This work examined the ethnic maintenance of the Dawei, who were former Burmese miners at Bong Ti Bon and Thai Muang villages about 40 years ago. When the mines were closed, they remained in the area. In 1995, when Burmese army overran a number of Free Karen Army camps along the border. The Thai government then allocated an area to house these refugees in the displaced Burmese center with their own village chief overseeing administration. In 2010 during the period of the Aphisit Vejajiva government, many displaced Burmese were granted Thai citizenship and their children automatically became Thais. A discriminatory discourse about “outsiders” ensued. Many established Thais and Karen Thais started to call themselves “old Thais”, whereas those with newly granted citizenship were called “new Thais”.