Fleeing conflict
A local organization which we have supported shares an update about the relief services they are providing in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. As they are carrying on incredible work under the challenging circumstances, all with minimal support, please consider a contribution earmarked towards them, so that we may in some small way continue to provide assistance to those who now need it most. Please note they have asked us to remove the name of their group for safety concerns, as the Thai authorities have been harassing the Burmese refugees.
“Due to the location of the camps directly on the border river to Thailand, the refugees can flee to the safe side in the event of attacks.”
In January 2022, the [redacted organization] started its work in Mae Sot. Through the connection to friendly NGOs in Mae Sot, with whom we have been in contact for months, we quickly got access to the refugee camps. Most of the camps are located directly at the border river on the Burmese side.
Initially, it was planned to support the refugees in the camps for just two months. However, after the first few weeks of our work in the camps, we became fully aware of how severe the refugee crisis in the region was.
Pa Luu Camp, which until recently housed more than 2000 refugees, is only about 20 minutes from Mae Sot. Burmese in the camp are mostly striking teachers, civil servants, or architects who have joined the CDM (Civil Disobedient Movement). The mostly socially well-off Burmese were blacklisted in Myanmar and massively persecuted because of their decision not to support the military. Most have been on the run for months and lost everything they owned.
In the camp, the refugees live in simple tents, which consist of plastic tarps and a few bamboo poles. The supply is secured exclusively by the aid organizations that distribute food, medicine, and plastic sheets. They bathe in the river and drink the brown water poorly filtered from the stream.
Due to the location of the camps directly on the border river to Thailand, the refugees can flee to the safe side in the event of attacks. The Thai military allows short-term stays in emergency situations.