year-round waterfall. Park hot springs include Pong Dueat, consisting of three or four large pools, and Tha Pai in

931-956: The Hill Tribe Welfare Committee under the Ministry of the Interior ; nine ethnic groups ( Akha , Hmong , Htin , Iu-Mien , Karen , Khamu , Lahu , Lisu and Lua ) were officially recognized as Chao Khao or “Hill Tribes” at that time. By 2004, these groups and other ethnic minorities like Kachin , Dara’ang , Mlabri and Shan came to be called Klum chatiphan Chao khao or “Ethnic Hill tribes”. The hill dwelling peoples have traditionally been primarily subsistence farmers who use slash-and-burn agricultural techniques to farm their heavily forested communities. Popular perceptions that slash and burn practices are environmentally destructive, governmental concerns over borderland security, and population pressure has caused

980-467: The Iu Mien were decimated. King Pan lost countless soldiers and civilian casualties as well as territory to the Chinese emperor. The Chinese emperor captured most of the Iu Mien's territory. Iu Mien and King Pan were left unable to resist, which forced King Pan to negotiate with the Chinese emperor. The Chinese emperor gave two options to King Pan and Iu Mien people: Surrender to the Chinese emperor and sign

1029-536: The Lanna prince, along with a certain degree of cultural and social autonomy under the law and authority of the Lanna kingdom. Ban Wiang Nuea as a result became a village sharply divided into two parts by a wall into a "Shan" part and a "Lanna" part. In the second half of the 19th century, colonial powers France and England , who had already established their influence in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma, were viewing

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1078-496: The Pai District section of the park. The park is home to numerous forest types, such as evergreen, deciduous and dipterocarp forest. Evergreen forest include: Deciduous forest include: Dipterocarp forest include: Mammel sorts include: Reptile sorts include: Birds of which species of passerines include: Species of non-passerines include: Pai, Thailand Pai ( Thai : ปาย , Burmese : ပါယ်)

1127-465: The Thai government started developing the road leading from Chiang Mai via Pai to Mae Hong Son, known today as Route 1095, but didn't finish paving the route until the early- to mid-1990s. Pai's recent history is one of waves of migration: in addition to the waves of old Shan and Lanna immigrants, Karen immigrants arrived in the 18th century, Lisu and Lahu people from areas of southern China arrived in

1176-441: The agreed time, and generally making a lot of noise in a relatively quiet town that did not appear to have many problems beforehand....The increased police presence is clearly visible and does not, in my opinion, make Pai town look like a place one would like to visit. There is also a general feeling of unrest here and I feel that it is quite obvious to the tourist travelling through. The police are unapproachable and menacing. This has

1225-484: The area of modern-day Thailand with increasing interest. To consolidate Siam's influence and authority in the northern border region, the royal house encouraged Northern Thais from provinces like Payao, Lamphun, and Nan to migrate to those areas. The result again was conflict: the last fight between Lanna Thai and Shan in Ban Wiang Nuea took place in 1869, when Lanna soldiers finally defeated their Shan opponents in

1274-419: The area of today's northern Thailand, and a few of their descendants still live in villages only about 20 km away from Pai. The recorded history of the area starts about 800 years ago with the establishment of a settlement (today known as Ban Wiang Nuea) about 3 km north of modern-day Pai. Ban Wiang Nuea was founded in 1251 AD by Shan immigrants from the region of modern-day northern Myanmar . Due to

1323-407: The area's remoteness and seclusion, people in those times were mainly cut off from news of the outside world and therefore not much concerned with the politics of Lanna and the rest of Thailand . That changed drastically in the course of the 14th and 15th centuries, when the first settlers arrived from Chiang Mai . It was part of Lanna policy of the time to send citizens loyal to the Lanna throne to

1372-745: The border areas between northern Thailand, Laos and Burma , the Phi Pan Nam Range , the Thanon Range , the latter a southern prolongation of the Shan Hills , as well as the Tenasserim Hills in Western Thailand . These areas exhibit mountainous terrain which is in some areas covered by thick forests, while in others it has been heavily affected by deforestation . In 1959, the government of Thailand established

