NGOer ruster sig til nye flygtningestrømme efter søndagens valg i Burma

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Den thailandske regering, FNs Højkommisariat for Flygtninge (UNHCR) og humanitære NGOer langs den burmesiske grænse forbereder sig på, at strømme af især etniske minoriteter kan flygte over grænsen i forbindelse med valget d. 7. november.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Thai civil and military officials, and NGOs held a “District Preparatory Coordination Meeting” recently to identify six sites along the border – mostly temples and schools – where an influx of Burmese could be sheltered, and to decide which agencies would meet needs such as food and medical services Irinnews.org wrote on Nov. 5 2010.

An aid worker said authorities were preparing for the possibility of 3,000 new refugees, and possibly up to 10,000.

ETHNIC MINORITIES
The military junta has ruled since 1962, conducting military offensives against armed ethnic minority groups and civilians, leading to a humanitarian crisis along the border with Thailand.

With the first wave crossing the border in 1984, more than 145,000 refugees are now living in nine camps in western Thailand. An additional 1.6 million Burmese are in the country as migrant labourers, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Læs videre på http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=90984