MAE SOT, Thailand — Almost all of the thousands of people who fled the Burmese border town of Myawaddy on Monday have returned, but many still fear for their security following an outbreak of hostilities between Burmese troops and ethnic rebels earlier this week.
Thai authorities said that most of the estimated 20,000 refugees had been repatriated by Wednesday morning, after the their Burmese counterparts, led by Col Khin Maung Htay, assured them that the situation was under control.
However, it appears that while fears of renewed attacks by a breakaway faction of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), which seized control of Myawaddy on Sunday, have abated, many residents of the town have returned to Thai side of the border to avoid being used as porters by the Burmese army.
“The town was silent when we went back this morning, but there were soldiers searching for explosive devices. Then we heard the soldiers wanted porters, so we come back to the Thai side,” said Han Sein (not his real name), a retire civil servant from Myawaddy, speaking to The Irrawaddy on the bank of the Moei River, which separates Thailand and Burma.
“I saw that some of the shops—particularly the phone shops—had been looted, but I have no idea who did it,” he said, adding that this was the worst incident he had experienced since moving to Myawaddy in 1992.
While many local residents have returned to the town to check their property, many others say they are still too worried about their personal safety to remain there.
“After I got back to my house, I cooked some rice. Then I saw that some people were running away to escape being recruited as porters, so I also came back to Thailand,” said Daw Yee, 74. “I am worried about my home, but right now, safety is my main concern.”
Many who have returned to the Thai side of the border have taken shelter in local monasteries or in houses near the river. Others are said to be hiding in the woods around the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
“I feel the situation in the town is still uncertain. That's why I decided to come to Thailand this morning,” said Ba Maung, 84, who was taken to the Mao Tao clinic in Mae Sot after he arrived on the Thai side. “I was at a monastery during the fighting on Monday.”
Thai soldiers at the Thai-Burmese Friendship Bridge between Mae Sot and Myawaddy said they could understand why the refugees were nervous. “The opposite side of the river is too quiet. It's not normal. Something could happen at anytime,” said one Thai sergeant at the bridge.
However, local authorities in Mae Sot are struggling to deal with the influx of thousands of refugees and are eager to see the situation return to normal as quickly as possible. Thai officials and NGO workers said there were only 13 toilets for about 20,000 refugees who arrived on Monday and Tuesday.
“I want to thank the Thai people and authorities,” said Daw Yee. “I understand that it is quite difficult to take care of thousands of refugees.”
According to international NGO workers and Thai officials who spoke to The Irrawaddy on condition of anonymity, Thai authorities have not been happy with the slow pace of the response to the crisis by international aid agencies, including the UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency.
“There was a meeting between Thai officials and aid agencies on Monday evening. Some arguments occurred then,” said a foreign NGO worker in Mae Sot.
Meanwhile, officials in Myawaddy said that a list had been made of all those who fled to Thailand during the incident. One official in the town said the order to make the list came from the Southeast Regional Military Command.
irrawaddy
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