suwannimit report 8 november - 31 december 2010_as at 20 jan 2011-1

8/7/2019 Suwannimit Report 8 November - 31 December 2010_as at 20 JAN 2011-1

1/14

Report January 20, 2011Report on assistance provided to influxes of refugees to Thailand

November and December 2010SuwannimitFoundation


2/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1/546 10230 / 02-9466104: 61 . 63110 / 055-544314Suwannimit Foundation:1/546 Nuan Chan Rd., Klongkum, Beungkum, Bangkok 10230 Tel/Fax+662-9466104Mae Sod branch: 61 Rat-U-Thit Rd., Mae Sod, Tak 63110 Tel/Fax +665-5544314

ReportI.

1. OrganisationName of organisation: SUWANNIMIT FOUNDATION W/MAE TAO CLINICEmail address: [email protected] number(s) (with countrycode):

+66833182559+66817466871

Fax number: +6655544655

Mailing address: POBOX 67,MAE SOT,TAK,63110Website (if applicable): WWW.MAETAOCLINIC.ORG2. Names of Key PersonnelExecutive Director: DRCYNTHIAMAUNGBoard Chair: DRVICHAI CHOKWIWATCoordinator of Project: Lisa Houston3. Contact Information

Name: Lisa HoustonPosition: Coordinating Team memberPhone number(s): +66817466871E-mail address: [email protected]

3. Project ReportProject title: Emergency Funding for New Influxes of People

Fleeing Post-Election Conflict to ThailandSummary description of Project: Mae Tao Clinic and its Community Networks set

up systems for delivering relief materials, healthcare and protection mechanisms within days ofthe largest influx of refugees to Thailand since1997. The violence in Eastern Burma shows nosigns of abating and our community networksplans to continue responding to the needs ofthose fleeing. Most of those fleeing the conflict

are in hiding sites along the border with noaccess by INGOs or UNHCR, the communityresponse is of particular urgency.

Suwannimit

Foundation


3/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Smoke rises from an artillery shell

1. Community in Need

The community that this project is working with is those fleeing the recent post electionconflict along the Thai Burma border. At the moment this population is mainly located inthe Pho Phra, Umphang, Tha Song Yang, Mae Sot and Sop Moei areas of Thailand, andsome smaller populations on the Burma side opposite these districts of Thailand. There ishowever every likelihood that the violence will erupt in other areas resulting in

displacement to other districts of Thailand. Many people in this community are subsistenceagricultural workers, and have had to leave their harvest behind.

2. Background of the Emergency

NovemberConflict in the Burmese town of Myawaddy began on 7 November, when civilianscomplained of being threatened and intimidated to vote for the junta-backed party, theUnion for Solidarity Development Party (USDP), rather than the local Karen party. Brigade5 of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), led by Colonel Saw Lah Bwe, a factionof the DKBA that refused to transform his troops into a Border Guard Force, took control of

Myawaddy on election-day. At 9am on 8 November, the State Peace and DevelopmentCouncil (SPDC) Army responded by opening fire with machine guns and rocket-propelledgrenades, despite the presence of many civilians in the town. As a result, more than25,000 civilians fled across the border into Thailand, three civilians were killed, and morewere injured. On 9-10November, Thai military authorities organised the return of all thecivilians, despite uncertainties as to the security situation. On 11 November, cease-firetalks between DKBA Brigade 5 and SPDC commanders, which were being mediated by Thaimilitary officials, broke down. As a result more civilians were displaced due to fear offighting and the instability caused. On 14 November fighting broke out in Waley, Pho PhraDistrict, and 675 people fled to the Thai side. Shelter was organised, and on the 17 th, asthe situation was reported as stable by the SPDC to the Royal Thai Government, the

refugees were sent back.

Since the beginning of the crisis, peoplewent into hiding, fearing a return to Burmaand to avoid being sent back by the Thaiauthorities. People are fearful for differentreasons. Some reported fearing theincreased portering as a result of theintensified troop activity in the area, whileothers were afraid of being associated withthe DKBA or other groups, and punishedaccordingly by the SPDC.

In November official holding sites wereestablished in Waley and in Mae Khon Khen.However, repatriation from these sites usually happened within just 48 hours after fightinghad stopped and sometimes within 48 hours of it starting again and people becameincreasingly unlikely to use these sites, finding hiding a safer option.

During November displacement was to sites in Mae Sot, Pho Phra and Umphang districts.


4/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Distribution of food and supplies (Dec 2010)

DecemberFighting continued throughout December in areas opposite Pho Phra, Mae Sot andUmphang. Then from December 15th fighting started near Manerplaw and displacementbegan into the Tha Song Yang district of Thailand and also some to the Sop Moei area.Therefore, by the end of December, there was displacement to 5 districts of Thailandacross 2 provinces.

