EU Ambassador Pirkka Tapiola, third left, had lots of questions to ask Myanmar Muslim migrant students and their teachers, showing genuine concern about their future and well-being. Photo courtesy of IOM Thailand

European Union Ambassador to Thailand Pirkka Tapiola recently visited the border town of Mae Sot to survey EU-funded projects for Myanmar Muslim migrants. Much work still needs to be done to improve the living conditions and outlook for the number of migrants there, and the ambassador is working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to make sure it happens.

Despite his hectic schedule, Tapiola took time at each venue to ask lots of questions from the migrants and staff about their well-being to enable him to understand their predicament better.

In an interview with Life before flying back to Bangkok, the Finnish-born Tapiola talked about the Myanmar Muslim migrant communities he visited in Mae Sot.

"Today's visit was about very vulnerable people," said the veteran diplomat.

"Some of what I saw today was saddening, and showed that we [EU and IOM] still have a lot of work to complete, largely because these communities are not in a position of becoming self sustainable. It is easy to give up hope in such circumstances.

"It was a special moment for me when mothers of school-going children shared about their life, both their hardships and aspirations for their sons and daughters. I felt this was a real privilege."

Stats obtained by IOM's Water, Sanitary, and Hygiene assessment identified 1,703 Myanmar Muslims from 437 families in Mae Sot who were in a vulnerable state due to an inability to afford accommodation with basic infrastructure, such as access to a public water supply, and more.

IOM statistics also report that the majority of Myanmar Muslims surveyed have lived in Thailand for over five years; around 48% had no formal education, while 26% were illiterate. The majority are daily wage workers at local markets and construction sites while the rest earn money by garbage picking.

Tapiola said they have also been working very closely in the camps along border areas, and are also involved with NGOs on a number of issues associated with Myanmar migrants. He is confident the EU's support will continue for these ongoing projects.

On future project expansions, he said: "There were two things today that touched me most. One was education, [because] it is key to a person's empowerment.

"The other is addressing gender-based violence. You have seen we have done this in many countries. 'Safe And Fair', the global EU-UN spotlight initiative to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls is a good start. This will help to put in place better protection mechanisms and wide-ranging information campaigns for women migrant workers."

Speaking of the IOM, which has worked closely with Muslim migrants for decades, and EU's partnership, Tapiola said: "Our partnership is present both in Thailand and globally, and it is very important for the work we are doing together.

"IOM works on protection, education, health and other key issues pertaining to their well-being and that of their Thai neighbours.

"We are the donors and IOM implements. They are experts in this field. I worked with the IOM on a different capacity before it became a fully fledged UN organisation. They have been on the ground in Thailand, working on various issues that include among others human trafficking and migration."

Since taking up office last September, Tapiola has been busy working closely with EU member states in Thailand through monthly Head of Missions' meetings and other working platforms to strengthen the EU-Thailand relationship in all aspects including political partnership, trade, co-operation, environment, climate change, democracy, good governance, human rights and cultural diplomacy as well as working on regional co-operation to address global challenges.

Moreover, as Thailand takes the chairmanship of Asean next year, Tapiola said he looks forward to working even closer with the government including in the framework of the recently adopted EU Strategy on Connecting Europe and Asia.

On Thailand and the EU's ties, Tapiola said: "The Europe-Thailand relationship is of course centuries old, while the EU-Thai relationship is half-a-century old. Bangkok has always been a hub for us.

"It is an old relationship that has changed. It has changed from being a donor-supported relationship to a relationship of partners where we co-operate in the EU/Asean framework where we co-operate on the rules-based international order.

"Today we stand strong as equal partners in the trade field. And of course, we hope that after you have elections next year, this will be taken to the next level. I am preparing the foundation for that so we can move quickly when that happens.

"We have a partnership and co-operation agreement, which was there before the military takeover, and now we want to see it signed after the elections. We also started free trade negotiations, which are really important, and we hope to be able to resume it very quickly after the elections too."

On a lighter note, Tapiola, who was deputy head of mission of the Embassy of Finland in Bangkok between 1998-2001, shared his love for Thailand, its people and culture saying: "I was in Thailand 20 years ago. I feel right at home here and love this country. Thailand is unique.

"At the same time, it has a fascinating and at times complex political environment."

He especially loves northern Thailand, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. "There is just something about these places that puts me at ease, makes me feel at home.

"Bangkok has always been a lively city, but I sometimes miss the smaller shops that we had back 20 years ago."

In his free time you can find Tapiola cooking, especially European food, at home. "I would love to learn Thai cooking. I am a perfectionist so I feel hesitant that I could cook it good enough. With a glass of wine in hand, you can see me cooking at the stove in my free time, which is not very often."