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 without too much trouble."