A Karen activist group has urged Thailand to consider refugees' future living conditions before repatriating them to Myanmar.
"Since the headcount surveys have been undertaken in seven of nine camps, refugees have been worrying about their futures," said Nan Dah Eh Kler, chairperson of the Karen Women's Organisation.
Reports have come out of Myanmar describing compounds being built in Karen state and Dawei to house the returning refugees, she said.
Since the National Council for Peace and Order announced in July that it plans to clear the camps, refugees' lives have worsened as stringent restrictions have been imposed, Nan Dah Eh Kler said.
"Normally, refugees can leave the camps temporarily or manage to run small shops inside the camps but now they are prohibited," she said.
Rumours have spread since 2012 about the repatriation of 119,462 refugees along the Thai-Myanmar border, which has caused much anxiety among the refugee community, said Eugene Sein, a Karen human rights group advocacy officer.
Since 2013, funding cuts by international donors have affected the refugees, he said.
"Rations such as rice were reduced by two kilogrammes per person per month. Now those who normally get 12kg of rice get 10 and those who usually get 10, now receive only 8kg," he said.
The surveys, conducted by the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the UN refugee agency, were completed in seven camps but not in two others in Kanchanaburi's Ban Donyang and Ratchaburi's Ban Thamhin districts, Nan Dah Eh Kler said.
The survey had three basic questions — if you want to go back home, stay in Thailand, or go to third countries. Those who chose to stay in Thailand did so because they have no guarantee they can return to their hometowns and many were also born here, she said.
Resettlement in third countries is impractical as most do not want refugees anymore, Nan Dah Eh Kler said.
She also fears for security in Myanmar, saying purported ceasefires between the military and rebel militias may not hold.
"We pleaded with the Thai government to follow international standards for returning them, ensuring that the refugees' human rights are not violated," Nan Dah Eh Kler said.