Following the early morning aerial bombardment near the Thailand-Myanmar border on July 12th, the Thai border authorities have granted temporary asylum to individuals seeking refuge from the air assault.
"As far as I'm aware, the entire population of 5027 in Dawnoeku village has fled, with the majority seeking refuge in accommodations provided by the Thai authorities, while a few are temporarily staying with relatives in the border area”, Maw Thae Mar of Karenni Emergency Relief Coordination said.
Currently, displaced individuals who have found temporary shelter in places allocated by the Thai authorities are still in the process of planning their long-term accommodation.
Local NGOs, women's organizations, and social groups are providing assistance to war-displaced individuals by supplying not only food but also urgently needed tarpaulin sheets for makeshift roofs, Maw Thae Mar added.
"Their immediate needs are simple yet vital: food, water, shelter, and clothing. They seek dry food, basic necessities, and clean drinking water. Many fled with only one piece of clothing and bare feet. So, they also need cloths”, she told Kantarawaddy Times.
In the words of a war-displaced refugee, he left behind all his belongings as fear engulfed him on the night when bombs rained down from the Military Council aircraft.
"In that moment, panic consumed me to the point where I feared I might collapse. With sheer determination, I gathered my courage and fled. Realizing that my life held utmost value, I left everything behind. As the aircraft approached, fear gripped me, causing me to forget the piercing cold of the night”, he recalled.
Currently, over 5,000 individuals who have been displaced by the air raid rely on the provision of food prepared and distributed by volunteers at Karenni Refugee Camp No. 1.
While these displaced individuals are currently granted asylum in Thailand, their future remains uncertain as their stay is subject to a time limit determined by the Thai authorities.
Due to the ongoing threat of airstrikes by the Military Council, these individuals are hesitant to return to their homes and instead plan to construct temporary tents on the Thai side of the border, where they intend to reside.
