thailand urgent: nu po refugee camp info.english

8/3/2019 Thailand Urgent: Nu Po Refugee Camp Info.english

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BurmeserefugeesaretreatedashumanpingpongballinThailandByMyoMinAung

Backgroundof

Nupho

camp

NuphoisalsocommonlyspeltNohHpo",andmeans"smalllake"inKaren.Itlocatedin

UmphangDistrict,Tak Provinceanddistancefromborder:8km

anddistancefromMaeSot:232kmsandapproximately6hoursdrivingtimeanddistancefrom

Umphang:

68

km

and

approximately

1

hour

driving

time.Area

is

about

150

acres

and

populatoin

is14,000andmostlyethnicKaren.

HistoryNuphocampwassetupinMarch1997afteramajoroffensiveduringwhichtheBurma

ArmytookcontrolofDuplayaDistrictinKarenstate.Itwasestablishedtoconsolidatethe

existingrefugeepopulationofMeterokeandBawNerHtacamps(bothweresetupin1992and

hadpopulations

of

4,595

and

2,078

respectively)

and

to

house

new

arrivals

fleeing

from

the

currentoffensive.Inlate1997,groupsofnewarrivalscameintotwoareasoutsidethecampTa

PerPoo(2,221)andNongLuag(771),wheretheyslightlyreceivedfoodandmedicalsupportfrom

theNGOsbeforetheywereallowedtomoveintothecmap.InMarch2005,approximately800

personsofconernsfromUNHCRfromtheMaeSotareaweretransferredtothecampaspartof

theRTG'spolicytorelocateallPOCsinurbanareastothebordercamp.

AfterBurmaelectionandRTG'srole

Thailand has for decades served as a shelter for Burmese opposition activists fleeing


3/20

OnthelastyearBurmeseelectionday,SundayNovember7,2010,armedoppositiongroups

engagedincombinedmilitaryopperatoinsagainsttheBurmaArmyforcesinthebordertowns

ofMyawaddy

and

Three

Pagoda's

Pass

resulting

in

their

temporary

occupation.As

aresult

of

the

fighting,morethan10,000personsfoundtemporaryshelterinThaigovernmentdesignated

locatoninMaeSotdistrictofTakProvince,nearly4,000inPhopPhradistrict60Kmsouthof

MaeSotandafurther3,000inUmphangdistrictofTakprovince.Thousandsmorearethoughtto

havesoughtsafetyinThailandinotherborderareas.

LandconfiscationandextortionaremorewidespreadimpactsoftheBurmaArmy'ssocalled"

selfreliance"policy.Thejuntahasannouncedthatifceasefiregroupsdonotrespondregarding

theagreementordisagreementontheBGFprogram,whilebuildinggoodrelationswithBurma,

Thailand'sofficialsshouldnotconcentrateonlyonetheeconomicbenefits.Thailandshouldalso

seetherootcauseofBurma'sdomesticwarwhichproducedrefugeealongtheborder.

DKBAandBurmaArmy

ThousandsofpeoplefromBurmahavefledtheongoingfightingbetweenBurmaarmyand

DemoracticKarenBuddhistArmy(DKBA)intohidinginthejungleorcrosstheThaiborderas

refugeessincelastyearNovember.Evenmorelackthistenuoussecurity,ekingoutanexistence

inthe

mountains

and

jungle,

trying

to

avoid

Burmese

army

patrols.Ethnic

cleansing

is

astrong

term,throughrecentlyaBurmesegeneralboastedthatsoonthemuseumwillbetheonlyplace

youwillfindakaren.InNuphocamp,someofKarenrefugeesarestillwaitingtoemigratetoa

westernnation,somehopetoreturntotheirvillagesinapeacefulBurma,butwiththebrutal

determinationofadictatorshipthatspendsalmosthalfofitsbudgetsonthemilitary,thismay

nothappenanytimesoon.

Thailandrefugeespolicyismisleading

Thailand's policy of keeping refugees from Burmese in nine camps including our Nupho refugee


4/20

conductaheadcountofrefugeesinthecampsinordertoevictunregisteredrefugees.Thisisnot

agoodtrend.WeallrefugeeswanttourgeThaistobemoresympathetictorefugees,whenthe

Thaimedia

talks

about

refugees

talk

about

problem

and

not

about

ways

to

treat

refugees

better.Wewanttorevealthatwhathappensinsidethecamp,youdon'tknow.Thaiattitudes

towardspeoplefromBurmawereshapedbyschooleducation,whichstilltreatsBurmaasthe

nationalenemy.ManyThaisalsofailedtomakeadistinctionbetweenmigrantworkersand

refugees.

Thaisbelieveinthat Burmahadarealelectionlastfalltorepatriatetheserefugeesmostof

whomwillreturnagainsttheirwill.Thoughtheelectionlastyearmayimprovethequalityof

governmentinBurmamarginally,itwashardlyafreeorfairpoll,orsuggestiveofthekindof

dramaticchangeonhumanrightsthatwouldmakeitsafetoreturnrefugees.Thereareother

reasonsforThailand'ssuddenlyharderline.LeadingThaicompanyItalThailandisintheprocess

ofmakingthelargest everThaiinvestmentinDaweiDeepSeaPortinBurma,atover$13

billion.Andoverall,theThaigovernmenthastriedtofosterrapprochementwithits

neighbor.Toobadthatmanyrefugeesaregoingtobetreatedasapawninthisrelationship.

