 Robyn Ashworth, a member of Jackson's Row in Manchester is currently volunteering on the Thai-Burma border. The political situation combined with the recent cyclone means the situation there is critical. Here she explains a project she is currently working on to provide support to refugees from Burma.
Imagine the following scene:
You are one of 59 people sharing a small house - with only one toilet. You are in this house because you have had to flee your country and your family, simply because you supported a particular political view - in this case democracy. Moreover you cannot leave this house without fear of arrest and increasing numbers of people are coming to you to ask for refuge.
Cyclone Nargis which has killed 78,000 people and created 2.4 million survivors has begun to affect Thailand where people are fleeing after having suffered at the hands of nature and their own government. However, the situation before the cyclone on the Thai-Burma border was already critical with people struggling to make a living, eat and keep safe. Recently a few NGO workers and volunteers came to hear about a house that was founded by political exiles from Myanmar and currently houses 59 people on the border.
The house was already struggling with funding for food, bills, rent, toiletries, security and income generation before the cyclone. Now the survivors of the cyclone are starting to enter Thailand the situation will only worsen. The house has only 1 toilet and is a relatively small 2 storey building. Even though most of these people have fled their homes and family, the house does not provide a refuge. As Thailand has not signed the 1951 convention on refugees, they are essentially illegal here. Most are waiting for re-settlement to a third country which is complex and time-consuming. Leaving the house attracts the risk of being spotted by Burmese spies, fines/bribes from the Thai police, or deportation back to Myanmar where most will face imprisonment. Hence, opportunities for income generation are minimal – but as they are desperate, all the house members (except the children) have taken to sewing beads onto T-shirts – generating 1 1/2 Baht (0.025p) per hour.
Everything is shared, people are sleeping 10-20 a room (in this 4 roomed house), and meals are cooked communally from the short supplies over coals. As difficult as it is to imagine being in their situation, it is even more impossible to imagine these professional men and women being viewed as criminals in their own country.
The solidarity and generosity amongst this group of strangers who find themselves here in essentially the same situation – all having left their families and belongings behind - is humbling. Especially as they have now pledged to try and help the cyclone survivors who have just arrived in Thailand. One member of the house stated that they cannot refuse shelter to their own people, this is despite the extra hardship they would have to face. Thus, they have just offered shelter to 5 survivors and their aim is to set up another house for 50 survivors who are currently in Thailand without a home.
Sometimes the situation here can be overwhelming and you wonder how you can ever stop the military Government hurting its own people. Yet here are a group of strong activists who stood up against the junta and as a consequence are now living in a dire position – these people we can help. And, in turn, this will give them the strength to help others and have a future for themselves, their families and their country.
The need for money for food and rent is acutely obvious, though the residents say their greatest wish is for the international community to recognise their denial of basic human rights and their struggle for democracy.
Click here to view video footage of the house on Youtube.
If you would like to help or receive more information, please contact Robyn by email.
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