Most are Karen fleeing suppression and fighting inside Burma. UnHCR chief Sadako Ogata criticised conditions on a visit last year. She urged expansion but the government ruled out the option because the compound was surrounded by reserved areas. The 15-member European Union backed relocation. Its officials met NSC secretary-general Kachadpai Burusapatana last month about deteriorating situations at the camp.
Thai agencies remain divided.
Some say a new, better home could attract more Burmese incomers and trigger confrontations with local villagers. Moving the camp could cause trouble, he said. But another official overseeing the camp acknowledged the connection between overcrowding and health problems. A new home would give refugees more breathing space and a better chance of improved health. Officials had found a possible site, a deserted rice field in the same district.