The Shan people are living in South-East Asia from the area around the Golden Triangle in Burma, Thailand, South-West China and Laos.

The main group of Shan lives in the Shan State in Burma/Myanmar.

Burma now called Myanmar, have had a civil war for over fifty years. This has meant that the country has one of the nineteen centuries worst record when it comes to violations of human rights. Shan suffer from this, and they are forces to seek refuge in Thailand and other neighbouring countries.

The situation of the Shan in Thailand is very difficult. Most have no refugee status, and the only way for them to survive is by hard work and get badly paid jobs, and many girls end up in prostitution.

"To be Shan is to be a Buddhist" it is said. Since the first missionary arrived in 1861, the Shan people have been opposing the the gospel. Even today, it is less than approx. 0.04% Christians among a population of over five million people and is considered an un-reached people group. The Shan people are also strongly Animists and it is often associated with fear and superstition.

• Read more about the Shan people!!!
• Watch a documentary about the Shan (the Shan people tells their own story)
  

Facts about missionary work among the Shan

Missionaries began working among the Shan people in Burma in 1861. At that time, the Shan State was destroyed because of an internal war. These wars, got more of the Shan people to emigrate to Thailand, to look for food and safety.

The missionaries saw early on that some people become Christians and Shan speaking congregations were established in Burma. When the missionaries had to leave Burma, the churches continued .

Currently there are approx. 15,000 Christians, among the 4 million or more Shan Buddhists.

In Thailand, began missionary work among the Shan in 1953.

The Shan are friendly, but are generally reserved. Today there are only a few hundred Shan speaking believers in Thailand.

China is home to approx. 270,000 Shan and only approx. 500 of them are Christians.

Shan is found in many parts of Thailand, often at construction sites and factories. Shan have come across the border in large numbers despite the fact that the border between Burma and Thailand have been closed in the past.

Shan does not have refugee status in Thailand, they have no rights and are vulnerable to be used and abused.
Shan can easily mix with the Thai, because they are very similar, and often the only ones who know that they are Shan, are their employers. Shan often agree to a low wage because they are afraid that their employer will tell that they are Shan.