Burmese Border Consortium Refugee Relief Programme
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BURMESE BORDER CONSORTIUM REFUGEE RELIEF PROGRAMME PROGRAMME REPORT FOR PERIOD JULy TO DECEMBER 1994 REVISED FUl\T])ING APPEAL FOR 1995 BUR"ESE BORDER CDNSDRTIU" REFUGEE RELIEF PROGRA""E PROGRA""E REPDRT FOR PERIOD JULY TO DECE"BER 1994 AND REVISED FUNDING APPEAL FOR 1995 February 1995 THE BURMESE BORDER CONSORTIUM 12/15 Conven~ Road. Si10. Road. BANGKOK 10500 Te1 238 2568. Fax 266 5376 MEMBER AGENCIES AND REPRESENTATIVES Jack Dunford Church of Christ in Thailand Refugee Relief Coordinator 14 Pramuan Road BANGKOK 10500 Tel 236 0211, Fax 236 7000 Jennie McCann International Rescue Committee Country Director 19 Sukhumvit Soi 3 3 Sukhumvit Road BANGKOK 10110 Tel 260 2870/1 , Fax 258 5 653 Fr Quentin Dignam Jesuit Refugee Serv ice Regional Director 24/1 Soi Aree 4 Phaholyothin Road 7 Phyathai, BANGKOK 10400 Tel 279 1817 , Fax 2 7 1 3 632 Marshall Peters Thailand Baptist Missiona r f Fellows hip Fellowship Secretary PO.Box 29 CHIANG MAI 50000 Tel (053) 247 574, Fax (053 ) 249 261 Dick Schilthuis lOA Refugee Care Netherlands Regional Asia Director 25/2 Soi Phaholyothin Road 9, Samsaennai, BANGKOK 10400 Tel 279 5593 , Fax 271 4 687 · . The Burmese Border Consortium (BBC) is a group of Non-Govern mental Organisations(NGO's) which pools its resources to pro vide basic food and items of necessity to refugees from Burma along the Thai border. The working philosophy of the BBC is : 1) To provide assistance in cooperation with the Royal Thai Government and in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Interior (MOl); 2) To provide basic commodities consistent with MOl regu lations and with living standards in the border areas. The Consortium does not generally provide medical assistance, but coordinates closely with medical agencies through the Coordinating Committee for Displaced Persons in Thailand (CCSDPT) ; 3) To keep staff presence to a minimum to comply with MOl regulations, to promote self- sufficiency, minimise aid dependency , and to help preserve the cultural identity of the refugee communities 4) To provide assistance through the appointed refugee re lief committees to ensure coordination and to avoid duplication ; 5) By forming a consortium, to avoid competition and dupli cation of assistance between agencies, and to max imise the use of financial r esources 6) To meet monthly in Bangkok to share information on the refugee situation and to determine programme details for implemention by the BBC staff ; and, 7) To respond to emergencies as they occur , extending relief to new refugees in accordance with the above philosophy. ~ 1_ SUMMARY AND APPEAL 1 . 2_ REFUGEE SITUATION DURING SECOND HALF OF 1994 2 3_ BBC PROGRAMME DURING SECOND HALF OF 1994 4 4_ 1994 EXPENDITURES COMPARED WITH BUDGET 5 5_ REFUGEE PROSPECTS FOR 1995 7 6_ BBC FUNDING NEEDS FOR 1995 8 7_ CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION 9 8_ FINAN CIAL REPORTS FOR SECOND HALF OF 1994 10 Table 1 BBC Consolidated . Income/Expenditure A/C 11 Table 2 BBC Income/Expenditure A/C with Donor Allocations 14 Table 3 Church of Christ in Thailand A/C 16 Table 4 Thailand Baptist Missionary Fellowship A/C 17 APPENDI X A BURMESE BORDER CONSORTIUM 18 a) 1984 Mandate / Organisation 18 b) 1990 Ex tension / 1991 Regulations 18 c) 1994 Regulations 20 d) Memb er Agencies 21 e) Funding Sources 21 f) Programme Philosophy 21 g) BBC Staff and Offices 22 h) Programme Management 22 i) Financial Statements 22 j) Coordination with Refugee Committees 22 APPENDI X B MINISTRY OF INTERIOR REGULATIONS May 1991 23 APPENDI X C THE RELIEF PROGRAMME 25 a) Royal Thai Government Regulations 25 b) Food Rations 25 c) Relief Items 26 d) Educational Supplies 26 e) Refugee Demographics 26 f) Purchasing procedu res 27 g) Transportation 27 h) Delivery 27 i) Distribution 28 j) Quality Control/Returns 28 k) Monitoring 28 APPENDI X D : SUMMARY OF BBC PROGRAMME 1984 TO 31 DEC 1994 29 1 This Report describes the Burmese Border Consortium (BBC) Refugee Relief Programme during the second six months of 1994, • and presents a revised appeal for funds for 1995 . Although refugee numbers remained stable at around 77,000 du ring the six month period, this was a busy time with two emer gencies in July/August and another beginning in December. SLORC's well publicised attack on Halokanee camp on 21 July resulted in over 4000 refugees being evacuated into Thailand for several weeks in atrocious weather conditions, and record rains in August caused unprecedent flooding and damage along the border, particularly in Tak and Mae Hong Son Provinces. These emergencies aggravated an already serious cash! flow crisis necessitating an emergency funding appeal for US$ 1 million at the end of July. This was successful, raising an additional US$ 1.4 million. Although there were hopes of cease-fire negotiations through out 1994 a new emergency began in December when SLORC appeared to break a de facto cease-fire by launching a new