Background
The Lisu are one of several hilltribes residing in the mountains of Northern Thailand. There are many Lisu villages in this area; among them is Samli.
Samli currently has 160 Lisu residents and is home to the chief of the village cluster (1000 people). In the past, the livelihood of many hilltribes was based on the production and sale of opium. In order to stop this, the Thai Government is investing into integrating the hilltribes into Thai Society. Thus far, the Thai Government has offered citizenship, education and other social services to the hilltribes.