This week, DFID and 16 other government donor organisations including the EU will be joining the Thailand Burma Border Consortium and its 12 member organisations including Christian Aid to mark the 25th anniversary of the Burmese refugee crisis along the Thailand Burma border.

Over the last 25 years, Burma's longstanding political and humanitarian crisis has displaced millions of Burmese people, forcing many to flee to neighbouring countries. The first refugees arrived and set up camps along the Thailand-Burma border in 1984. Today, more than 140, 000 refugees mostly from Eastern Burma are living in nine camps along Thailand's western border. Many have lived in the camps for more than twenty years and camp populations are not decreasing; a new generation is being born and people are continuing to flee the ongoing conflict in Burma.

The Thailand Burma Border Consortium, an alliance of 12 international NGOs including Christian Aid in the UK, has been providing food and shelter to Burmese refugees and displaced people for 25 years.