New refugees are now also arriving from this area, although most of them remain in the border region. “Because that area is in the hands of the Karen, people come from the big cities there. But as the army moves further into the Karen region, more people will try to cross the border,” says Kas.
Last week, this was already a precursor: after air raids by the army, some 3000 Burmese fled the border. Although the Thai Prime Minister said earlier that he – although reluctantly – would receive refugees at least two thousand sent back from them.
‘Self defense’
Yesterday, the Thai government for the first time publicly called for a cessation of violence in Myanmar. Kas does not expect the army in the neighboring country to be impressed by this. “There was an immediate reaction that they cannot do otherwise and act in self-defense: essentially they blamed the protesters.”
Thailand’s appeal seems at least partly motivated by an expected flow of refugees. “Thailand is not waiting for more refugees. At the moment there are no gigantic flows, but the situation is very fluid.”
–
