Thread: Tak: Bamboo blockade riles Karen refugees

No bamboo for hut repair | Bangkok Post: breakingnews

Bamboo blockade riles Karen refugees

• Published: 19 Feb 2013 at 09.25
• Online news:

TAK - Karen refugees at a shelter in Tha Song Yang district reacted with dismay on Monday after authorities blocked bamboo suppliers from making deliveries.

The blockade was reportedly ordered by Tha Song Yang district chief Somchai Traithipchartsaku without any clarification.

The refugees are anxious to get their hands on the bamboo to repair about 7,000 huts and other structures in the compound.

About 100 refugees carried placards protesting against the days-long blockade of four delivery lorries attempting to enter the Mae La refugee shelter.

Following Mr Somchai's order authorities placed barbed wire at the entrance of the camp to prevent the vehicles from entering the shelter to unload the bamboo. The wood had been purchased by the Thai Burma Border Consortium, the agency responsible for providing food and shelter assistance to the camps.

Supplier Narong Madecha said he had a licence to deliver the bamboo to nine refugee shelters in Tak and the deliveries had proceeded well except in Tha Song Yang. He said the blockade was adding unexpected operational costs for his business.

Who is this Tha Song Yang district chief Somchai Traithipchartsaku chap?
A legitimate refugee relief organisation is trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Karen refugees, material for repairing bamboo houses in fact, and he decides to interfere and delay the work.

The rainy season is not too far away and unless huts are repaired well before hand the refugees are going to be in no fit situation to survive the rains.

Bamboo's used to repair storage facilities as well as homes, so any crops harvested recently and in the next few weeks are going to get spoilt if not dry stored.

What's he hoping for? A kickback to let the supplies through?

That greedy sadist is typical of a lot of Thai who think that they can arrogantly walk all over hill-tribe and Burmese folks' lives and hopes.

Thais and Thailand are now increasingly seen as rude and arrogant by many, and the slur "Thai ting-tong" in Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore many are ostracised into a two block area near Chinatown, where they get into arguments (drunk or not), fight and stab each other frequently.

Gentle caring Thai people? Once upon a time. They're a mercenary lot.