Australian Call On Urgent Humanitarian Crisis At Thai-Myanmar Border Refugee Camps

The nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, home to over 100,000 Myanmar refugees, primarily ethnic Karen and Karenni, are facing a dire humanitarian crisis following devastating cuts to USAID funding. These camps, established in the mid-1980s to shelter those fleeing Myanmar’s brutal military offensives, have long relied on international aid for necessities like food, healthcare, and shelter.

Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA raised over $100,000 to support organisations affected by the sudden suspension of USAID funding. But the crisis has only deepened since. That is why the Myanmar Campaign Network (MCN) and Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA are urgently calling on the international community, particularly the Australian Government, to act swiftly to address this escalating emergency.

Naw Wah Nay Paw, a 40-year-old storekeeper at Mae La, the largest refugee camp, embodies the heartbreak and resilience of those affected. For years, Naw ran a small shop stocked with essentials like cooking oil and canned fish, funded through food vouchers provided by The Border Consortium. But when USAID’s funding cuts halted TBC’s food voucher program on July 31, 2025, her customers could no longer afford to buy supplies.

“I feel so anxious about what will happen tomorrow,” Naw shared, her voice heavy with worry. “People are struggling, asking for food, but I might lose my shop,” she said.

Naw’s story reflects the broader crisis: without immediate funding, starvation and preventable deaths loom for thousands.

The USAID freeze, initiated by the Trump administration, has crippled essential services across the camps. The International Rescue Committee, which operated hospitals in seven of the nine camps, was forced to close facilities, leaving patients like 30-year-old Wah K’Ler Paw without life-saving dialysis. She died just weeks after her treatment was halted. Similarly, 71-year-old Pe Kha Lau succumbed to chronic lung issues after being discharged from a USAID-funded clinic. These tragedies are not isolated—chronic malnutrition among children under five has surged, and over 80% of families now receive no food aid.

Inside the country, over 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Karenni State, nearly 300,000 IDPs in Kachin and Northern Shan, and over 700,000 in Rakhine State have been reported affected. Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, home to around 1 million people, have also reportedly been affected despite the interim Bangladeshi government saying there was no pause in funding for Rohingyas. In early March, the World Food Program announced it was halving food rations to Rohingya refugees and that 1 million vulnerable people in Myanmar would have their food assistance completely cut due to funding shortfalls likely exacerbated by the USAID cuts.

Urgent call to action

Ko Saulsman from the Myanmar Campaign Network, urges the Australian government to step up with immediate humanitarian funding to fill the gap left by USAID. “These cuts are shattering lives and futures,” Saulsman says. “Australia must increase aid to support these vulnerable communities and prevent further suffering.”  

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) called this week for $110 million in emergency funding to address the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar.

Beyond funding, Saulsman calls for diplomatic pressure on the Thai government to grant Myanmar refugees the right to work legally. While Thailand’s recent parliamentary move to allow some refugees to work is a step forward, it does not address the broader crisis. Saulsman also calls for Thailand to denounce Myanmar’s junta-led sham elections.

“Since I was born here (in Thailand), I used to think this was my country, the place I belong,” said a 37-year-old refugee. “Then I got older and learned: Thailand is not my country. But in Myanmar, we don’t have a place either.”  

Thai-Myanmar border demands urgent international attention. The Australian government, alongside other global donors, must act to restore life-saving aid and advocate for policy changes in Thailand to protect refugee rights. As Naw Wah Nay Paw and countless others face an uncertain future, the time for action is now. Join APHEDA and MCN in calling for increased funding and diplomatic efforts to ensure no more lives are lost to this preventable tragedy.

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