Everyday for 17 days I traveled from Mae Sot to the Mae La Refugee Camp 67 km away, in a bus that picked up its passengers at random along the highway. By the time I reached the camp, 1.5hrs later, the pickup bus was jammed full. On the third day, I counted 23 in the little truck.  Thinking this was the limit I consoled myself. The next day we crammed 47 people in the truck, not counting chickens and sundry animals. This did not include the front seat in the pickup that had four more passengers. The truck looked more like a tethered flag waving in the wind for the fact bodies were literally hanging out like clothes on a clothesline. To get to the camp we had to cross 3 military roadblocks. The Thai government wants to slow illegal movement on their border with Myanmar so there are frequent document checks in route. The two children you see in the picture were part of a family of 5 headed to the security of the refugee camp, but without documents they were depending on bribes if detected. It was heartbreaking to see what happened. They made it through the first check point but they were not so lucky at the second. Studiously trying to avoid eye contact with the soldiers they stared silently down until forced to respond where upon they thrust 200 bhat [$6.00] toward the soldier who refused it probably because a USA citizen was looking on [myself]. The fear on their faces was palpable. I could not shake the hopelessness and desperation I witnessed in their eyes as they were hauled off the little truck to be shipped back across the border. There was not an ounce of compassion and kindness in the soldiers eyes.  Micah 6 kept running through my mind “Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God”