Stress of return stalks Myanmar refugees in Thai border camps

Sub-title: 

Report says mental health crisis surges in refugee camps after cuts to aid and end of resettlement programmes.

Description: 

"Drastic cuts to humanitarian assistance for refugees who fled Myanmar for Thailand have stoked widespread "hopelessness and depression" in camps along the border, deepening a mental health crisis that has seen suicide rates soar, a coalition of civil society groups says. Major donors including Norway and Sweden have withdrawn funding for the camps in recent years, while the European Union has ended food aid in favour of other projects, leading to cuts in food rations for around 100,000 refugees as aid workers struggle with less than half the money they had in 2012. Fifteen local groups have urged foreign donors to reinstate funds in a report published on Thursday to mark World Refugee Day. The report, There Is No One Who Does Not Miss Home, is based on interviews with 338 displaced people from various ethnic minority groups living in camps in Myanmar and Thailand. The report noted cuts to aid have led to concern that refugees are coming under pressure to move out of the 10 camps along the border and back to Myanmar, where negotiations to end decades of conflict between the military and various rebel groups have stalled and violence continues. The situation has led to "higher rates of depression and suicide" in the camps, the report said..."

Creator/author: 

Joshua Carroll

Source/publisher: 

"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)

Date of Publication: 

2019-06-20

Date of entry: 

2019-09-23

Grouping: 

  • Individual Documents

Category: 

Countries: 

Myanmar, Thailand

Language: 

English

Resource Type: 

text

Text quality: 

    • Good