Mae Sot, Thailand // Cutting down trees for timber deep in the jungles of Myanmar can be a dangerous place to make a living. Not only do workers need to watch for falling trees, but also landmines in the area.
Athey, a 38-year-old ethnic Karen, was one of dozens of men working in the dense bush to support his family when he stepped on one of the mines that blew off his left leg.
"I walked into the forest to cut trees for a new monastery," Athey said. "The monks hired me to get wood. They said they would pay me 200 kyat [Dh110] per day.
"I am very poor. I don't have any chance to make a living there."
After the blast he found himself torn and bleeding, riding in a car bound for Dr Cynthia Maung's Mae Tao Clinic, two hours away in Mae Sot, Thailand. He could not afford to pay for a trip to a Myanmar hospital and, as an ethnic Karen - a group that has been targeted by the country's military junta in a long-running conflict - he feared persecution in the state hospital.
Although the clinic itself could not perform the surgery he needed, they paid for his treatment at a hospital across town and now, two weeks after his accident, Karen craftsmen at the Mae Tao Clinic are fitting Athey with a prosthetic limb.
Dr Maung, also a Karen, is well-known among the ethnic group in the border region. Her clinic pays for schools in Karen worker communities and boarding houses for orphaned children, and the clinic staff visit villages throughout the region.
Each year the clinic trains hundreds of medical staff as medics, specialised technicians capable of returning to their villages and saving lives by treating the most common illnesses. The clinic employs hundreds of Karen who might otherwise be out of work.
The clinic, which treats between 200 and 400 patients a day, is open to anyone, though almost half the patients are from Myanmar.
Dr Maung opened the clinic in 1989 as a single building on the outskirts of Mae Sot, almost within sight of the Myanmar border. She fled her country in 1988 after the notorious 8888 uprising, a national civilian protest demanding democracy that left thousands dead. Although she left her country, she vowed to continue to help her people through her clinic.
Her work has won her international praise. Over the past decade Dr Maung has won half a dozen international awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award, considered Asia's Nobel Prize, and she was listed in 2003 as one of Time magazine's Asian Heroes. Even so, the doctor can usually be found working at the clinic.
Except this week.
This week Dr Maung is dealing with another emergency. It is donor conference week and the clinic is strapped for cash.
"We can say that for the clinic we need to increase funding by 10 to 20 per cent every year because caseloads increase and the number of staff we need to train increases," she said.
As the situation in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, worsens across the border, trauma cases have become more frequent.
"For us, the situation inside Burma is getting worse and worse," Dr Maung said. "The poverty and the human rights abuses are all getting worse, so people are coming to Thailand, but Thailand doesn't provide enough job opportunities or social services to immigrants."
She estimates about 250,000 Karen live in Mae Sot and most are illegal, which means they cannot get affordable health care in Thailand.
Without her clinic, few of her patients would have any other access to medicine.
"If you budget for 80 malaria cases but 100 cases come, what will you say?" she said. "Will you say, 'no, we won't treat them?' "
She receives annual support from the US and Canadian governments as well as a few other large donors, but a lot of her funding is piecemeal.
She said about 40 per cent of the clinic's funding is assured. "Sometimes we have to wait until September before we know how much we'll receive."
She said her clinic and all its subsidiary activities can operate on about 80 million bhat (Dh8.5m) a year, but Dr Maung said she was hoping to increase her budget to rehabilitate some of the ageing facilities and to help more patients with the cost of surgery and referral.
The rising price of food has also added to the clinic's costs. A food shortage in Asia drove up the price of rice and the clinic, which feeds more than 5,000 people a day, had a chunk of its budget disappear within weeks.
"Since the food prices have increased it's become a big challenge this year," she said.
Yet she is hopeful. In its first decade the clinic has become a focal point for a community and Dr Maung is determined to keep her clinic going.
"This clinic has become a community network for strengthening the co-ordination within the Karen community," she said.
"We also train people to work and go back into their own communities. We provide assistance to the needy people but it's also an opportunity for people to learn medicine and skills to help their communities."
jwright@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jesse%20V%20Johnson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Rooker%2C%20Bruce%20Willis%2C%20John%20Malkovich%2C%20Olga%20Kurylenko%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
LEADERBOARD
%3Cp%3E-19%20T%20Fleetwood%20(Eng)%3B%20-18%20R%20McIlroy%20(NI)%2C%20T%20Lawrence%20(SA)%3B%20-16%20J%20Smith%3B%20-15%20F%20Molinari%20(Ita)%3B%20-14%20Z%20Lombard%20(SA)%2C%20S%20Crocker%20(US)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESelected%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E-11%20A%20Meronk%20(Pol)%3B%20-10%20E%20Ferguson%20(Sco)%3B%20-8%20R%20Fox%20(NZ)%20-7%20L%20Donald%20(Eng)%3B%20-5%20T%20McKibbin%20(NI)%2C%20N%20Hoejgaard%20(Den)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Fixtures
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The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
The%20Sandman
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
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