Along the Thai-Burma border, there are several refugee camps, in the area of Mae Sot there are six of them. 12 000 to 40 000 Karen refugees are living there in very simple leaf-covered bamboo huts. The people are badly off and it is their greatest wish to return to a liberated Burma, to return to their Karen state.

View of the the Camp

The refugees are being supported in the camps by the international NGOs. They receive a basic amount of food like rice, lentils and cooking oil. There are primary and secondary schools, clinics and social institutions like orphanages and women's homes. The camps are comparably clean as a result of extensive hygiene education. There are central, clean wells, showers and sanitary facilities.

Several organizations founded by the refugees themselves are working inside the camps. There are sport clubs or cultural societies trying to keep up the Karen customs and traditions. Youth organizations offer diverse education and occupation for young Karen people. Women's organizations have started projects to offer women an opportunity to earn their own money, for example, in the fields of handicraft, weaving, tailoring or making candles.

Dust in the summer, mud during rainy saison

Many people are trying to work outside the camps, often under humiliating conditions. The Thai government makes it increasingly difficult for them to work. Access to public facilities like hospitals, schools and universities is very limited for the Burmese people in Thailand.

See our links for further information about the refugees' situation in Thailand.