All war-displaced individuals from Myawaddy Township on the Thailand-Myanmar border, who sought temporary shelter in Mae Sot on the Thai side, were safely repatriated on April 24 with assistance from Thai authorities, Mae Sot administration confirmed.
Several thousand IDPs from Myawaddy had sought temporary refuge in livestock ranches organized by authorities in Mae Sot, returning in batches starting from the evening of April 21, with the final group of 658 safely repatriated to Myawaddy on April 24, according to the Mae Sot authorities..
Officials also announced the closure of two temporary refugee camps and a humanitarian aid donation center in Mae Sot, as all the IDPs had safely returned home.
The Mae Sot Red Cross announced that all humanitarian aid received at the donation center was distributed to the war-displaced to people before their departure.
“Thai authorities said that the war-displaced individuals were repatriated due to the cessation of violent armed clashes on the other side. They emphasized that accepting refugees is unnecessary, if the fighting in Myanmar territory is not severe. And locals also prefer not to seek refuge on the Thai side if there are no intense conflicts”, an aid worker who helped the repatriation processes told KIC.
On April 23, Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara visited Mae Sot, meeting with Myawaddy war-displaced individuals who had not yet returned home, and conducting a security assessment of the border area.
During the press conference on the trip, the Thai foreign minister expressed Thailand's commitment to enhancing border security and facilitating refuge for all civilians and combatants seeking shelter on Thai territory.
Joint forces led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) attacked Junta troops near Friendship Bridge No. 2 in Myawaddy, leading to intense clashes. This added to the thousands of Myawaddy residents who had already fled across the border seeking refuge in Mae Sot due to heavy airstrikes launched by the Junta.
The number of war-displaced individuals seeking refuge in two camps organized by Thai authorities in Mae Sot was reported to be over 3000.
