P'Lu Refugee Update

By Hsa Moo
29/11/2010

More than 800 refugees who stayed in the Mae Koe Kan village, Thai side returned back to P'Lu village, Burma side today. There are about 100 refugee are still staying at the temple because they are sick and can't go back.

Many villagers especially men dare not want to go back because they are afraid of being capture by Burmese army to be a porter. Also some villagers do not want to go back because the Burmese army are stay in their house.

This morning, the Thai authorities announced that there is no more fighting in P'Lu, Burma side and asked people to go back.

The return process started in the morning and the last group who crossed the river back to Burma side was at 2:45 P.M.

Around 10 minutes after the last group went back, there were mortars' shelling and gun fire. The gun fire started at 3 P.M until 4 P.M. There were more than 10 mortars' opened and gun fires were included.

More than 50 villagers who just went back were fleeing back to Thai side. Some villagers want to go back to the Mae Koe Kan temple where they were placed before they went back. But, they were told by the Thai authorities that they can not go back and stay in that temple anymore. They are staying in the field in Thailand side and some went to stay with their relatives in the village Thai side.