The Kayan is one of the minorities, out of over 100 ethnic groups live in Burma. Padaung is a Shan term, often referred to as 'giraffe' or 'long-necked' because of the custom of placing brass rings around their necks from when they are young girls until they marry.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s due to conflict with the military regime in Burma, many Kayan tribes who live freely in the resource-rich border areas have been forcibly removed from their homes to the border areas next to Thailand. Some even have migrated illegally to the refugee camps set up by Thai authorities, which has now become a tourist site, surviving on fraction of revenues collected from tourists.
My portfolio focuses on the Padaung women who are still living under tight supervision by the military of the ruling party in few villages located at Loikaw, near the borderlines between Thailand and Myanmar. I am trying to present the plight of this minority in search of freedom they used to enjoy.