More than 100,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have lost access to essential food and medical aid due to US funding cuts, putting them at serious risk, Human Rights Watch said today. The Thai government should immediately permit refugees to lawfully work and travel outside its refugee camps.
The Trump administration's dismantling of foreign assistance, along with other donor shortfalls, led to the termination of most food assistance provided by The Border Consortium (TBC) and primary healthcare services from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in the nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border on July 31, 2025. Cuts since January have already led to the deaths of refugees, who are barred from working legally, moving freely, or accessing services in Thailand, leaving them largely dependent on foreign assistance.
Thailand's National Security Council has proposed measures to address the drop-off in assistance in the camps, but the Ministry of Interior has yet to make any policy announcement.
"The cutting of US funding for humanitarian aid should spur the Thai government to change its policy toward the 100,000 Myanmar refugees in the border camps," said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "These refugees are desperate to provide for their families and, if the government lets them, can contribute to Thailand's economy."
The refugee camps were established along the Thai-Myanmar border beginning in the mid-1980s for people fleeing Myanmar military offensives against ethnic armed groups. Currently, they shelter over 107,000 refugees, including about 91,000 verified by the Thai government and the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
Human Rights Watch interviewed eight refugees from Mae La, the largest camp, in late July. Six had lived in the camps for decades after fleeing fighting in Myanmar's eastern Karen State; two were born in the camps.
When US funding cuts were first announced in early 2025, the standard monthly allowance was reduced to just 77 baht per adult, about US$2.30. The Border Consortium warned in March that without immediate funding, refugees would "face a precarious and life-threatening situation." On July 31, all food aid for standard households was cut, affecting over 80 percent of families, with "vulnerable" and "most vulnerable" households receiving limited rations.
"In the past, we had enough rations," a 34-year-old refugee said. "But the funding's been cut bit by bit. The cash decreased and prices went up. I get 77 baht a month, but you can't buy anything with that."
Between 2022 and 2024, chronic malnutrition among children under age 5 in the camps increased for the first time in at least a decade.
All the refugees who spoke to Human Rights Watch said they would work outside the camps if allowed. Barring them from legal work denies them not only income but a key source of dignity and self-reliance.
"I feel like I'm under house arrest," the 34-year-old said. "If the Thai government allowed us to work, it would benefit everyone. We could support ourselves and our families."
Some refugees support themselves through small businesses or stipends from jobs with nongovernmental organizations, which have also been cut. Others find ways out of the camps to work as informal day laborers, harvesting corn or rice, at risk of being caught: One refugee said Thai authorities fined him 500 to 1,000 baht ($15-30) for being outside the camp. Now, with the massive influx of Myanmar nationals into Thailand, refugees are more likely to be detained, extorted, or deported if found traveling without authorization.
Since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, the camp population has grown by 35 percent, as military atrocities have forced more than a million people to flee to neighboring countries. The Myanmar military's airstrikes and landmine use continue to threaten lives in border areas, which remain unsafe for returns.
"Since I was born here [in Thailand], I used to think this was my country, the place I belong," said a 37-year-old refugee. "Then I got older and learned: Thailand is not my country. But in Myanmar, we don't have a place either."
Aid cuts have led to an increase in coping strategies, including high-risk migration. Two women in their early 20s paid a broker 15,000 baht ($450) to smuggle them to Bangkok, with money borrowed at 10 percent interest. They had no jobs or housing lined up, leaving them vulnerable to trafficking and abuse. "It's scary and risky," one said. "We may be sent back to Myanmar. We may be detained and extorted." But she said it was her only option: She had lost her job due to aid cuts and needed to pay for her mother's medical treatment. "In the camps," she said, "it's a dead end."
Out of desperation, some have resorted to stealing, refugees reported. A camp committee member said that in July, a single mother with five children was caught stealing a bag of rice from her neighbor. "She doesn't want to steal but she doesn't have any income or way to feed her children," he said. "So she felt this was her only choice."
A camp education coordinator said that more children are being sent to work outside the camps to support their families, leading to a significant drop in school attendance. Parents are struggling to afford school fees and feel discouraged about its value. "They see the older generation who graduated but have no jobs," the education coordinator said. "They think, what's the point of sending their kids to school if there's no work."
Funding cuts have also impacted refugees' access to health care, forcing the IRC to shut down its health operations by the end of July. Healthcare staff have been reduced by half, patient referrals and hospital transportation have been suspended, and medications are running low, refugees said. The Thai Ministry of Public Health will reportedly provide refugees with access to provincial hospitals.
"Recently there are more depression cases because the situation in Myanmar isn't getting better, the situation in the camps isn't getting better," said a refugee who performs community mental health visits.
Aid workers indicate that drug and alcohol use has increased. "Since they don't have any work or activities, young people are using drugs and becoming addicted, even students," a community health worker said. "The problem has always been around, but it's gotten worse."
Hope for resettlement abroad has largely vanished. The Trump administration halted a new resettlement program in early 2025, forcing 26 refugees to return to Umpiem Mai camp when their resettlement flight was canceled in February. Others described stalled applications to Australia and Canada.
Many refugees hold UN registration cards but said that the cards only highlight the denial of their rights in Thailand. "Having the card means we can't go anywhere, we can't apply for jobs, we can't study," said a teacher who has spent 17 years in the camps. Both he and his brother had tried applying for jobs outside the camps, but, "When I showed my card as ID, they said, 'You're a refugee!' We have no future, no opportunities. Our lives are in limbo."
The Thai government should grant refugees the right to work legally outside the camps through a free, expedited process, a policy that would also support Thailand's economy, which is facing labor shortages and an aging population. Thai language programs, which are being piloted for a small number of students over 18, should be introduced across all camps, for both adults and children.
The right to work is guaranteed under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which applies to all individuals regardless of legal status or documentation, including refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless people.
Thailand should engage refugee-led groups, humanitarian agencies, and UNHCR to transition from a closed-camp aid model to an approach that empowers refugees, grants legal status and documentation, and benefits host communities, Human Rights Watch said.
"Donor countries should cover the urgent gaps in camp funding while encouraging Thailand to allow refugees to be self-reliant," Bauchner said. "Granting refugees permission to work and travel would give them tools for the future while supporting Thailand's economic growth."
