About 10,000 people are displaced and in hiding along the Thai-Burmese border, having fled artillery fire in eastern Myanmar where fighting between the Burmese military and armed groups is expected to continue for several months, aid groups say. The Back Pack Health Worker Team, a Mae Sot, Thailand-based, NGO that provides healthcare to conflict areas of Myanmar, said the displaced were on both sides of the border and the situation was "highly unstable". "These people are in hiding sites rather than in officially recognized temporary shelters or holding centres. Large numbers of displaced civilians have now been sent back into Burma [Myanmar], often several times, by Thai authorities," said Back Pack in a report released on 24 January. The displaced were scattered in about 28 different sites, including makeshift camps in the forest, along the banks of the Moei river that separates Thailand and Myanmar, as well as in villagers' homes, according to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, an umbrella group of 12 humanitarian organizations working with Burmese refugees.

"People are trying to take shelter where they can," Sally Thompson, the TBBC's executive director, told IRIN. "When people first came across because of fighting, they did go into official centres [designated by Thai authorities]. As soon as that fighting stopped, people were sent back, so now people are reluctant to go into them because it's thought that people are being returned prematurely." Burmese troops have for decades waged war against armed ethnic groups, which have sought autonomy from the central government. The latest violence began after the 7 November elections, when tensions flared between government forces and armed ethnic groups that have refused to be incorporated into the country's centrally-controlled Border Guard Force. After initial battles in the days after the election, there was sporadic conflict throughout December, according to a situation report from the Back Pack. Since 31 December, there have been almost daily skirmishes, it said. "You've got different ceasefire groups being squeezed, and it's the Burmese attacking them, and they attack back, and until the border guard forces is resolved... we can expect to see these ongoing skirmishes, people coming across the border, back and forth, possibly through May," Thompson said.

Photo: Courtesy of Backpack Health Worker Team A scene inside Karen State where scores are displaced Because most of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) are in hiding, it has been challenging for aid organizations to help those in need.samsonite laptop backpack flipkart Furthermore, humanitarian groups are facing increasing restrictions and pressure has been mounting for the Karen civilians not to seek refuge in Thailand, Back Pack said.adrena backpack "It's difficult to find where people are staying. targus laptop backpack cn600We cannot register every person to find and provide them with assistance," said Mahn Mahn, secretary of Back Pack. sprayground rython backpack for sale

"All the assistance needs to go through the Thai provincial and township level, but they do not want to allow civil [society] or NGOs to go through."sprayground rython backpack for sale According to Thompson, most people are living in "very temporary" shelters, with only the basics for survival, including food and water, from local villagers, friends and local community-based organizations.mylifeaseva backpack "At the moment, the understanding is that basic assistance is getting through to them," she said. Meanwhile, Back Pack is calling on the authorities to allow the displaced to remain in Thailand for the moment. "We request that civilians having fled the conflict on to Thai soil be allowed to remain in temporary shelters in Thai territory until it has been proven that it is safe for them to return... civilians fleeing armed conflict should not be returned to Burma unless this return is of a voluntary nature and an impartial assessment has determined that it is safe for them to return

," a statement by the group said. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Thailand hosts 96,800 refugees from Myanmar who have been registered, and an estimated 53,000 who have not, in nine government-run camps along the border.On the way to Bangkok The Team - Sanjay Madan & Tushar Agarwal Indo - Myanmar Land Border Myanmar - Thailand Land Border Road to Bangkok - 23rd Jan - 8th Feb 2016 As we read several websites and blogs taking rounds to boast the India Myanmar Thailand Road Trip and how one must and can do the road trip now as it's become as easy as knife in the butter ! The irony is that the world has begun to talk about this journey largely based on the theoretical information floating in the virtual world but very few who have ventured out to this in real know the taste of it's challenges. Therefore after hearing several versions here is some REAL info, facts straight from the Horse's mouth - My friend Tushar and Myself drove this same route while covering Asia during our World Trip in 2013.

you could do it then too.. just the media decided to pick it lit'l late !! Never miss another travel video! This trip had and still has its own challenges and a few difficult ones; 1. 200% Carnet Fees - Yes, to Exit and re-enter in India one needs a Carnet.Carnet is a document which is like a passport of your car . You need to cough up 200% of your vehicle's value(refundable security deposit) to obtain this piece of paper from the Automobile Association of India. Carnet is also accepted by Thailand customs as a valid document to enter in their country if you are driving a foreign registered vehicle. (Advise : Don't approach Delhi AAUI for this as we struggled for more than 6 months to retrieve the security refund) IMPORTANT UPDATE - Adventures Overland have made special arrangements and taking care of all the paperwork during Road To Bangkok - 2016 (23rd Jan to 8th Feb) 2. Local Guide - A Local Burmese guide is mandatory to travel with the group who needs to be hired from the travel company approved by Ministry of Myanmar Tourism.

3. Lead Car - A Lead Car for the convoy is mandatory too as per the directions by Ministry of Myanmar Tourism. This is must even if you drive a single car. Poor Sign boards and Language problem makes it a tough nut. And a few more Third World Country problems as we are all aware of.. So this journey is not as easy as it sounds ! It's Challenging, Expensive YET WORTH doing in LIFETIME After driving through more than 50 countries and 6 continents in last 3 years ,despite all these challenges I would still rate Myanmar as one of the most beautiful country in the world. I like to call it as "Land of Happy Faces" as oppose to Land of Gold. I hope the emphasis of our government with the newly coined "ACT EAST" policy to strengthen our ties will promote the tourism trade and will help to ease up these challenges however it appears will take aeon ! I am penning down the route we drove for fellow travelers ; Delhi - Imphal - Moreh - Kale - Bagan - Inle Lake - Yangon - Maesot - Tak - Bangkok