These people are refugees from Burma living in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. They are the subject of some contraversy. They cannot become citizens of Thailand, nor can they leave their compound. The rings around their necks were probably originally to protect them from tigers, but now the longer the neck, the more beautiful the women are supposed to be. They make their living by selling their handicrafts and posing with tourists.
The children wear these rings, but they are not real, snap-on snap-off
