Refugees face food shortage

 

June 17, 2005

 

Nai Chan Mon, IMNA

 

The political refugees from Tham Hin and Ban Don Yang camps claimed they have not enough support and they are facing food shortage.

 

Refugees received 15 Kgs of rice, 1.5 Kgs bean, 1 Kg of fish-pate and one liter of oil a month per head. They were given 5 Kgs of charcoal and some wood for cooking.

 

"We cannot complain to anybody. They just give us such amount. What should we do," a Tham Hin refugee said.

 

According to refugees in Ban Don Yang, they also received same amount and they also were banned to go out the camps.

 

"After all of the food gone, what should we do, we can't go out the camps to work for food. We have no job to work in camp. How could we survive?" the refugee added.

 

Tham Hin refugee camp is situated in an isolated mountainous area about two hours drive west of Bangkok, and Ban Don Yang refugee camp is on Thai-Burma borderline in Kanchanaburi province. Around 850 "persons of concerns" of UNHCR were forced to stay in these two camps.

 

"The authorities force us to stay like these refugees. They think we can survive like Karen or Mon refugees in the camp. But we can't go out for work like these refugees. So we don't have money. Nobody support us. We just eat what the authorities gave us," a Ban Don Yang refugee said.

 

"Every week, two or three days we have faced some problems in our family because we have to eat only bean, and bad water. My children and elders regularly have diarrhea," he added.

 

The political refugees from these two camps received same quota of food like other Karen refugees who have been there a decade ago.

 

Many refugees feel depress to stay in the camp and some refugees tried to flee from the camp. A refugee from Tham Hin fled the camp and not returned. The authorities are also busy with this case, according to a refugee.

 

Although 12 representatives from EU visited these camps in May, no out come has been seen or any changes, say the refugees.

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