Dr. Cynthia Maung
Cynthia Maung - for some a latter day 'Mother Teresa of Burma' - was born December 6, 1959 in Moulmein, Burma (aka Myanmar). The fourth of eight children, she graduated from the Institute of Medication, University of Rangoon, in 1985. Since 1997, Dr. Maung’s contribution to the Burmese refugee community in Thailand has been widely recognised and internationally acclaimed. In the words of the Committee from the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership,
‘n electing Cynthia Maung to receive the 2002 Award the board of trustees recognizes her humane and fearless response to the urgent medical needs of thousands of refugees and displaced persons along the Thailand-Burma border’
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Despite her substantial contribution to the local community the Thai government does not officially recognise Dr. Cynthia's citizenship status; she is essentially a stateless person and does not, therefore, enjoy basic citizen rights. This makes her existence in Thailand a precarious one and has always cast doubt over the clinic’s future.
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