Large numbers of civilians having sought shelter on Thai soil have been sent back intoBurma by Thai authorities. Human rights groups, non-government organisations and theUnited Nations have raised concerns about whether these returns have been voluntary andsafe. On 25 December, 166 civilians who had sought refuge in Thailands Phop Phra districtwere sent back into Burma despite the ongoing risks associated with the conflict,provoking criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. On the sameday, the Royal Thai Army sent back 65 villagers from the temporary site at Mu Yoo Hta;these villagers had originally fled from the Manerplaw area on 11 December 2010.

3. Project Goals.

To provide immediate relief assistance to those fleeing the post election conflict in

Eastern Burma, including health services, food, shelter, water and sanitation,hygiene, clothing as well as meeting the needs of vulnerable groups, such asinfants, women, elderly and children

Establish protection mechanisms by developing protection referral systems togetherwith the affected communities and with INGOs and UNHCR

Advocate on behalf of those fleeing conflict in terms of preventing premature returnor the development of long term solutions.

4. Project Activities and Timeline.

Suwannimit Foundation directlypurchases goods with available funds,with partner organisations and theirstaff assisting in distribution. Since weare managing the purchasing, logisticsand distribution centrally there is noneed to re-grant.

The current situation is highlyunstable and it is difficult to estimatehow long the conflict will continue orhow many people will need assistanceon a daily basis. We predict that therewill be a need for at least another five

months, however, our budgets arewritten on a monthly basis becausewe arent able to accurately estimate affected populations.

The armed conflict is still in evolving stages.


5/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Food and drinking water was urgently needed(Dec 2010)

The following activities were carried out:

Coordination TeamCoordination begins in the field with a network of local people: teachers, village leaders,religious leaders, health workers and villagers. By the end of December there were around50 field coordinators.

At the Mae Sot level, the coordinating team manages information from field, andcoordinates distribution, fundraising and coordination with INGOs and UNHCR. Alsoconducts regular site visits.

On 8 December IRC and the Mae Tao Clinic facilitated an interagency coordination meetingto improve coordination in each sector and across sectors.

Regular CBO/INGO/UNHCR sectoral coordination meetings are also held.

Assistance Team

Food Assistance (Cooked Food and

Drinking Water) During November closeto 15,000 meals were cooked bycommunity members in Mae Sot and sentmostly to Pho Phra and Mae Sot areas. InDecember, a similar number of meals weredistributed to Mae Sot and Pho Phra.These were sent to the official sites ofWaley and Mae Khon Khen.

However, from 8 December, the Thai

authorities restricted access to the sites,and the strategy changed so that ourvolunteers continued to prepare all themeals, while the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) delivered the food.

The dry food received from TBBC was managed for cooked food by using thefollowing ration standard

For 400 (rice packs) Rice 1 SackOil 2 LitresSalt 2 Kg

Food Assistance (Dry food rations for One week) For the majority of thepopulations displaced, the best way to provide assistance was to provide dry foodrations and to make sure they had the means to cook for themselves in smallerfamily groups.

Starting from the last week of December, a ration card system was established(which also enabled effective family registration). This became increasinglynecessary as the population is often moving from site to site in search of improvedsafety. Village leaders may not know whether the family has received rations or not.The ration card system, where families have a card and a number which should be


6/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Kits for new born babies distributed (Dec 2010)

easy to remember, will hopefully make food distribution more effective and help tomonitor population movement.

Population 100 (for one week) Rice 6.25 SacksOil 25 LitresSalt 2 KgsTinned fish 200 Tins

Beans 25 Kgs

The central systems for recording and monitoring distribution were also refinedduring December, with the help of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC).

In summary, the total dry food items distributed from 8 November to 31 December:

Rice (sacks) 1,068

Oil (litres) 2,618

Beans (kgs) 1,793

Salt (kgs) 810

Fish paste 50

Tinned fish 14,146

Other Food items Other food items such as instant noodles, cookies, milk andinstant oats are also distributed in certain emergencies. In certain cases when newgroups of people have recently arrived with no means to cook food and not enoughtime for the Mae Sot community to cook for them we sent out snacks until it waspossible for a better solution. Snacks and milk have also been distributed tochildren, pregnant women and elderly.

