The Humanitarian Crisis in Mae Sot: A Story of Struggle and Survival
1. A Fragile Existence: The Plight of Refugees in Mae Sot
Rosella, a 9-year-old refugee living in Mae Sot, Thailand, clings to life with the help of an oxygen tank almost as big as she is. Born with a rare bone condition, her ribs press dangerously against her lungs, leaving one lung nonfunctional. Her mother, Rebecca, 27, struggles to provide the constant medical care Rosella needs, unsure how long the oxygen supply will last. Rosella and Rebecca are among 100,000 refugees in nine remote camps along Thailand’s border with Myanmar, fleeing decades of conflict between the Myanmar military and ethnic minority rebel groups. The situation has worsened since the 2021 coup and ensuing civil war. Mae La, the largest camp, is home to 37,000 people, mostly from the Karen minority, and its US-funded hospital was the only healthcare provider—until it shut down due to a 90-day freeze on international aid by the Trump administration.
2. The Sudden Shutdown: Panic and Chaos in the Refugee Community
The abrupt halt in US aid sent shockwaves through the refugee camps. Video footage shared by refugees on social media showed patients being carried out of the hospital in hammocks, their faces covered in blankets. Rosella was moved to an improvised health center, but with no doctors left to treat her, her future hangs in the balance. Aid workers in northern Thailand describe widespread panic and confusion, especially among those providing life-saving services. Many organizations reported only having enough funding left to feed tens of thousands of people for a month and a half. Saw Bweh Say, secretary of the Karen Refugee Committee, expressed the gravity of the situation: “We have never faced a problem like this before.”
3. A Health Crisis Deepens: The Cost of Lost Medical Care
Refugees in the Thai border camps live in isolation, reliant on international aid for basic services like healthcare, food, and water. Mae La’s hospital, though rudimentary, was their only lifeline. Without it, refugees like Ni Ni, a 62-year-old with heart failure and kidney disease, face a dire reality: “If it’s an emergency, how can we face the situation? Without medical oxygen, I will die.” Tragically, an elderly woman in Umpiem camp died after being unable to access oxygen following the hospital closure. Other refugees now bear the cost of treatments like dialysis, a financial burden many cannot afford. While refugee medics and nurses work tirelessly to fill the gap, donations of medicine and oxygen tanks from Karen families are insufficient to meet the demand.
4. Food Insecurity Looms Large: A Race Against Time
The aid freeze has also left refugees facing a critical food shortage. Feeding 100,000 people across all nine camps costs $1.3 million per month, and The Border Consortium, which provides food and cooking fuel, has only enough funds to last another month and a half. Refugees use a food card system to buy essentials, but without US funding, this system is at risk of collapsing. Leon de Riedmatten, executive director of The Border Consortium, voiced the main concern: “We have no alternative to the US grant.” The organization has started prioritizing the most vulnerable refugees, but with new arrivals fleeing violence in Myanmar, resources are stretched thin.
5. Beyond the Camps: A Ripple Effect of Suffering
The impact of the aid freeze extends far beyond the refugee camps. In Thailand, NGOs and aid workers describe a halt in basic services, including vaccine programs, education, and anti-human-trafficking initiatives. Clinics like the Mae Tao Clinic, which serves 500 patients daily, are reallocating budgets to sustain healthcare services. Across the border in Myanmar, the situation is even more desperate. Millions displaced by military airstrikes and ground attacks rely on aid organizations for survival. Groups like the Chin Human Rights Organization have had to cut vital services and lay off staff, leaving communities without access to medical and mental health care. Salai Za Uk Ling, founder of the organization, lamented, “How do we even begin to explain to them why this is happening?”
6. A Call for Answers: The Human Cost of Political Decisions
As the aid freeze continues, refugees and aid workers alike ask the same question: “Why did they have to stop helping the refugees?” Naw Mary, a 32-year-old refugee from Mae La camp, gave birth to her first child at a nearby hospital after being referred due to the closure of camp facilities. Though grateful for the care, she worries about follow-up care for her newborn and herself. Meanwhile, organizations like the Karenni Human Rights Group report that teachers’ salaries can no longer be paid, leaving children without education. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has claimed that lifesaving programs are exempt from the freeze, but aid workers on the ground tell a different story. Many organizations have not received waivers, and USAID employees describe a “complete sense of shock” as programs grind to a halt. For Rosella, Rebecca, and countless others, time is running out. As Salai Za Uk Ling put it, “By the time any funding reaches us, unfortunately, for those suffering from serious medical conditions, it might be too late.” The world’s most vulnerable people are caught in the crossfire of political decisions, their survival hanging precariously in the balance.
