Tak: One thousand Myanmar refugees have voluntarily returned to their home country after clashes between ethnic groups and the Myanmar military eased, Surapol Wongsukphisarn, Tak’s deputy governor, said yesterday.
Mr Surapol led local officials, soldiers, and personnel from non-government organisations yesterday to visit about 9,000 Myanmar refugees and provided them with food and drinking water.
Over 3,700 refugees have now been given temporary shelter in Mae Ramat district, and over 5,000 in Mae Sot district.
Heavy fighting between the alliance of the People’s Defence Force, the Karen National Liberation Army, the Myanmar military and Border Guard forces lasted three days, forcing more than 9,000 Karen villagers in Myawaddy to flee across the border into the two districts.
Mr Surapol said military rangers from a special task force under the 35th Ranger Forces Regiment escorted the refugees to a pier where they took boats across the Moei River back home.
About 8,000 refugees, however, decided to remain at the temporary shelters as they wanted to wait and see the situation in Myanmar before making a decision, he said, emphasising that Thai authorities have attached importance to voluntary repatriation, not forced return.
Soldiers, police and local officials have been deployed around the shelters to ensure the safety of the refugees, he said. Some elderly and child refugees, however, were falling ill due to the extremely hot weather in the province, he said, adding the shelters have also become overcrowded.