Fleeing Myanmar violence, thousands of people camp across the Thai border river Military news

It is estimated that about 2,000 men, women and children are camped in four places on the Myanmar side of the Moei River.

Thousands of Myanmar residents have been forced to live on the banks of a river bordering Thailand, saying they had been bombed by military airstrikes for fear of returning home, but reluctantly seeking refuge across the border.

Myanmar army and resistance fighters who took power in a coup last year have killed or displaced thousands of civilians in this region and elsewhere.

Many have fled to Thailand, but poor conditions in refugee camps have led some to return to the Myanmar border, and human rights groups have called for more help for the displaced.

Reuters reported on Friday that two 2,000 men, women and children on the opposite bank of the Moei River in Thailand were seen living on the opposite bank, in four different places, under the tarpaulin.

A woman in the camp, Sabal Phyu, 42, was not present to cross the border to collect food and bottled water before returning to the Myanmar River.

“There, we received good support but it was very crowded and it was difficult to live. Here, we have more freedom, “Sabal Phyuk told Reuters.

Sabal Phyu said she initially crossed into Thailand with her husband and four children, but returned to the border area after entering another empty cattle barn with other refugees near the Thai town of Mae Sot.

About 8,000 refugees from Myanmar are being housed in temporary shelters in Thailand, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A spokesman for the Myanmar military government did not respond to Reuters calls for comment.

Humanitarian obligations

Asked about the conditions in the Thai camps, Thai government spokesman Ratchada Dhanadir said the country was “caring for refugees” and fulfilling its duties “in accordance with international human rights standards”.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Friday that the Thai government had not given access to the refugee camps in Mae Sot and could not enter the border with Myanmar.

UNHCR has provided mosquito nets, sleeping mats, blankets and masks to help the humanitarian response led by Thai authorities, said Kasita Rochanakorn, a spokeswoman.

The Asian deputy director of Human Rights Watch said Thailand needed to do more to help those displaced by the fighting in Myanmar.

Refugees in Myanmar, who have fled in fighting between the Myanmar army and rebel groups and have temporarily settled on the banks of the Moei River, are receiving Thai aid on the Thai-Myanmar border at Mae Sot, Thailand on January 4, 2022. REUTERS pic.twitter.com/yjI11NGjCb

– soe zeya tun (@soezeya) January 4, 2022

“Thailand needs to recognize that its humanitarian obligations to refugees involve more than just leaving some packages of food and medicine across the border,” Phil Robertson said.

Elsewhere in Myanmar, a village in the northern division of Sagaing was allegedly attacked by the military on Friday.

Residents of Kan Gyi East village in Kanbalu municipality had to flee on Friday morning as security forces beat and arrested at least 20 of them while burning houses and killing animals, according to social media posts, including photos showing the alleged people. attack.

Al Jazeera was unable to confirm the reports independently, and the military has yet to comment on the incident.

Myanmar it has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the civilian government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, sparking protests and occasional clashes between the rural junta and the military.

More than 1,400 civilians and protesters have been killed by Myanmar security forces in a coup, according to the Political Prisoner Support Association activist.

The military has said that these figures, which are widely cited by international organizations, are excessive.