Myanmar refugees say aid pledges have yet to improve conditions in Thai camps

Aid workers assisting Myanmar refugees at Umpiem Mai camp in Thailand’s Tak Province and another camp in Mae Hong Son Province told DVB that there has been no significant improvement in healthcare services despite aid pledges from the E.U. and Japan in recent weeks.

“There are new donors which have already been confirmed, but we haven’t seen any noticeable changes yet,” a health worker at Umpiem Mai camp, located roughly 47 miles (87 km) south of the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot, told DVB on the condition of anonymity.

The E.U. announced 15 million Euros ($17 million USD) to strengthen healthcare, child protection, and livelihood opportunities in the nine camps hosting an estimated 107,000 refugees along the Thai–Myanmar border on April 20.

On Feb. 16, Japan pledged 453 million yen ($2.95 million USD) in health assistance to 60,000 refugees living in Umpiem Mai, Mae La and Nu Po camps, which are located across the Thai-Myanmar border from Karen State’s Myawaddy Township.

“There is a growing number of patients avoiding hospitals because they can’t afford the high cost… some have died,” the health worker told DVB, without sharing any figures.

She added that monthly stipends for herself and 22 colleagues – down from 220 in January 2025 when U.S. funding cuts were first announced – are expected to drop from 5,000-3,000 Thai baht ($135-80 USD) in the “coming months.”

The U.S.-based International Rescue Committee (IRC), which previously provided healthcare services in all nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, halted nearly all of its primary care operations following the announced cuts.

Besides the three camps in Tak Province, another four are located in Mae Hong Son Province bordering Myanmar’s Karenni State with one each in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces bordering Myanmar’s Karen State and Tanintharyi Region.