Shelter and Sleeping Equipment Assistance Sleeping equipment has been

provided to over 4,400 people during the two month period. In summary, the totalshelter and sleeping equipment items distributed from 8 November to 31 December:

Tarps 87

Blankets 2,132

Nets 647

Mats 957

Hygiene Packs, Kits for Pregnant Women,Children, Infants, and Elderly Where possiblekits for specific groups have also beendistributed. Hygiene packs were distributed toeach family where possible and kits for thosewith specific needs such as pregnant women,new borns and elderly were also distributed. Thedifficulty with hiding sites, however, is that massdistribution is very challenging and fieldcoordinators have to distribute discreetly andsecretly. As a result food and shelter has beenprioritised and other items are sometimes not

distributed because of security.


7/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


In summary, the total kits distributed from 8 November to 31 December:

Maternity 188

Under 1 179

Under 5 647

Older 6 32

Infant 74

Elder 221

Other Household Items and Tools The situation for those in hiding varies from siteto site and the items we are able to provide also vary according to the situation. Insome places it has been possible to build simple bamboo shelters, and even latrines, inother areas this is impossible. Our teams have to work closely with the local leaders onthe Thai side to assess what would be the most appropriate assistance. Cooking potsare given out in some areas since many people leave their village without this item.Most people in hiding are cooking their own food on small fires. Some are staying withfamilies and the family may need some extra support in terms of another cooking stoveor latrine to accommodate the extra people.

In summary, the total household items and tools distributed from 8 November to 31December:

Pail 100

Basin 100

Cup 100

Stove 100

Table spoon 100

Hammer 3

Iron nail 10

Axe 5Cement 25

Rice pots 242

Mattock 10

Cross-cut saw 5

Knife (broad blade) 10

Chopping hoe 5

Shoes 192

Plates 804

Spoon 612

Health TeamBy the end of December there were 2 mobile health teams operating in the Mae Sot andPho Phra areas - the members are Mae Tao Clinic health staff. There are also 5 stablehealth teams consisting of local Karen health workers providing regular check-ups anddelivery kits for traditional birth attendants.

From 8 November 2010 until 3 January 2011 a total of 2,709 cases were diagnosed amongthe newly arrived populations. Cases that need referring were referred to local governmentclinics, the Mae Tao Clinic or to Mae Sot Hospital.


8/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Protection is essential for those fleeing the fighting.(15 Dec 2010)

Education teams provide mobile

education services using a backpack

The health teams have worked closely with IRC to establish data systems, populationassessments and referrals to the local district authorities. On 13 December, IRC facilitateda workshop which brought together the Mae Tao Clinics health teams as well as Thaidistrict health officers and staff in order to improve relationships and to strategise abouthow to help the newly arrived populations.

Protection Team

Protection team members made regular visits tothe sites and also met on a regular basis withthe protection team led by UNHCR. At sitesthey helped to identify unaccompanied childrenand to locate family members so they would bereunited. They also followed up on reports ofrape. In December, the UNHCR-developedprotection assessment form was completed andthe team planned for a series of fieldworkshops with field coordinators to review theprotection assessment form and to strengthen

protection referral networks and to improvesupport for the protection at a local level.These workshops were held in January 2011.

Because of the difficulties of accessing refugees in hiding sites, especially for UNHCR andINGOs, but also for CBOs, refugees are very dependent on local structures and individualsfor their protection. It is important to note that it is the local villagers who are taking onthe protection role and at times doing so at significant cost and risk to themselves. Villageleaders will not tell the military the location of those in hiding and some individual villagershave been hosting up to 15 people in their houses for, in some cases, over 2 months.

Education TeamThe education team is the newest team andwas established in December. Initiallyteams from Mae Sot visited sites to identifypotential educators among the refugeepopulation.

Education Backpacks were designed anddistributed for use by 11 teachers from thedisplaced populations to teach 180students. The Burmese Migrant WorkersEducation Committee (BMWEC) is workingwith other CBOs and INGOs to coordinatethis programme and to extend the services

to other areas.

Parents among the displaced populations haveexpressed concerns for their childrens lack of education during this 2 month period,especially when many still hope to return to sit government school exams.


9/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CDC Migrant School First Aid Team (8 Nov 2010)

Many of those in hiding are taking refuge under treesalong the river which separates Thailand from Burma

Advocacy and Media TeamThe advocacy and media team has organised regular meetings to establish what the mainmessages are that spokespeople such as Dr. Cynthia and other team members should beconveying. Regular updates on the situation have been provided to the National HumanRights Commission (NHRC) as well as INGOs from the Coordinating Committee for Servicesto Displaced People in Thailand (CCSDPT) and UNHCR. The team has also worked closelywith Friends of Burma (a Thai foundation) to get information to Thai civil society.

Interviews and video footage were recorded and published on websites. Several reportswere published, and an appeal was launched to international governments at the end ofNovember. Updates have been sent to donors on a regular basis.

