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The most famous - and notorious - sight in the Mae Hong Son area is its contingent of "long-neck" women , members of the Padaung tribe of Burma who have fled to Thailand to escape repression. Though the women's necks appear to be stretched to 30cm and more by a column of brass rings, the pressure of eleven pounds of brass actually squashes the collarbones and ribs; to remove a full stack would cause the collapse of the neck and suffocation. Girls of the tribe start wearing the rings from about the age of six, adding one or two each year up to the age of sixteen. Despite the obvious discomfort, the tribeswomen, when interviewed, say that they're happy to be continuing the tradition. But only half of the Padaung women now lengthen their necks; left to its own course, the custom would probably die out, but the influence of tourism may well keep it alive for some time yet. The original village of long-neck Padaung women in the Mae Hong Son area, NAI SOI , 35km northwest of town, has effectively been turned into a human zoo for snap-happy tourists, with an entrance fee of B250 per person. The "long necks" pose in front of their huts, and visitors click away. At least the entrance fee is used to support the Karenni National People's Party in their fight for the independence of Burma's Kayah state (where the Padaung come from), and the "long necks" themselves get paid a decent wage. Without your own transport, you'll have to join a tour (about B650) from town. By motorbike, head north along Highway 1095 for 10km and turn left at the first sign for Pha Sua for 500m, then left again at the army camp and continue for another 25km.
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