Only the tour operators and a few middlemen profit. The tourists tend to treat the indigenous people as some kind of exotic specimen. Instead of coming to the hills to take photos, they should learn to respect the local people and their culture. In northern Thailand, boats carrying foreign tourists often stop at Lahu and Karen villages along the Mekong River. Whenever a boat arrives, children start running in hope that the tourists will throw them chocolates or money.
Some foreigners also come to the hills looking for sex tourism.
The international community should take serious steps to ban this. Many people are questioning non-governmental organizations in general. They are often regarded as being in perpetual opposition to the government. Some groups and newspapers in Thailand accuse the NGOs of selling the country s misery abroad in order to get foreign funding. In a country like Thailand, I think the main role of the NGO should be to offer a voice to the disadvantaged.