1421-522: The conduct of Thai drug enforcement police operating there. This is partially due to the proximity of Pai to drug routes from the Shan State in Burma . However, given the post-2000 rise in incidents involving foreign tourists, it is evident that other factors are also at work. Some examples of this clear long-term trend in Pai include: "While the facts presented were true, they have been wrongly taken in

1470-495: The course of road improvement projects by the Thai government. The Japanese attempt to develop a road connection between Chiang Mai to Pai and on to Mae Hong Son was abandoned in early 1944 when it became evident that the improvements could not be completed in time for the scheduled attack on Imphal. The uncompleted road did serve as an avenue of retreat for the Japanese after their disastrous defeat at Imphal and Kohima. In 1967,

1519-475: The early 20th century, Muslim families from Chiang Mai began arriving to establish trading businesses starting around 1950, a group of Kuomintang fleeing Mao Zedong established a community in Pai in the early 1960s, and, finally, a new wave of refugees from the Shan State of Burma arrived in the past few decades, fleeing the turmoil caused by the Burmese junta to work as laborers in Thailand. Pai suffered

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1568-469: The essence of its consciousness into a holistic continuum where there is no dichotomy between themselves and the natural world. The Akha Way, a prescribed lifestyle derived from religious chants, combines animism , ancestor worship , shamanism and a deep relationship with the land. The Akha Way emphasizes rituals in everyday life and stresses strong family ties and the hymn of creation; every Akha male can recount his genealogy back over fifty generations to

1617-512: The first Akha, Sm Mi O. The Yao are composed of several different groups and they speak different languages which are used to differentiate them. The Iu Mien make up 70% of the Yao population. The Yao were said to be the first civilization in China according to the chanting song story, Iu Mien Elders, a shaman's worship book written by Iu Mien elders in ancient Chinese characters. The Iu Mien nation

1666-421: The government to forcibly relocate many hill tribe peoples. Traditionally, hill tribes were a migratory people, leaving land as it became depleted of resources. Cultural and adventure travel tourism resulting in visiting the tribal villages is an increasing source of income for the hill tribes. The mountain peoples are severely disadvantaged by comparison with the dominant Thai ethnic group . A 2013 article in

1715-514: The hill side or in the mountain to cultivate land for farming and crops and raise their family. The Iu Mien would not be allowed to form their own government and have no rights to pursue their own nation. Iu Mien who possess this document have the legal right to cross all territories and borders to settle and to build their village in the hill/mountain to make a living by farming without hindrance by government. The governments of that country are responsible for their well-being and educating them to follow

1764-521: The hot springs and feed hot water into private bungalows and public pools. As Pai lies at the foot of the mountains, some tourists use it as a base for trekking and visiting hill tribes like Karen , Hmong , Lisu , and Lahu . Another notable attraction is the town's Wednesday Market which brings large crowds of local villagers and tribal people from all around the Pai Valley. Tourists are also attracted by Shandicun village (Chinese village) located in

1813-443: The household chores and children. Iu Mien's written language is similar to Chinese characters which is for religious and chant only songs. There was no written language for daily speaking. When their soil was exhausted, they moved to a new place in the tropical forest to start a new life and a new village all over again. Iu Mien people were scattered all over the mountains in China. The mountains where they lived became deserts because of

1862-488: The modern town we know as Pai. Many of the new immigrants chose to settle in the area along the connecting network of trails to Mae Hong Son. In 1943, the Japanese began several projects to create efficient troop and equipment transport routes between Thailand and Myanmar in support of their planned attacks on Imphal and Kohima . In addition to the well-known Death Railway through Kanchanaburi , one of these projects

1911-457: The most part, the Dai / Tai / Thai people occupied the more fertile intermontane basins and the valleys, while the less powerful groups lived in the poorer, higher elevations. This dichotomy was often also characterized by a master/ serf relationship . "Highland Thais" is a more recent term also used to designate groups living in the mountainous areas. The seven major hill tribes in Thailand are

