Burmese ethnic minority languages are vanishing in Thailand as refugees and migrants feel pressure to assimilate... "The language of the Lahu is soft and fluid, with long, smooth syllables that don?t interrupt the melody of the words. But nowadays the Lahu living in Thailand shy away from speaking in their mother tongue for fear that they will be branded as outsiders or will inadvertently reveal their illegal status in Thailand. For 16 years—since his first arrival in Thailand from Burma—Win Maung, a 65-year-old ethnic Lahu man, has resisted the urge to speak Lahu outside his home. ?I dare not speak my language because Thais would immediately identify me as an illegal,? says Win Maung. When he shops in Chiang Mai, he must rely on his broken Thai, a language he does not know well and prefers not to use. Win Maung holds a Thai identity card, but his documentation does not allow him to move freely throughout Thailand..."