Funding Cuts Endanger Thai-Myanmar Refugee Camps: Southeast Asian Lawmakers Urge Urgent Action

JAKARTA, 21 July 2025— ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) expresses its deep alarm over the imminent collapse of humanitarian operations along the Thailand–Myanmar border. By 31 July 2025, essential aid operations led by The Border Consortium (TBC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and other humanitarian partners are set to cease or drastically reduce their activities due to the sudden and severe funding withdrawals of the United States and other major donors.

This funding collapse threatens the survival of more than 108,000 Myanmar refugees, many of whom have spent decades in the camps, stateless, displaced, and forgotten. They include children born in exile, elderly survivors of persecution, and families fleeing atrocities. With aid pipelines vanishing, these communities face imminent threats of hunger, untreated illness, and complete deprivation.

“This is not about budget cuts; it is a collapse of humanity,” said Mercy Chriesty Barends, APHR Chairperson and Member of the House of Representatives of Indonesia. “We are abandoning people who have already been abandoned by the world too many times,” she added.

The withdrawal of critical aid services not only endangers the most vulnerable but also erodes decades of humanitarian efforts built through cooperation and regional solidarity. For many refugees, the camps were the last thin line of protection. That line is now breaking—not from conflict, but from international indifference.

“Basic needs are not negotiable,” emphasized Emmi de Jesus, Former Member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. “To deny food, shelter, and safety to displaced people is not simply a policy debate—it is a moral and political failure. ASEAN, Thailand, and donor countries must step up now to prevent a humanitarian collapse.”

By May 2025, the humanitarian situation in Mae Sot was already deteriorating, as documented by APHR’s fact-finding mission. A previous 90-day freeze on U.S. foreign aid forced the closure of hospitals in several refugee camps in Thailand, leaving thousands without access to essential medical care, showing how political decisions can directly put lives at risk. With further funding now withdrawn alongside ongoing airstrikes, forced conscription, sexual violence, and the aftermath of a deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar have pushed more people to flee into Thailand, while  aid continues to collapse.

Critical humanitarian services now at risk:

• The Border Consortium (TBC), which has provided monthly food assistance and shelter to refugees since the 1980s, will end its US-funded food voucher program by 31 July, leaving tens of thousands without guaranteed access to food. Only the most vulnerable will continue to receive minimal support.
• The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has closed down health clinics in seven of nine camps, citing loss of donor funding. These clinics provided lifesaving care including oxygen therapy, dialysis, and maternal health. At least one confirmed death occurred following the closures.
• Other humanitarian organizations, including Rights Beyond Border, Mae Tao Clinic, and local refugee-led initiatives, have filled critical gaps in education, legal protection, and psychosocial support—but are now overwhelmed by the sudden loss of system-wide coordination and funding.

For over three decades, humanitarian organizations have been vital in supporting displaced communities along the Thai–Myanmar border. The Border Consortium (TBC) has ensured food security and shelter through a community-led model that empowers refugee committees and promotes resilience. The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has provided comprehensive healthcare to over 60,000 people annually, including maternal care, chronic disease management, and mental health services.

Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot has long served migrant and undocumented populations, now facing overwhelming demand as camp-based healthcare collapses. Community-based groups such as Rights Beyond Border and Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific have filled crucial gaps in education, legal protection, and women’s rights, but are now overstretched due to system-wide funding cuts.

“These are not just program closures,” said Charles Santiago, APHR Co-Chairperson and former Member of Parliamentarian from Malaysia. “They represent the collapse of an entire humanitarian ecosystem, one that has safeguarded life and dignity for more than thirty years.”

As this crisis exposes the fragility of donor-dependent aid systems, APHR emphasizes the urgent need for sustainable, rights-based solutions grounded in refugee self-reliance.

“Letting refugees work is not charity. It is common sense,” said Kanavee Suebsaeng, Member of the House of Representatives of Thailand. “Thailand faces labor shortages and an aging population. Refugees are skilled, motivated, and ready. We must move from closed camps to open opportunities.”

Thailand has long played a vital role in hosting displaced populations. Now, it can lead again by granting refugees legal rights to work, easing pressure on the aid system, and setting a regional precedent for pragmatic compassion. Refugees themselves are asking for the chance to support their families. Yet current policies restrict their freedom of movement and bar them from employment, forcing them into dependence or underground economies.

“My children have never seen Myanmar. We live day to day not knowing if we’ll have rice tomorrow,” said Naw Naw, a refugee mother in Mae La camp. “We don’t want pity. We want to work, to survive.” 

The escalating humanitarian crisis is not just Thailand’s burden, it is a regional failure that reflects ASEAN’s ongoing inability to implement its Five-Point Consensus. The junta continues to weaponize humanitarian aid, attack earthquake-hit zones, and imprison thousands of political opponents with impunity. Inside Myanmar, over 3.5 million people remain displaced, with more seeking refuge across borders as war, conscription, and natural disaster tear communities apart.

“You cannot deliver aid through those who bomb hospitals and imprison medics,” said Wong Chen, APHR Board Member and Member of the Malaysian Parliament. “ASEAN must act with moral clarity—not diplomatic caution.”

APHR urgently calls for bold, coordinated action:

The Royal Thai Government must:

• Grant refugees the right to work, reducing dependence on aid and allowing them to support their families;
• Extend legal protections, including access to education, healthcare, and freedom of movement;
• Keep borders open for those fleeing war and disaster;
• Combat trafficking and ensure legal pathways to protection and self-reliance.

ASEAN must:

• Establish a cross-border humanitarian aid mechanism that bypasses the junta and ensures transparent, needs-based assistance;
• Stop legitimizing the junta, and instead engage with Myanmar’s democratic forces, ethnic authorities, and civil society;
• Apply coordinated, sustained pressure to end attacks on civilians and uphold international humanitarian law.

International donors must:

• Urgently fill the $15 million annual funding gap withdrawn to TBC and IRC and other organizations;
• Provide flexible, long-term humanitarian funding  for humanitarian needs and refugee self-sufficiency;
• Support dignified, durable solutions for refugees, including employment, resettlement, and education.

“The time for vague consensus is over,” said Rangsiman Rome, APHR Board Member and Member of the House of Representatives of Thailand.

History will judge how we respond, not just to a funding gap, but to a generation’s cry for dignity and survival. The choice is clear: act with courage and compassion, or allow a humanitarian collapse on our doorstep.