1960-510: The mountain ranges were the largest non-Buddhist group in Thailand. Their mountain locations were then considered remote and difficult to access. In Thai official documents, the term hill tribe ( chao khao ) began to appear in the 1960s. This term highlights a "hill and valley" dichotomy that is based on ancient social relationships existing in most of northern and western Thailand, as well as in Sipsongpanna and Northern Vietnam . For

2009-528: The outposts of the empire, in order to consolidate and affirm Lanna's territorial authority. The result was a conflict that eventually led to a series of wars over territorial dominance in the Pai area. The Lanna troops finally defeated the Shan soldiers in 1481, forcing them to retire to Myanmar territory. The Shan families who had lived in the area for a long time, establishing households, farming their land and raising their families, were granted permission to stay by

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2058-529: The outskirts of the town. Recently Pai has appeared on the Thailand tourist map and has received major infrastructure upgrades including an airport with several daily flights, nine (9) 7-Elevens , several small- to medium-size luxury resorts, totaling more than 350 accommodation properties, several live music clubs, beer bars, and three sets of traffic lights. It has led to an influx of business investment and land speculation by both farang (Western Caucasians) and big city Thais. While some hail these changes as

2107-484: The point that Pai experiences traffic jams, as well as shortages of electricity, water, and petrol. Pai hosts music festivals as well as staging an international Enduro championship. Pai Canyon (Kong Lan) is nearby. Some of the top attractions in Pai include: The area of modern-day Pai has been inhabited for more than 5,000 years. About 2,000 years ago, the Lua (or Lawa ) Tribe was the dominant ethnic group over all of

2156-494: The rules of laws of the country that Iu Mien are living in." After the loss of their nation, the 12 existing clans of Iu Mien people had to separate into small villages due to the mountainous area and foot hill land. Each village consisted of 15 to 20 families. The majority of people in each village were related. In some cases, they kept their clan together. They practiced slash-and-burn agriculture. Hunting and fishing were their primary means of acquiring food. Iu Mien women minded

2205-560: The slash and burn farming. They sought new places in mountainous areas. They searched further south and eventually moved into Vietnam. The K’nyaw ( S'gaw Karen : ကညီ ), known to many as Karen and to others as Kariang or Yang, are one of the largest hill tribes in Southeast Asia . The total number of Karen people is unknown as they are spread throughout Burma, Laos, and Thailand, and no reliable census has been conducted in Burma since

2254-462: The source for rivers including the Pai and Taeng . The park is generally cool all year round, with average high temperature of 23 °C (73 °F) and average lowest temperature of 8 °C (46 °F). Rainy season is from May to September, average rainfall is 1,134 millimetres (44.6 in)/year with max.temperature of 24 °C (75 °F) and min.temperature of 10 °C (50 °F). Winter

2303-481: Was located in the southern part of China today known as Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan provinces and was ruled by the king of the Iu Mien people. The last Iu Mien king was King Pan, the namesake of the modern Iu Mien surnames: Phan, Saephanh, Saephan, Phanh, Pharn, Pan, Pham. King Pan and the Chinese emperor declared war against each other 800 years ago over disputed territory. The Iu Mien, led by King Pan, were fighting to protect their people and their territory. King Pan and

2352-492: Was paved and refurbished in 2005–2006, and on 1 February 2007, Siam General Aviation began daily passenger service to and from Chiang Mai International Airport which lasted until 2014. Later, until 2017, Kan Air operated the same route using a Cessna 208 . Both airlines went out of business. Pai was once a quiet market village inhabited by Shan people (ethnic Tai ) whose culture is influenced by Myanmar (formerly called Burma). Today, Pai primarily thrives on tourism. Mostly

2401-508: Was the improvement of the existing road from Chiang Mai to Pai and the patchwork of trails on to Mae Hong Son . The method of crossing the Pai River about 10 km south-east of the City of Pai is not, at present, verifiable. A bridge at that site was erected after the war and erroneously named the "World War II Memorial Bridge". It was apparently erected (and subsequently twice extended) in

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