Between 5,000 to 7,000 people, mainly women, children and elderly are scattered around Mae Sot in Thailand's northwest
MAE SOT, Thailand (AlertNet) – Thousands of refugees from eastern Myanmar who fled clashes between government troops and ethnic Karen fighters are hiding in Thailand for fear of being sent home by Thai authorities, making it difficult to provide effective humanitarian assistance, aid agencies say.
Between 5,000 to 7,000 people, mainly women, children and elderly are scattered around Mae Sot in Thailand’s northwestern Tak province, a bustling trading town and the main gateway for refugees and migrants from neighbouring Myanmar.
They are unable to go back due to fighting, the presence of the military and mines around their villages and loss of harvest, according to Mae Sot-based non-government organisations (NGOs).
Some are staying with friends and relatives, while others are in hiding along the porous border in makeshift shelter patched together with bamboo poles and tarpaulin sheets.
For many, this is not their first stay in Mae Sot, having been deported by the Thai authorities last year.
“What we’re seeing as people continue to come into Thailand is that they are making a rational decision to stay in hiding or stay with friends and relatives instead of seeking refuge in official sites”, said Shane Scanlon, deputy director of programmes at International Rescue Committee (IRC).
“This means people are dispersed in many smaller groups along several hundred kilometres of border in various locations, often seeking to avoid attracting attention to their presence,” he told AlertNet.
Scanlon added that this presents challenges in terms of monitoring security, providing assistance, and managing public health issues.
“We’re definitely concerned about their ability to get enough food and essential supplies, and access to essential health services.”
EXPULSIONS
The first of the latest influx of refugees came to Mae Sot last November, a day after Myanmar’s military government held its first elections in 20 years.
They were fleeing clashes between a faction of the generally pro-junta Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and government forces which stem from a government bid to gain control over former rebel groups granted autonomy under ceasefire deals.
Up to 12,000 people – according to Thai officials – waded through streams carrying children and elderly women to Mae Sot on the first day of fighting but they were soon sent back by the Thai authorities who already have some 140,000 Myanmar refugees in nine official camps along the border.
However, some fled their homes again when fighting resumed shortly after their return only to be sent back again.
On Christmas Day, 166 people – the last group still at the official sites – were ordered to leave, prompting a rebuke from the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR as well as Amnesty International who said they should only be returned home voluntarily and safely.
UNHCR also said it had expressed its concern to the Thai government over the hasty manner in which some refugees were returned.
Thailand has in the last couple of years expelled Myanmar refugees and ethnic Hmong asylum-seekers sparking criticism from Western nations and aid agencies. While the Southeast Asian country has been a major country of asylum for four decades, it has not ratified the 1951 U.N. refugee convention.
HYGIENE, HEALTH FEARS
A Myanmar national whose community group is helping the displaced – reaching the refugees that the international agencies are unable to access – said their immediate needs were water, food and mosquito nets.
They also suffer health problems, the most common being respiratory troubles and malaria. “Hygiene is a difficult issue. Toilets are a problem particularly because (the people) are in temporary locations,” the aid worker added.
While those hiding along the embankment of the Moei River separating Myanmar from Thailand have access to water, aid workers are concerned living this way for a prolonged period of time could lead to infectious diseases.
Aid groups also said they expect to provide assistance to the refugees for at least three more months as fighting is still going on in some parts.
“The border remains very unstable and we expect this to continue till the foreseeable future, certainly through this dry season,” Sally Thompson, deputy executive director of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), an aid agency that works at Thai government-run official refugee camps, told AlertNet.
“I think we’re going to see this ongoing “coming across, being sent back, returning, being sent back,” over this next dry season because the issue of the Border Guard Force remains unresolved and... until that is actually resolved ,we can expect to see these ongoing skirmishes,” she said.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
