History : Chapter 2 : The Refugee Camp

Working in the refugee camp opened my eyes to a whole new world - a dark & practical one. This camp was different from the other camps in Thailand and all press were blocked out from this camp. What happens inside, stays inside, nothing gets out to the world outside.

This affected the amount of aid coming into the camp. Without media coverage, it did not make sense to some NGOs to assist, especially if their work cannot be featured. It does not make corporate sense and there was just no mileage in this project. From a marketing standpoint, the Karen refugee camps will be a better bet, lost of media attention and its more newsworthy. 8,900 people - is just too insignificant for the bigger players.

With just a handful of NGOs willing to forsake media coverage, it was still no enough. The refugees received less than 2 small bowls of rice a day, just enough keep them barely alive.

People were hungry, cold and suffering day to day. The Americans had forsaken them, the locals put them behind barb wires and no one wanted to help.

We did just the opposite.

We were not bordered by the lack of press coverage, we were not bordered by the political implications. All we knew was that people were hungry and suffering. Someone has to do something.

We were out of our minds. We took what we have of our savings and started providing aid to these people, even if it means a small milk supplement, or a fruits. It meant something to these people. We did all we could and many were touched by us just being there. RADION was not a name of an organisation. It was the name of friends who really cared.


Each outreach was more like a massive family gathering, smiles & laughter came back to the refugee camp. It was no longer just the masses, but people with names. Many times while collecting the reliefs, they will break into tears thanking us, and begging us not to leave.

We did not want to. But in January 2009 things took a turn for the worse. News flooded in that the refugees will be forcefully deported back to Laos. The refugees feared for their lives and protested in the camp. It was to the firing squad if the refugees had to go back to the country they fled from - they and their children. They had to protest, they wanted the world to hear. But no one heard. Making things worse, the guards retaliated by pushing all the NGOs out of the camp.

So there we were back in the little dilapidated shophouse praying and wondering if that would be the last time we will see them.