Rebuilt bridge makes camp safe

A suspension bridge in Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp that was swept away in the worst floodwaters seen for 50 years in northern Thailand has been rebuilt by international NGO’s, including the Thailand Burma Border Consortium.

The Karen Refugee Committee said the suspension footbridge in the Mae Ra Ma Luang Refugee Camp that links Section 7A to 7B and spans the Mai Lone Gyi River is vital to the safety of camp refugees and student.

“The bridge is really important for school children to be able to cross the river. It also makes it safe for residents to carry their monthly rations and to get sick people from section 7A to the only hospital in section 7B.

A TBBC spokesperson told Karen News work on replacing the bridge started on August 17 and finished a month later.

“It was finished on the 14th of this month. People can now use it. The bridge makes it safer for students as well as camp residents to cross the river. Many groups contributed to the repairs, including camp residents and camp authorities.”

The groups include the International Rescue Committee-Resettlement Support Center, Shanti Volunteer Association, Drug Abuse Resistance Education and the Thailand Burma Border Consortium cooperated to fund the 330,800baht bill to fix the bridge.

The TBBC website estimate that floodwaters in Mae Ra Ma Luang and Mae La Oon camps, have to date, caused over 12 million baht (400,000 USD) of damage to the camp infrastructure and food stocks.

The safety the bridge affords camp residents was underlined earlier this month when a Mae La high school student, Saw Pe Klay 19 and camp resident, Saw Pah Pana 54, were swept away by the fast floodwaters in the Htee Nu stream as they were crossing.

The heavy rains that are still hammering Thailand are the worst in 50 years. The death toll from flooding ahs left at least 150 dead. Floods have destroyed farmland, and the Thai government has estimated the floods had affected as many as 1.9 million people and swamped 56 provinces.

Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp has around 20,000 residents and was founded in 1995. The Mae Ra Ma Luang refugee camp is vulnerable to floods as it is located in a river valley. Storm waters have already washed away many meters of the riverbank near the refugee camp.