Since October 2017, food aid has been completely cut by The Border Con-sortium (TBC) to over 6,000 Shan refugees/IDPs along the Shan-Thai border, despite ongoing conflict in Shan State. Food aid is urgently needed to support these displaced Shan, 70% of whom are women and children.

Urgent need for humanitarian aid for refugees/IDPs on the Shan-Thai border

Shan State Refugee Committee - Thai Border auMrwDbulef;rdlif;wB;ymBjaz; (vFefvdefwB; - xB;)

Location of Shan refugee/IDP camps

IDPs collecting food aid at the border

The refugees/IDPs cannot yet return home, because their old villages in Shan State are now derelict, or have been occupied by the Burma Army, their militia or the United Wa State Army, and because conflict and persecution are ongoing.

Despite the peace process, the Burma Army has expanded its troops, and is continuing to carry out military operations and attacks in all parts of Shan State, including areas of southern and eastern Shan State where ethnic armed groups have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Villagers continue to be arrested, tortured and killed.

We are appealing urgently to the international community to resume providing food aid to the refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on the Shan-Thai border directly through the Shan State Refugee Committee (Thai Border).

shanstaterefugeecommittee@gmail.com shanhumanrights@gmail.com

www.shanrefugee.org www.shanhumanrights.org

Shan State Refugee Committee (Thai Border) Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF)

shanhumanrights@gmail.com

www.shanhumanrights.org

Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF)

There are 5 IDP camps and one refugee camp along the Shan-Thai border, which have been set up since 1999. The refugees and IDPs have all fled from the war and Burma Army persecution, particularly the mass forced relocation during 1996-1998 in central Shan State. At that time, about 300,000 people from over 1,400 villages were forced at gunpoint from their homes. Hundreds were killed, tortured and raped by the Burma Army.

Most of the forcibly relocated villagers, including elderly and young children, fled to Thailand, but have never been given protection, nor been recognized as refugees by UNHCR.

Wanting to stay close to their communities in Shan State, some of the dis-placed villagers settled on the Thai-Shan border. The camps where they stay are located on mountaintops, where it is difficult to grow food. They have therefore had to rely on international donations of rice since their camps were first set up.

Forced relocation in Shan State from 1996 - 1998

The aid has enabled the refugees/IDPs to survive as communities, with their own basic education schools, health centres and places of worship. However, since the complete cut-off of food aid by TBC in October 2017, the people are now facing great difficulty to survive, and are depending only on private donations.

Loi Tai Leng IDP camp - 2005

Novices collecting alms in Loi Kaw Wan IDP camp