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August 2008
Mrs. Laura Bush and daughter Ms. Barbara Bush examine local wares after a dance ceremony and viewing traditional Karen weaving at the Mae La Refugee Camp at Mae Sot, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2008. Mrs. Bush's visit to one of the largest refugee camps on the border was at the top of a mountain on the border with Burma. In her comments, Mrs. Bush noted the generosity of the Thai government and the people of Thailand in allowing the nine camps to exist there.
Mrs. Laura Bush and daughter Ms. Barbara Bush examine local wares after a dance ceremony and viewing traditional Karen weaving at the Mae La Refugee Camp at Mae Sot, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2008. Mrs. Bush's visit to one of the largest refugee camps on the border was at the top of a mountain on the border with Burma. In her comments, Mrs. Bush noted the generosity of the Thai government and the people of Thailand in allowing the nine camps to exist there.
Ceremonial dancers perform Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, during arrival ceremonies in Seoul for President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush. President George W. Bush walks with President Lee Myung-bak of the Republic of Korea, along with Mrs. Laura Bush and Barbara Bush, as they arrive at the Blue House, the presidential residence, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, in Seoul.
President George W. Bush and South Korean President President Lee Myung-bak, joined by Mrs. Laura Bush, Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, and daughter Ms. Barbara Bush, participate in a welcoming ceremony in the Grand Garden of the Blue House Wednesday, August 6, 2008, in Seoul. President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush are seen with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and first lady Yoon-ok Kim during arrival ceremonies Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, at the Blue House presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea.
Mrs. Laura Bush meets with Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, wife of the President of the Republic of Korea, during a coffee in Seoul on August 6, 2008. Mrs. Laura Bush tours the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul during her August 6, 2008 visit to Korea. The tour is led by Ms Yi, Ki Won, right, Deputy Director of Cultural Exchange and Education at the museum.
Mrs. Laura Bush is taken on a tour of the National Folk Museum of Korea by Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, to the left of Mrs. Bush. On the August 6, 2008, visit to Seoul is Mrs. Bush's daughter, Ms. Barbara Bush, at left in black. The tour is led by Ms Yi, Ki Won, right, Deputy Director of Cultural Exchange and Education at the museum. Mrs. Laura Bush gets a tour of the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul. Next to her in the light rose suit is Mrs. Kim Yoon-ok, wife of the President of the Republic of Korea.
Mrs. Laura Bush and her daughter Ms. Barbara Bush go over information on the plane as they fly to Thailand on Aug. 7, 2008. The visit highlighted the problems facing the Burmese refugees living inside the Thailand border in nine refugee camps. It has been 20 years since the Aug. 8, 1988 crackdown in Burma. Since 2005 alone, a little over 30,000 Burmese have moved to the United States to find a home and escape the dire conditions. Residents of the Mae La Refugee Camp at Mae Sot, Thailand, perform traditional dance for Mrs. Laura Bush during her visit to the camp on the Burma border on Aug. 7, 2008. It has been almost 20 years since the August 8, 1988 crackdown in Burma which began forcing residents from the country. Many of the people in the Mae La Refugee Camp and the other eight camps along the border have been born in the camps or lived most of their lives in the camps, waiting for conditions to improve in Burma or to move to the United States and other countries.
Mrs. Laura Bush and daughter Ms. Barbara Bush examine local wares after a dance ceremony and viewing traditional Karen weaving at the Mae La Refugee Camp at Mae Sot, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2008. Mrs. Bush's visit to one of the largest refugee camps on the border was at the top of a mountain on the border with Burma. In her comments, Mrs. Bush noted the generosity of the Thai government and the people of Thailand in allowing the nine camps to exist there. Mrs. Laura Bush and daughter Ms. Barbara Bush look over the weaving done by refugee women at the Mae La Refugee Camp at Mae Sot, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2008. This traditional Karen craft helps the refugees make money and can be bought via the Internet through consortiums that work with the women in the camp which houses at least 39,000 Burmese.
Mrs. Laura Bush and daughter Ms. Barbara Bush try on shawls created by weavers carrying on the traditional Karen ethnic craft at the Mae La Refugee Camp at Mae Sot, Thailand. In her August 7, 2008 comments, Mrs. Bush pointed out that the weavings are done to help generate money for the refugees and can be purchased via the Internet through consortiums that work with women at the camp. The camp houses at least 39,000 refugees waiting for a safe time to return to their home country. Many have decided the wait of 20 years has been too long and have immigrated to the United States and other countries. Mrs. Laura Bush is greeted as she prepares to enter a school at the Mae La Refugee Camp in Mae Sot, Thailand, where an English grammar class is being taught. Her Aug. 7, 2008 visit to the camp which houses at least 39,000 Burmese refugees, highlighted the plight of a people who have struggled since the Aug. 8, 1988 crackdown that created dire conditions in their country 20 years ago. Many have moved on to the United States or other countries such as Canada, New Zealand or the Netherlands. Mrs. Bush encouraged other countries to help the Burmese as well.
Mrs. Laura Bush watches as an English student works at the chalkboard of a grammar class at the Mae La Refugee Camp in Mae Sot, Thailand, on Aug. 7, 2008. The English lesson on the chalkboard uses the sentence to discuss compound sentence structure: "My life in refugee is better than Burma but I don't have opportunity to go outside of my camp. The visit to the camp in Mae Sot, Thailand, highlighted the fact that it has been 20 years since the crackdown in Burma that sent many people fleeing the dire conditions. Many residents have been born in one of the nine camps along the border or have lived most of their lives there.

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