NuphorefugeescampinTakProvinceandProvincegovernor'sattitudetowardsrefugeees

Thegovernor

of

Thailand's

Tak

province,

Samart

Loifah

,said

it

is

time

to

consider

repatriating

voluntarilytheBurmeserefugeesalongtheThaiBurmaborder.Takprovincehoststhousandsof

Burmeserefugeesandmanymoremigrantliveandworkintheprovinve'smaintown,MaeSot.

Burma'snotoriousmilitaryjuntaofficiallytransferredpowertoanewciviliangovernmenton

March30thisyearledbyex GenThenSeinwhoisthechairmanofthejunta;sproxyparty,the

UnionSolidarityandDevelopmentparty.Takgovernor,LoifahsaidBurmaisnolongerviolent,

andweshouldstartconsideringaskingrefugeestoreturnvoluntarily.Healsourgedinternational

donorsto

reduce

funding

to

the

refugees

camps

to

encourage

people

to

leave

Thailand,

said

the

report.

LoifahreportedlysaidhewouldbehappytoworkwithEUandUNHCRiftheybegandecreasing


5/20

andethnicminorityrebelsseekinggreaterautonomy.Vastnumbersfledtoescapethejunta's

counterinsurgencycampaign,destroyingvillagesandforcingthemtoworkforarmy.Casesof

rape,torture

and

execution.

Refugeelife

Refugees

life

can

be

harsh,

refugees

cannot

work

or

leave

the

camps,

which

,

at

present,

are

run

withtheaidofinternationalagencies.RisingfoodpricesmayprompttheThailandBurmaBorder

Consortium(TBBC)anumbrellagroupof12humanitarianorganizationwithmorethan140,000

BurmeserefugeesinThailand,tocutricerationsbyupto20percent.Additionalcutswillbe

madetosalts,sugar,oilandchilirations.Higherexchangeratesandincreasedpricesoffoodstuff

havemadesituationmoredifficulttobuyfood,thatastapleoftheBurmesediet,therice

rationswillremainthesameforvulnerablegroups,includingchildrenundertheageoffive,

pregnant

and

lactating

women

,

and

the

ill.Helpless

inhabitants

are

still

sheltered,

and

TBBC

planstocarryoutannualnutritionsurveystoscreenthehealthsituation.Thailandcurrently

hosts96,800refugeesfromBurmawhohavebeenregistered,andanestimated53,000who

havenot,andarelivinginninegovernmentruncampsaongthe1,400kmThaiBurma

border.TheBurmeserefugeescontinuetofacenumerousproblem:unemploymentforadults

andyoungpeople,educationforchildren,healthcareandthegeneraldifficultyofcreatinga

newlife,lookingtothefuture.

RefugeesinNuphocamp

ManycolorfulrefugeesareinNuphocamp,mostlykaren84%,theyenteredintocampdueto

fightingandBurma11%,theyreachedintocampforhigherambitiontoresettletothirdcountry

forbetterlifethanBurma.AndalittlebitofBurmanrefugeesareformerpoliticalprisoner,

studentactivist,exABSDF,othersdefectorsfromBurmagovernment.Otherethnic5%,have

manyrelativeinthirdcountry,somerefugeesinNuphocamparestronglystandingwithpackof

moneybysendingbackfromtheirrelativeinthirdcountry,Asthenominalrefugees,somerich

peoplesoldtheirpropertiesandbelongingsfromBurmaandthencameintoforgoingtoresettle


6/20

protocol,butitisamemberoftheintergovernmentexecutivecommissionforrefugee(UNHCR

excom).Therefore,duetotheconsequentialroleincamp,refugeesarestillabandoned

screeningpress

to

determine

to

be

agenuine

refugees.Many

refugees

have

been

facing

a

seriouslackthefewbatteriesinthecamp.RealrefugeesinNuphocamparesufferingsevere

foodstorageduetolittlesupportedbyThaiBurmaborderconsortium.

OurmostdifficulttimeiswhenwehearthatBurmashampresident'sarmyaregoingtoattack

ourcamp.Wealwaysprepareourselvesnottofightback,buttorunintothedeepjungle.Until

today,wehaven'tcomeacrosssuchattackyetbutweheartheterriblesoundsofmotorsfalling

inoutsurroundingandseesomevillagersfleeinghereandthere.Inaddition,wehearalmost

everydaythattheThaigovernmentwillsendusallbacktoBurma.Wearereallydownhearted

anddepressedbyharingthisstayinthecamp,theweakerwebecomepsychologically,mentally

andphysically.Therearesomuchtosayaboutwhatarefugeelifeisallabout.Asforus,a

refugeelifeisalifethatisfulloffearanduncertainty.TheNuphorefugeesalsoexpresstheir

graveconcernfortheirfutureoftheirchildren.Weallrefugeesarecontinuouslycallingfor

promptactionthatThailandtostoptreatingrefugeesfleeingconflictineasternBurmaas

humanpingpongballs.


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