All-clear after the
first shock( February 18th 2001)
We learned from two seperate
e-mails which we received today from Ann and Atom
(the Japanese volunteer at DEPDC) that the street children as well as
the children at DEPDC
are unhurt. But the this week's occurences,the shells on Mae Sai, dead
and hurt civilians, panic
and fear, mass evacuations, the massive presence of Thai military to protect
the border, the
tense atmosphere all was very traumatic fot the children. They cry because
they fear for their
families who live on the other side of the border in Burma.
Pi Ngaow moved with the street children to the new house, which is located
about 3 kilometers
out of Mae Sai and is safer than the old house which is very close to
the border and the military
conflict and shells.The house not only is used as an emergency shelter
for Ngaow and the 23
street children, he also opened the house for inhabitants of the Patak
village, who all are Shan
refugees from Burma. The Shan are an ethnic minority in Burma who are
brutally persecuted by
the Burmese regime . The aim of the present Burmese military actions is
tocompletely break the
Shan's resistance. At the moment there is no armed combat, but 1000 Thai
soldiers and military
equipment are staioned at the border to be prepared in case of further
atillery attacks. At
DEPDC and Ngaow's house everbody is prepared to evacuate the children
again in case of new
attilery attacks.
Anna is sorry that she can't be in Mae sai to help the children directly.
But as her father I am
relieved that she is her in Germany in safety. The dramatic events make
Ngaow's and Ann's
work to help the street children even more difficult, as the little money
they had from our
donations is is getting less and less.
Here we can't do anything against the armed conflict at the Thai-Burmese
border, but we can at
least try to relieve Ngaow of his financial sorrows so that he can use
all his energy to help the
children, who now need help more than ever before.
Border Check Point Reopened
(June 24th 2001