Most advocacy work has been conducted through the Forum of Community-BasedOrganizations Burma (FCOB). This has been necessary so as to protect the ability of MaeTao Clinic to conduct its humanitarian work.

Mae Tao Clinic and Community Network Response

NovemberThe local Burmese communities began tomobilise themselves to assist those in needas soon as the situation arose. Mae TaoClinic provided food and shelter to over 800people on the 8th of November and over 600people on the 9th of November at the clinicsite and one migrant school. At the sametime we distributed food and basic hygieneitems to more than 5,000 people outside of

the clinic on the same two days. Our SchoolHealth team assisted in conductingassessments with other health INGOs andour first aid team from CDC school, helped infood and water distribution. Refer to theHealth Team report for further details on their activities.

The local Burmese and Thai communityreached out to those in need; families,churches, monasteries, organisations broughtfood, water, clothing and whatever elseseemed to be needed. Many Burmese familiesprovided shelter and food to people in theirown homes.

We also immediately began making contactwith others in our community who were alsoproviding support. On 9 November, over 20community members came together to

organise a health team, an assistance team,an information and media team and a financeand fundraising team.


10/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dr. Cynthia on a field visit (Nov 2010)

Getting urgent supplies in (Dec 2010)

Through the Suwannimit Foundation, we immediately began mobilising funds so as tomaintain a fast emergency response.

The assistance team established standardised distribution systems for food, shelter, babykits, hygiene kits, etc. The coordination of cooking for two meals per day was organised,cars were mobilised for distribution and drinking water arrived for distribution. From 810November, cooked food distribution formed the core of the assistance activities. After the

10th, dry food rations were distributed to some areas, as well as maternity kits, baby kits,sleeping equipment and clothing.

The health team organised assessment forms and visited the displaced populations toprovide basic medical care.

On 10 November, 3 team members met with UNHCR and other NGOs to discuss thesituation. At the meeting it was discussed that aside for the populations initially displacedby the fighting 25,000 to the military camp on 8th November (returned on the 9th) and675 to Waley on the 14th and returned on the morning of the 17th which was coordinated

by the Royal Thai Government, with the

assistance of UNHCR and the NGOs, UN andNGOs were not being granted access to anyother populations in hiding in Thailand. For thatreason several NGOs agreed to provide suppliesto the Mae Tao Clinic teams for the Mae TaoClinic and its network to distribute.

On 15 November, Dr. Cynthia presented thecurrent situation to the National Human RightsCommission, as a result of this meeting a highlevel government meeting with the NHRC was

held on 22 November.

On 25 November, Dr. Cynthia together with members of the Forum of CommunityOrganizations Burma (FCOB) organised a diplomatic briefing in Bangkok which wasattended by most of the diplomatic community there at the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok.

December6th December: FCOB launched an urgent appealto international governments to take action toprevent the forcible return to the newlydisplaced people fleeing the recent conflict.

8th December: Mae Tao Clinic and IRCorganised a joint CBO, INGO and UNHCRcoordinating meeting for improving assistanceto the newly arrived refugees. The attendeesgrouped themselves by different sectors: food,Health, Wat San, Protection, Education andCoordination. Focal points and communicationlines were established.


11/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Displaced children in hiding

Health services in the field

13th December: Mae Tao Clinic attended the Workshop organised by the National HumanRights Commission (NHRC) which discussedContingency Plan for People Fleeing fromConflicts in Burma. This meeting was attended by Thai government representatives,military, UNHCR, INGOs and community organisations. It was an important meeting inbringing all the different agencies involved in providing assistance and safety to the current

influx of refugees. Our team also helped to organise field visits by the NHRC delegate topopulations at official refugee sites as well as in hiding sites.

5. Beneficiaries.

There are changes in the numbers of beneficiarieson a daily basis. In general there has been asteady increase in numbers.

Total populations assisted by MTC at given times:

8th

November: 5,000 Mid-November: 1,000

End of November: 2,000

Mid-December: 3,400 31st December: 7,700 people

6. Community Participation.

The Mae Tao Clinic and the community networks response, is a community-basedresponse and is a network of community organisations and individuals from the affected

communities who have come together in order to have an effective response. Our clinicstaff are playing a key role in the effort, but staff from a number of our partnerorganisations are also working on a daily basis and playing key roles.

