Chiang Mai – Eleven ethnic Padaungs from Mae Hong Song district, Northern Thailand are still missing.

The 11 Padaung or Kayan ethnic tribes living in Huay Pu Ke and Huay Suu Htauk villages in this district have been missing since July 3. Local Thai authorities are searching for them but in vain.

"We don't have any information on the missing Padaungs yet. The Mae Hong Song mayor called a meeting this morning to discuss the missing persons. And the township administrator is going to Chiang Mai in this regard," an official from Mae Hong Song Mayor's office told Mizzima.

"I don't know much about the missing Padaungs. The local people, village elders and relatives of the missing persons asked Thai authorities to help find them," Phe Du, a local resident in Mae Hong Song said.

Thai authorities have formed a committee to find the missing Padaungs and the Mae Hong Song township administrator Thongchai Wunyaung Thaung has a clue to their whereabouts. The missing persons were reportedly taken away by a Thai woman called Nan Sao Mali in a police car from their village.

Though the missing persons hold the official Thai tribal document, they need special travel permits from the township administrator when they want to go outside their area.

Township administrator speculated that they might have been taken to the Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chun Puri and Phuket which are tourist spots.

Local Thai villagers believe that the missing persons ran away from this place because they were earning less in this area as the number of tourists visiting their village has declined.

Ethnic Padaung people were settled in Karenni State and Phekhong Township , Southern Shan State and migrated to Thailand two decades ago after suffering forced relocation, arbitrary arrests by the Burmese Army and following military operations launched in their areas.