Thai base burmese refugee become a bad day

Burmese refugees in Thailand face food aid cut

Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

December 6, 2007 - A cut in food provisions has had to be enforced on Burmese refugees by a humanitarian agency working along the Thai-Burmese border due to fund shortfall.

The Thailand Burma Border Consortium, which has been providing food aid to over 150,000 Burmese refugees in 10 camps for nearly two decades, said the shortfall in funding and continuous influx of new refugees has forced the group to roll back its food supplies.

"We are affected by exchange rates (US dollar to the Thai Baht), and we continue to see new arrivals in the camps, even as commodity prices rise," Sally Thompson, deputy Executive Director of the TBBC said.

The strength of the Thai Baht against the US dollar means that the group is losing about 7 percent of around 80 million baht, of its funding. Therefore, the group is being forced to consider cutting off some of the food supplies.

The cut in food provisions began since the beginning of December. While the group continues to provide major staple food, it has reduced a few food items including chilies, and fish paste, Ms Thompson said.

However, Thompson said, the cutbacks are temporary and they will resume normal supply once more funding is received.

"To solve these problems, we are seeking some more funds through our contacts with various communities and are trying to get more funds for 2008," added Thompson.
Saw La Myint, an official of the Karen Refugees Committee, said, "It seems it is not their policy to reduce supplies but because of the situation they have to reduce some of the less important things like soap, chilies and fish paste."

The TBBC provides a refugee with rice, cooking oil, mung beans, chilies, sugar, salt, soap, charcoal, bean cake and fish paste. TBBC also provides food, shelter and non food items to displaced people from Burma.

"It is possible that they have to cutback food provisions as more refugees have come to the border area in 2007," Saw La Myint, said.

However, he expressed concern over the cut back of food provisions saying it will mean extremely hard times adjusting with limited supplies.

Besides, the group, which is also providing food and shelter to Internally Displaced Persons in conflict zones inside Burma, said the cutback will also impact the IDPs living inside Burma.

Pe Sai Leng, a Shan ethnic refugee, while expressing his concern over the cutback, said the hardest hit will be the IDPs, who will now receive only food supplies for four months from the initial six months supply.

The TBBC, which was formed with 11 international non-governmental organizations, said it will strive to garner more support to increase its funding in order to keep up with the needs of the Burmese refugees and IDPs