Long Neck Hill-tribe - Mae Hong Sorn - Things To Do Reviews

The long-neck hill-tribe or the Padong are a sub-group of Karen (Bwe Group) living in Kayah state of eastern Burma on the Thailand border. They number less than 40, 000 people in total. The Karen group is still fighting for their independence in Burma. The Padong people (also known as the Giraffe women) are now thought to only number about 7000. Of these, about 300 have fled to Thailand and live along the Thai/Myanmar border in three villages in Mae Hong Sorn province. The Padong calls themselves “Lae Kur” or “Kayan”. They have their own language which is belong to the Kenmic group in the Tibeto-Burman language family. The Padong group is the smallest among the Karen tribes in Thailand. They escaped from the Kaya State in Burma to Thailand in the mid to late 1900’s and are actually refugees of a political turmoil. In Thailand, only a few families of Padong have settled temporarily as refugees in Muang District of Mae Hong Son Province. Moreover, the Padong face many of the hardships which other hill bribe peoples face in Thailand, and they are not recognized as Thai citizens.