Site Two Refugee Camp
Encyclopedia
Site Two Refugee Camp was the largest refugee
camp on the Thai
-Cambodia
n border and, for several years, the largest refugee camp in Southeast Asia
. The camp was established in January 1985 during the 1984-1985 Vietnamese dry-season offensive
against guerrilla forces opposing Vietnam
's occupation of Cambodia
.
) and other UN agencies, decided to resettle populations displaced from refugee camps that had been destroyed by military activity into a single camp where aid agencies could provide combined services. Site Two was located in Thailand
70 kilometers northeast of Aranyaprathet, near Ta Phraya
, approximately 4 kilometers from the Cambodian border.
(Rithysen), Bang Poo (Bang Phu), Nong Chan
, Nam Yeun (a camp located on the eastern Thai-Cambodian border, near Laos), Sanro (Sanro Changan), O'Bok, Ban Sangae (Ampil), and Dang Rek (Dong Ruk)http://ttnbg.blogspot.com/search/label/Dongrek%20Camp camps, all of which had been displaced by fighting between November 1984 and March 1985. These camps supported the non-communist resistance spearheaded by Son Sann
's Khmer People's National Liberation Front
(KPNLF). However, Site Two was intended as a civilian camp and the KPNLAF forces were based in other locations.
One section of the camp was reserved for Vietnamese
refugees and as of January 1988 Thailand
transferred Vietnamese boat people
directly to Site Two.
Between 1989 and 1991 the camp's population went from 145,000 to over 198,000.
programs, sanitation
, construction, and skills training in areas directly related to the running of the camp. This was in keeping with the Thai policy of "humane deterrence": the principle that the camps should not become permanent settlements or provide a level of assistance beyond what the refugees could expect to find in Cambodia.
Camp services were mostly provided by the American Refugee Committee
(ARC), Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees
(COERR), Concern
, Christian Outreach
(COR), Handicap International
, the International Rescue Committee
, Catholic Relief Services
(CRS), the Japan International Volunteer Center
(JVC), Malteser-Hilfsdienst Auslandsdienst
(MHD), MSF
, Operation Handicap International
(OHI), the International Rescue Committee
(IRC), Japan Sotoshu Relief Committee (JSRC), and YWAM. These organizations were coordinated by UNBRO, which was directly responsible for the distribution of food and water.
Water was a particular problem at Site Two. UNBRO constructed a large reservoir at Ban Wattana, approximately 12 kilometers from the camp. Most of Site Two's water was trucked in from this reservoir but in the dry season even this source was insufficient for the camp's needs. Late in 1990, UNBRO began drilling several deep wells in the camp, which ultimately provided much of the camp's water.
hospitals and 8 outpatient clinics staffed by doctors and nurses from international voluntary agencies as well as Khmer medics and nurses. There was no surgical facility and surgical emergencies were referred to the ICRC
hospital at Khao-I-Dang
, although family members of KPNLAF soldiers could obtain medical and surgical care at the Chiang Daoy Military Hospital, just outside the camp on the northern perimeter.
By early 1989 the school system consisted of some fifty primary schools with an enrollment of approximately 70,000 pupils; three middle schools (collèges) and three high schools (lycées
) with approximately 7,000 students, and more than 10,000 adults in literacy
and vocational skills programs. Instruction was provided in Khmer
by some 1,300 primary and over 300 secondary teachers recruited almost entirely from within the camps.
unit known as Task Force 80, however this unit violated human rights extensively until it was disbanded in April 1988 and replaced by the DPPU (the Displaced Persons Protection Unit), a specially trained paramilitary unit created in 1987 expressly to provide security on the Thai-Cambodian border. The DPPU was responsible for protecting camp boundaries and preventing bandits from entering the camp.
to Cambodia
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
camp on the Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
-Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n border and, for several years, the largest refugee camp in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. The camp was established in January 1985 during the 1984-1985 Vietnamese dry-season offensive
Vietnamese border raids in Thailand
After the 1978 Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia and defeat of Democratic Kampuchea in 1979, the Khmer Rouge fled to the border regions of Thailand, and with assistance from China Pol Pot's troops managed to regroup and reorganize in forested and mountainous zones on the Thai-Cambodian border...
against guerrilla forces opposing Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
's occupation of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
.
Camp construction
In early 1985 the Royal Thai Government, together with the United Nations Border Relief Operation (UNBROUNBRO
The United Nations Border Relief Operation was a donor-nation funded relief effort for Cambodian refugees and others affected by years of warfare along the Thai-Cambodian border...
