The Akha are an ethnic group who live in small villages at higher elevations in the mountains of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan Province in China. They made their way from China into Southeast Asia during the early 20th century. Civil war in Burma and Laos resulted in an increased flow of Akha immigrants and there are now 80,000 people living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai.
A Burmese depiction of the Akha in the early 1900s
An Akha girl in Laos
Akha women, c. 1900
The modern and tourism-based Akha village of Pha Hi (ผาฮี้) in Mae Sai District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand: many cafés, restaurants, coffee bean factories, and homestays can be seen alongsides villagers' houses
Chiang Rai is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai was established as a capital city in the reign of King Mangrai, in 1262 CE.
Chiang Rai Clock Tower
Sadue Mueang, omphalos of the city
Chiang Rai Clock Tower in Wiang Mueang area