Fire Leaves Hundreds of Karen Refugees Homeless

Hundreds of Karen refugees were left homeless after more than 100 wooden houses in a refugee camp in Tha Song Yang district of Tak province were burned down

 

TAK – A ferocious blaze on Friday swept through part of the Mae La camp for Karen refugees in Tha Song Yang district of Tak province, injuring one man.

Mae La Refugee Camp officials confirmed that a fire that tore through Zone C of Mae La Refugee camp destroyed as many as 120 houses. Camp officials confirmed to karen News that the fire broke out at around 1.30pm of Friday 27 December.

Naw Blooming Night Zan, a spokesperson for the Karen Refugee Committee told Karen News that an emergency meeting was quickly organized with the Mae La camp officials, non-government-organisations, the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and officials from the Thai government in an effort to deliver emergency relief – food, blankets and shelter for those affected by the fire.

Naw Blooming Night Zan said that three camp residents “were injured, one with serious burns who had to be taken to hospital for treatment.”

Naw Blooming Night Zan said that refugees made homeless by the fire were given shelter at a school and others stayed with friends and relatives in the camp.

Mae La refugee camp is located in the Tha Song Yang district of Tak province, 57kms from the Thai Burma border town of Mae Sot and is estimated by the The Border Consortium to be home to 52,000 refugees from Karen State.