Violence in Burma forces Karen Villagers to Flee to Thailand

By Michael Ireland
Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

June 2009

Recent attacks by the ruling Burmese military junta against ethnic Karen villagers have forced thousands of refugees to flee across the border into Thailand, creating a humanitarian crisis.

According to Christian Freedom International (CFI), fierce combat and mortar fire have forced more than 4,000 ethnic Karen villagers to escape for their safety since the beginning of June. More are arriving into Thailand every day.

So far, the refugees have fled from seven villages across the Moei River in Burma, but there are more than 40 villages in the conflict zone, CFI says.

Christian Freedom International is supplying much needed emergency aid to the Karen refugees in Thailand and those who are displaced in Burma.

Each August CFI hosts a conference at its dormitory vocational school just outside of the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
This year, however, the conference is cancelled because of the volatility of the situation, the increased restrictions on travel into Mae Sot, and the necessity to respond to the emergency needs of the displaced Karen villagers.

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and director of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org or http://www.christianity.com/joyjunction. He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City: A Call to Service." Additional details about "Homeless" are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 877-6967 or (505) 400-7145. Note: A higher resolution JPEG picture of Jeremy Reynalds is available on request from Dan Wooding at danjuma1@aol.com.