Refugee Crisis building in Mae Sot
One group that is providing support to the growing numbers of Burmese refugees fleeing conflict in Myanmar has written the following report, based on his extensive experience living in Mae Sot. He describes the trauma that survivors are carrying with them as they have escaped with their lives, and the emerging humanitarian crisis quietly growing on the Thai border. Please consider supporting the very good work that this individual and his team are doing, in spite of very challenging circumstances of operating. You may give a donation at Better Burma, and earmark their school project for support.
It is important to understand the situation in Myanmar and the conditions of refugees in the Thai border region. The situation has steadily deteriorated since the military coup. The Burmese military systematically burns down villages and bombs hospitals and schools. The military government operates as a criminal organization, committing murder, torture, kidnapping, and expulsion while enriching itself and confiscating assets belonging to the people of Myanmar.
Through daily contact with the refugees, I get to see what is happening in Myanmar firsthand. Our school is only 15 minutes away from the border. At night we often hear the bombs being dropped on neighboring villages and refugee camps. Although we are safe from attack in Thailand, the war is very close.
Mae Sot has become one of the most frequented refugee cities for persecuted Burmese. Also because there is a lot of fighting taking place in the Burmese border area around Mae Sot. In July, the region around Mae Sot was heavily bombed with the help of fighter jets and helicopters. The detonations can be heard throughout Mae Sot.
The ethnic armies, most of which are based in the Thai border area, have teamed up with the Burmese PDF (People Defense Force/ the population’s protection groups) to keep civilians safe from attacks by the Myanmar military. The resistance has grown significantly and the protecting troops are now much better trained and armed. Unfortunately, they have little means to counter the fighter jets. Even though many young Burmese give their lives in the fight for freedom, there is still hope that the bloody civil war will be over in the next few years and democracy can be reestablished.
In my last letter from December 2021, I explained the Burmese refugees' situation in detail. Even then, the number of refugees was impressively high. In the past eight months, the state of the refugees has worsened and the numbers increased dramatically. The UN refugee organization UNHCR publishes a report on the current situation every 6 weeks. As of September 2021, 370.000 people in Myanmar had lost their homes and were fleeing. In the current report from June 2022, the number of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) has almost tripled. 1,038,000 Burmese citizens were displaced. Many of them are currently in refugee camps or hiding in forests. The number of Burmese who have fled abroad has also almost tripled. In September 2021 there were already 22,000 refugees, the current report speaks of 60,000 refugees.
However, the official figures reflect only a fraction of the actual number. Until recently, more than 2000 people lived in the Burmese refugee camp Pa Luu, which we regularly supported. There are 5 camps in the region, each with a few hundred refugees. The total number is very difficult to estimate because the situation is constantly changing and there is hardly any registration. However, tens of thousands of refugees are to be expected at the Thai border region.
After a few weeks in the refugee camp, many try to cross the border river to Thailand. Hundreds of refugees arrive every day in the region around Mae Sot alone. They usually swim across the border river at night and then hide in the thicket of the Thai jungle. After a few days, they try to get to Mae Sot. They arrive exhausted in the border town with no food supplies and poor clothing. Since tens of thousands of Burmese migrants live in Mae Sot, the newcomers quickly make friends. In most cases, however, the local migrants do not have much to give as they can hardly keep themselves afloat.
This is where the numerous aid organizations and refugee schools come into play. They take care of accommodation, food, and medical care. Most NGOs in Mae Sot have been set up by Burmese migrants who want to help their compatriots. There are comparatively few foreign aid organizations that have a larger budget at their disposal. Hardly any support can be seen from the larger NGOs like UNHCR or UNICEF. Therefore, there is a lack of accommodation and supplies for the large number of migrants.