Dawnoeku villagers fleeing war and seeking temporary refuge near the Thailand-Karenni State border have requested Thai authorities and aid workers to designate safe locations for shelter.
Having made a similar request in early February without seeing significant progress, the war-displaced individuals have reiterated their plea.
Some Dawnoeku villagers who crossed the border to seek refuge in Thailand due to the fighting were pressured by Thai authorities to return home in February, in spite of the imminent threat of more airstrikes.
One of the IDP’s said, " many have returned home, only two-third of the displaced people continue to take shelter in Thailand. Some chose to seek refuge with their relatives instead of returning home. As for now there are those who return and those who are newly arriving”, a war displaced woman said.
The Thai authorities have pressured the Dawnoeku conflict -driven refugees to return home three times. As a result over 300 out of the more than 1,000 families who sought refuge in Thailand have returned. Some families have also gone to live with relatives in No. 1 Karenni refugee camp.
Some displaced individuals, not originally from Dawnoeku, were also compelled to return to their villages despite the on-going conflict.
Khu Ko Reh, coordinator of the Karenni Civil Society Network (KCSN), emphasized the necessity for the Thai authorities to establish clear policies regarding Karenni war-displaced individuals seeking refuge at the border.
"When airstrikes happen, villagers cross the border are forced to seek refuge in Thailand. When things settle down , they go back home. This happens over and over. But when Thai authorities do not have clear policies for these traumatized refugees, they face terrible hardships”, he said.
However he acknowledged that in the current situation, Thai authorities have opened the way for refugees to seek sanctuary in Thai territory at any time should the military situation escalate on the Myanmar side.
The temporary shelters at the Nyaung Bin Out (Under the Banyan Tree) site, where Karenni refugees seek refuge on the Thai side during periods of fierce conflict , have been permitted to remain in place without being forcibly dismantled by the Thai authorities.
Healthcare assistance and educational provisions for children has been organized at the No. 1 Karenni refugee camp established on the Thai side.
However, KCSN officials acknowledged that there are still many areas that need to be coordinated, to provide the most effective humanitarian assistance to the refugees.
Those assisting the refugees noted that there has been no clear policy established, nor any indication of a significant change, in attitude regarding the Karenni refugees on the border from the Thai government.
The war-displaced individuals at the border desire to be permitted to seek refuge in designated areas within Thai territory until the military situation stabilizes and becomes calm again