7. Challenges.

The largest challenge is that of access and security for ourstaff and the refugees in a situation where the currentstance of the Royal Thai Government (RTG) is to providevery limited access in terms of providing assistance. Toexacerbate the matter, most of the refugees are currently

in hiding along the border with Thailand. They are at highrisk of being forced to return into unsafe circumstances.This means that diverse strategies for providing assistanceneed to be developed. Our teams are made up of peoplewho are very familiar in working in the particular areas ofdisplacement and many have worked with displacedpeople in Karen State. In order to try to improveprotection for these refugees we also have advocacystrategies which include coordinating with UNHCR and theNational Human Rights Commission Thailand.


12/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Shelter provided for displaced persons (Dec 2010)

Protection for those in hiding is also challenging since there is no official recognition of theexistence of the majority of these people by the Royal Thai Government. Again diversestrategies and a cross-sectoral approach is necessary to provide protection especially forthe most vulnerable in the community. To this end we have a team who will work with thelocal community and existing protection networks.

8. Experience with Relief Work.

Our community network consists of health workers, teachers, community leaders,members of women and youth organisations, all with extensive experience of working withdisplaced people and in situations where people are in hiding. Many of the members arefrom the communities who are directly affected by the conflict and so have intimateknowledge of the community and its resources for dealing with the situation. Our networkhas several years experience of working together in a variety of issues including healthcare, child protection and cross border health services.

9. Financial Report. Attached.

10.For more information:

Regular situation reports at:www.backpackteam.org Reports on Human Rights context of current displacement:www.khrg.orgUpdates on Mae Tao Clinics Facebook Site:

www.facebook.com/MaeTaoClinic
http://www.backpackteam.org/http://www.backpackteam.org/http://www.backpackteam.org/http://www.khrg.org/http://www.khrg.org/http://www.khrg.org/http://www.facebook.com/MaeTaoClinichttp://www.facebook.com/MaeTaoClinichttp://www.facebook.com/MaeTaoClinichttp://www.facebook.com/MaeTaoClinichttp://www.khrg.org/http://www.backpackteam.org/


13/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Appendix: Daily Populations provided with Food and Shelter

Daily Populations Served Food and Shelter Distribution

DatesMaeSod

PhoPhra Umphang

ThaSongYang TOTAL

CookedfoodPacks

1 weekdry foodrations

DrinkingWater

SleepingEquip. Shelter

08-Nov 1789 0 1789 X

09-Nov 1319 0 1319 X

10-Nov 874 136 1010 540

11-Nov 927 1772 2699 900 100pp 1772

12-Nov 635 1768 2403 3772 100pp

13-Nov 104 200 304 492 100pp 750 300+pp

14-Nov 286 1325 1611 900 858pp 500+pp

15-Nov 149 1100 1249 2114 100+pp 1300 300+pp

16-Nov 41 900 150 1091 1008 32 pp 1300 20+pp

17-Nov 149 467 616

18-Nov 9 0 9 0

19-Nov 0 130 165 295 295pp 150+pp

20-Nov 0 133 133 140 133pp

21-Nov 0 0 022-Nov 129 0 129 129pp

23-Nov 80 0 80 500 80pp

24-Nov 0 0 0

25-Nov 1131 1131

26-Nov 0

27-Nov 1137 27 1164 1000 200+pp13families

28-Nov 1137 100 1237 1100 100pp 1500 1130+pp

29-Nov 41 41 700 41pp 206

30-Nov 200 623 823 1700 823pp 740 120+pp

01-Dec 120 225 345 800 345pp 450 360+pp

02-Dec 181 181 1200 181pp 31+pp

03-Dec 534 89 200 823 823pp 700+pp

04-Dec 470 376 846 846pp

05-Dec 328 328 328pp

06-Dec 53 53 X 53pp 50+pp

07-Dec 340 340 X 340pp 360 200+pp

08-Dec 285 285 X 285pp

09-Dec 52 376 200 628 X 628pp 60

10-Dec 200 200 X 200pp

11-Dec 140 140 X 140pp

12-Dec 721 721 721pp

13-Dec 200 200 200pp 300+pp

14-Dec 100 332 432 432pp

15-Dec 110 110 110pp 200 110+pp 100+pp

16-Dec 0

17-Dec 450 450 450pp 400+pp

18-Dec 80 300 380 380pp 100 300+pp

19-Dec 80 532 612 612pp

20-Dec 53 53 53pp

21-Dec 389 34 423 423pp 100

22-Dec 922 1783 316 3021 3021pp

23-Dec 23 23 23pp


14/14

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


24-Dec 286 469 755 755pp

25-Dec 200 200 200pp

26-Dec 167 662 829 829pp 102 100+pp

27-Dec 0

28-Dec 0

29-Dec 0

30-Dec 0 100 pp 100+pps

31-Dec 0 459 ppX indicates unclear records for those days

suwannimit report 8 november - 31 december 2010_as at 20 jan 2011-1

Documents