Myanmar refugees face sudden discharge from Thai hospitals

29/1/2025 17:59

Healthcare centres serving tens of thousands of refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have been ordered shut after U.S. President Donald Trump froze most foreign aid last week, forcing Thai officials to transport the sickest patients to other facilities.



The International Rescue Committee, which funds the clinics with U.S. support, told the facilities to shut by Friday, Jan. 31, according to a local official and two camp committee members.



Trump last week paused development assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development for 90 days to assess compatibility with his "America First" policy.



The freeze has thrown the global aid sector, which is heavily funded by the U.S., into chaos.



It was not immediately clear what impact a waiver for life-saving humanitarian assistance during the 90-day pause issued by the State Department on Tuesday would have, or how many centres across the nine camps housing some 100,000 people were impacted.



The health facilities on the border serve tens of thousands of refugees from conflict-torn Myanmar.