Operation Blessing Thailand Reaches Out to Myanmar Refugees
ON THE MYANMAR/THAILAND BORDER - As the violence in Myanmar continues to escalate since the coup, military forces are mercilessly shooting at protesters and have killed more than 750 people. As the violence grows, more people are fleeing from their homes and seeking refuge along the border of Thailand.
Myine is among those who fled Myanmar to escape the military atrocities. She and her 4 children left without her husband who is a soldier fighting for the rights of the people. She shared how frightening it is to live in her village.
"We dug holes where we hid most of the time because bullets and bombs fell in our village," she told CBN News. "The military raided our house and this is when we decided to escape for our safety. We walked for 3 days and crossed the border to Thailand. I am a Christian and I prayed so hard for us to arrive in this camp safely. We had to leave our cows and poultry and now I feel frustrated that we live in shelters of other people and share very limited food."
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A Christian camp of the Myanmar Karen tribe is taking care of thousands of refugees. Their big challenge is giving shelter to whole villages that now live in the forest. With no source of income, they lack food, water, medicines, and other basic needs.
Despite the danger of being caught in the crossfire, a team from Operation Blessing Thailand, a non-profit humanitarian organization, brought much-needed help to the refugees.
In coordination with the Karen leaders and soldiers, the Operation Blessing team brought sacks of rice, tents, medicines, flashlights, and other basic necessities to distribute to the refugees living along the border between Thailand and Myanmar. The team even forded a river to provide relief supplies to refugees living on the Myanmar side of the border.
They also prayed for the refugees and for the young students, who are now training with the Karen National Union Army to fight for the people's government.
Colonel Thun, a leader of the Karen National Union Army said, "The military has always been dictators. They want to terminate all tribes or enslave us. Disunite all religions. That's because they want to be in power forever. But now we have to make the best efforts to unite and fight the enemy, the military, who have been oppressing the people and killing anyone who is against them."
"Thank you very much for helping us in this difficult time as we are being persecuted, said one refugee. "We have no homes and no money. We face sickness and have no medicines, no roof to protect us from the sun and the rain. We use banana leaves as our roof to protect us. Everything you gave us is true blessings."
As a soldier, Wai Yan feels obligated to protect the refugees and the rest of the people of Myanmar.
"We need to stand against the coup though our lives, our health, our economy are suffering," he said. "We demand equality and the citizen's rights."
"Thank you Operation Blessing for caring for the needy, Wai continued. "The Bible says, 'I tell you the truth what you have done to these little ones, it is as if you had done to me.' I believe God has put your ministry's name in His book of life. May you and your family be filled with blessings."
For more information on how you can help, visit https://www.ob.org/