offensive against the Karen National Union, exploiting a se rious rebellion which had broken out within the organisation. The situation has deteriorated during the first weeks of 1995 with SLORC taking control of KNU teritory along mu ch of the Salween and Moei Rivers . • Around 10,000 new refugees have probably entered Thailand but the situation is rather confusing because these are mixed with evacuated refugees and villagers from locations near the two rivers. Some refugees have also returned to the Burma side to join the Karen rebels. Potentially many more refugees may arrive before the rainy season in May since SLORC may also be preparing for a major military operation in southern areas op posite Kanchanaburi Province. For budgeting purposes, a revised 1995 e x penditure projection has been based on a refugee population of 90,000 for 1995. The revised budget i s US$ 5 million which also takes rising rice prices into account. Thanks to the successful emergency appeal in July, the BB C carried forward a balance of US$ 0.9 million into 1995. Funds received or committed so far, including this balance, total US$ 2.8 million. Allowing for year end reserves,this Appeal is for the balance of US $ 3 million still required to cover the 1995 budget. As usual, Donors are requested to send funds as early as pos sible since expenditures are always higher in the first half of the year because of the need to stockpile supplies for the rainy season . The situation is even more accute this year since most of the new refugees have arrived in very remote areas . 2 The refugee population at the end of December 1994 was 77,107. Refugee numbers were stable during the second half of the year but this total represented an increase of 4741 during 1994 as a whole. There were two major emergencies at the beginning of the six , month period when the SLORC 62nd battalion attacked Halokanee Mon refugee camp on 21 July, and heavy rains caused unpresce dented flooding throughout the border area in August. The year ended with another emergency just starting as the result of a rebellion within the KNU, and a renewed SLORC offensive. In the Mon situation, the refugees were evacuated across the border into Thailand after the SLORC attack and for several weeks the NGO's provided relief assistance in appalling wea ther and very makeshift conditions. They were returned to Halokanee by the Thai authorities in September in spite of expressed fears for their safety by the Mon National Relief Committee. Since then however there have been no further security alarms. Flooding affected most of the border but was particularly se vere in Mae Hong Son and Tak Provinces. Around 400 refugee houses were washed away, five people drowned, rice stores were damaged and personal belongings destroyed. Some camps were cut-off for several weeks but fortunately were sustained by supplies stockpiled for the rainy season. , Speculation concerning cease -fire negotiations continued throughout the period and although the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) had no further formal talks, the Karen National Union (KNU) ap peared to be mo v ing nearer to talks towards the end of the year. The caus e of ethnic nationalities was supported in the UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma in December which called on SLORC to engage in genuine political dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the political opposition, and the ethnic nationalities. However, the year ended in confusion. A serious rebellion broke out within the KNU in December and SLORC appeared to simultaneously launch a military offensive, breaking the de facto cease-fire which had held since April 1992. There was much speculation that SLORe had played a role in instigating the rebellion, but r eligious grievances and leadership con flicts within the KNU were e x posed. As the year ended there was no way of predic ting whether SLORC would use this oppor tunity to complete a military victory over the KNU, whether < this would affect the alliances between the KNU and other pro-democracy and ethnic groups, or how this might affect the cease-fire negotiation process. The most likely short-term impact however appeared to be a new refugee influx fleeing SLORC's advances and/ or fighting within the Karen movement. BURt' ESE BORDER CAMP LOCATIONS )IlTH POPULATION FIGURES. CHINA 3 ) KA RE NNI Camp 1 515 UR NA Shan Camp 2 1,595 S~ ate Camp 3 1,359 L.~OS Camp 4 204 Camp 5 1 , 301 Saw Kee 159 5,133 Hon0 Son KAREN ·Chiang t'ai We Gy i 839 Kl Ka Htee Hta 2,899 K2 Mae Paw Moo Hta 2,705 K3 Mae Po Hta 891 K4 Kler Thay Lu 802 K5 Mae Ta Waw 6,429 K6 Mae Salit 3,535 on K7 Shokl o 8,499 THAI LAND K8 Kl ay Mo Hta 3,224 K9 Kl er Kho 3,565 Kl0 Kamaw Lay Kho 3,813 Kll Mae La 6,274 K12 Don Pa Kiang 2,907 K13 Wangka 4,389 K14 Mawker 5,306 K15 Bawnatah 669 K16 Hti Mae Po Hta 1,648 K17 Meteroke 1,128 K18 Hti Hta Baw 1 ,650 K19 Hti Lay Pa 634 K20 Tho Kah 518 \,;.=.:::::::- lU- 62,324 Kancnanaburl BURMESE/TAVOYAN BTl Do n Aw See .