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Trump’s freeze on foreign aid threatens lives of refugees in Thai-Myanmar camps

Medical facilities are shutting down, food supplies are at risk, and thousands of refugees face an uncertain future after the US cuts off critical aid to Thai border camps

The Trump administration’s executive order on Tuesday to suspend foreign aid has left thousands of refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border facing severe disruptions, with hospitals reportedly shut down, according to aid groups and camp residents.

Patients at the Umpiem Mai refugee camp hospital, just seven miles from the Myanmar border, are being sent home without treatment as medical supplies are at risk of falling into shortage, a camp resident told Myanmar Now.

“All the hospitals in the camps have stopped operating,” the refugee, who chose to speak on the condition of anonymity, told Myanmar Now.

She explained that refugees in the camps needing medical care have to rely on private clinics or purchase medicine from local pharmacies. She highlighted that the primary concerns in the camp are the health of pregnant women and the elderly.

“If they keep stopping aid like this, many difficulties could arise in the camp,” she said. “It’s not just healthcare, but if food supplies and drinking water services are paused too, the camps are going to face major problems.” 

There are nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, including Umpiem Mai, Mae La, and Noh Poe, where the International Rescue Committee (IRC) provides primary support for healthcare, drinking water, and camp sanitation services.

Last week, shortly after the new Trump administration took office, the administration immediately implemented a flurry of executive orders, including an order that suspended all foreign aid programs and grants.

Funding for USAID, a US agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance, was one of the first sources to be frozen, cutting off critical financial resources for IRC’s operations. Aid groups working within the camps are concerned this will have profound effects on the lives of thousands of refugees.

“In the camps, the atmosphere is very tense, because people don’t know what will happen to them,” Leon de Riedmatten, the Executive Director of The Border Consortium (TBC), told Myanmar now. “Almost everyone is going to be impacted, the big UN agencies as well as the smallest local organisations.”

The Border Consortium provides food, shelter and other services to some 100,000 refugees in the nine camps. De Riedmatten added that the freeze on funds is “affecting many people in need,” and there are “serious medical cases,” that require attention. At the same time, he’s hopeful a review process will come soon and the funds will be released.

The freeze on aid is not only affecting the Karen camps. But the camps along the Karenni border are also reportedly impacted. 

According to a report by Kantarawaddy Times, the medical clinic in Karenni Refugee Camp 1, located in Mae Hong Son district also on the Thai-Myanmar border, was closed on Tuesday morning. The clinic had been treating some 70 outpatients and seven inpatients at the time of its closure. But staff said they could no longer provide medical assistance at this time, according to the report.

“Trump’s abrupt freeze on aid is particularly bad news on the Thai-Burmese border where the US government is one of the largest donors,” Phil Robertson, Director, Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates (AHRLA) told Myanmar Now. “But the real fundamental problem is Trump probably doesn’t even know where Myanmar is, and he certainly doesn’t care about human rights abuses that his policies cause.”

President Trump has ordered a 90-day suspension of all foreign aid operations until further review. The US Office of Management and Budget has issued a directive to executive departments and agencies, announcing a suspension of aid programs effective on Tuesday. The directive states that nearly $10 trillion was spent by the US government in fiscal year 2024, with $3 trillion allocated to aid programs. It emphasised that this spending must reflect the priorities of American citizens. 

Additionally, the refugee resettlement program has been suspended, disrupting travel plans for refugees in Thai-Myanmar border camps who were waiting or approved to go to resettle in the United States.

“What’s happening on foreign aid is just the start of Trump’s problematic shift of US foreign policy back to increased isolationism punctuated by case by case realpolitik style interventions focused on what a foreign partner can do for the US,” Robertson said. “Since poor refugees on a remote border have little to offer either Trump, or his team, one can expect there will be little interest going forward for the US to continue helping them with foreign aid.” The Karen Information Center (KIC) reported that the departure approval for over 20 individuals from eight households in the Umpiem Mai refugee camp, who were set to resettle in the United States, has been canceled.

“All the people who were supposed to leave this month and next month are now stuck, de Riedmatten said. “We don’t feel comfortable at all. We don’t know if the funds will return soon, or after the 90 days, or if the suspension will continue for a longer time, but we must not panic.”

Back on the Karen border, the situation has become increasingly tense. Fear is at an all time high, and hundreds of refugees are grappling with a growing sense of anxiety.

“The suspension of healthcare is a huge problem,” the Umpiem Mai resident said. “There will be many negative consequences. Conditions will be extremely difficult without hospitals and water.”

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