To escape the violence in Myanmar, thousands of people set up camp on the Thai River | War Stories

It is estimated that some 2,000 men, women, and children are camping at four locations along the Moei River in Myanmar.

Thousands of Myanmar villagers are forced to live in makeshift tents along the Thai border for fear of repatriation, but they are hesitant to flee across the border .

Violent clashes between Myanmar troops, which seized power last year, and militants have killed or displaced thousands of people in the region and elsewhere.

Many have fled to Thailand, but poor conditions in refugee camps have forced some to return to the Myanmar border, and human rights organizations have appealed for more help.

Reuters reporters along Thailand’s Moei River on Friday saw nearly 2,000 men, women and children living in four separate locations.

A camp woman, Sabal Phyu, 42, crossed a border crossing to fetch food and bottled water, before returning to the Myanmar river.

“There, we received wonderful medical care, but it was crowded and it was difficult to survive. Here, we have a lot of freedom, “Sabal Phyu told Reuters.

Sabal Phyu said she had crossed into Thailand with her husband and four children but returned to the border carrying a cow-free kraal with refugees near the Thai town of Mae Sot.

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

A spokesman for the Myanmar Armed Forces government did not respond to calls from Reuters for comment.

The responsibility to help people

Asked about the status of the Thai camp, Thai government spokesman Ratchada Dhanadirek said the country was “caring for refugees” and carrying out its activities “in accordance with international human rights law”.

The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said on Friday that it had not been granted access by the Thai government to the Mae Sot area where refugees live and cannot enter the Myanmar border.

UNHCR has provided mosquito nets, mattresses, blankets and masks to support the humanitarian response under Thai authorities, spokeswoman Sister Rochanakorn said.

The deputy director general of Human Rights Watch in Asia said Thailand should do more to help people displaced by the war in Myanmar.

Myanmar refugees, who have fled the fighting between Myanmar’s forces and militants and temporarily settled along the Moei River, have received aid from Thailand on the Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sot. , Thailand January 4, 2022. REUTERS / Ordinary pic.twitter.com/yjI11NGjCb

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

“Thailand should realize that its responsibility to help refugees involves more than just allowing food and medical supplies across the border,” said Phil Robertson.

Elsewhere in Myanmar, there have been reports that a village in the northern part of Sagaing was attacked on Friday by troops.

Residents of Kan Gyi East in Kanbalu town fled Friday morning after police reportedly beat and arrested at least 20 people, setting fire to houses and killing livestock, according to a video posted on television. the suspects. rebellion.

Al Jazeera could not confirm the reports on his own, and the military has not commented on the matter.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military took over the government under Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel laureate on February 1, sparking protests and riots in villages between anti-junta and anti-government forces.

More than 1,400 protesters and protesters have been killed by Myanmar troops since the insurgency, according to the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners.

The military says the figures, which have been widely reported by international organizations, are exaggerated.