Thai Burma Border: Heavy floods batter refugee camps

Residents of Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp in northern Thailand are bracing themselves against further flooding that has already swamped 400 houses, made 2,000 people homeless, destroyed 2,000 sacks of rice and hundreds of bags of other essential foodstuffs.

Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp under water

Heavy monsoon rains lashed the north of Thailand last week and earlier this week breaking the banks of the Mae Sariang River in Mae Hong Song province and flooding the refugee camp and village.

Camp officials say no one was killed or injured in the camp but three people are reported dead and 5 missing on the road between Mae Sam Laap and Mae La Oon refugee camp.

Refugees are worried that the if the rains do not ease they fear a repeat of the floods that devastated the area in 2002, killing at least 14 people after a mudslide and floodwaters hit a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border.

Read full story from Karen News online

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 10-Aug-2011 16:15:53 EST
This page: http://apheda.org.au/news/1312956723_15251.html