Burma refugees living in Thai jungle fear | Bangkok Post: news

At first sight the bamboo huts nestled at the foot of soaring limestone cliffs in the jungle could be mistaken for an eco-tourism haven -- except for the barbed wire and armed guards.

A refugee crosses a wooden bridge at the Mae La refugee camp close to the Thai-Myanmar border. Thailand's announcement in April that it wants to close nine border camps, holding more than 140,000 displaced people, has sent ripples of anxiety through the traumatised communities after a more than two-decade presence.

Beyond the perimeter fence and security checkpoints, designed to keep the residents in and unwanted visitors out, tens of thousands of refugees from war-torn eastern Burma are living in fear of being sent home.