) and other UN agencies, decided to resettle populations displaced from refugee camps that had been destroyed by military activity into a single camp where aid agencies could provide combined services. Site Two was located in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
70 kilometers northeast of Aranyaprathet, near Ta Phraya
Amphoe Ta Phraya
Ta Phraya is the northeasternmost district of Sa Kaeo Province, eastern Thailand.-History:The area was originally dense forest of Aranyaprathet district. Later people moved to there for agricultural work. When the community grew bigger, the government created Ta Phraya minor district in 1959...
, approximately 4 kilometers from the Cambodian border.
Camp population
The camp covered 7.5 sqkm and combined the populations of Nong SametNong Samet Refugee Camp
Nong Samet Refugee Camp, also known as 007, Rithisen or Rithysen was one of the largest refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodian border and served as a power base for the KPNLF until its destruction by the Vietnamese military in late 1984....
(Rithysen), Bang Poo (Bang Phu), Nong Chan
Nong Chan Refugee Camp
Nong Chan Refugee Camp was one of the earliest organized refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodian border, where thousands of Khmer refugees sought food and health care after fleeing the Vietnamese invasion of Democratic Kampuchea in 1979...
, Nam Yeun (a camp located on the eastern Thai-Cambodian border, near Laos), Sanro (Sanro Changan), O'Bok, Ban Sangae (Ampil), and Dang Rek (Dong Ruk)http://ttnbg.blogspot.com/search/label/Dongrek%20Camp camps, all of which had been displaced by fighting between November 1984 and March 1985. These camps supported the non-communist resistance spearheaded by Son Sann
Son Sann
Son Sann was a Cambodian politician and anti-communist resistance leader. Born in Phnom Penh, he held the office of Prime Minister in 1967-68. A devout Buddhist, he fathered seven children and was married....
's Khmer People's National Liberation Front
Khmer People's National Liberation Front
The Khmer People's National Liberation Front was a political front organized in 1979 in opposition to the Vietnamese-installed People's Republic of Kampuchea regime in Cambodia...
(KPNLF). However, Site Two was intended as a civilian camp and the KPNLAF forces were based in other locations.
One section of the camp was reserved for Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
refugees and as of January 1988 Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
transferred Vietnamese boat people
Boat people
Boat people is a term that usually refers to refugees, illegal immigrants or asylum seekers who emigrate in numbers in boats that are sometimes old and crudely made...
directly to Site Two.
Between 1989 and 1991 the camp's population went from 145,000 to over 198,000.
Camp services
Initially programs at Site Two were limited to the most basic support services: medical care, public healthPublic health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
programs, sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
, construction, and skills training in areas directly related to the running of the camp. This was in keeping with the Thai policy of "humane deterrence": the principle that the camps should not become permanent settlements or provide a level of assistance beyond what the refugees could expect to find in Cambodia.
Camp services were mostly provided by the American Refugee Committee
American Refugee Committee
The American Refugee Committee is an international nonprofit, nonsectarian organization that has provided humanitarian assistance and training to millions of beneficiaries over the last 30 years....
(ARC), Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees
Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees
Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees is a private non-profit organization, established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Thailand in 1978....
(COERR), Concern
Concern Worldwide
Concern Worldwide is Ireland's largest aid and humanitarian agency. Since its foundation over 40 years ago it has worked in 50 countries and currently employs 3,200 staff in 25 countries around the world. Concern works to help those living in the world's poorest countries to achieve real and...
, Christian Outreach
Christian Outreach for Relief & Development
CORD - New life after conflictCORD is a humanitarian organisation working with displaced people and communities affected by violent conflicts around the world. Established in 1967 and rooted in Christian faith. Located in Leamington Spa, UK.CORD's key sectors are education and livelihoods...
(COR), Handicap International
Handicap International
Handicap International is a non-governmental organization created in 1982 to provide help in refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. Based in Belgium and France, it has since opened branches in six other countries : Switzerland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the United States...
, the International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee is a leading nonsectarian, nongovernmental international relief and development organization based in the United States, with operations in over 40 countries...
, Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the U.S. bishops, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 90 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and...
(CRS), the Japan International Volunteer Center
Japan International Volunteer Center
Japan International Volunteer Center - an international non-governmental organization providing assistance in community development, peace exchange and emergency relief in 10 countries/regions of Asia and Africa. Established in 1980 and based in Tokyo, Japan.The Center works in Cambodia, Vietnam,...
(JVC), Malteser-Hilfsdienst Auslandsdienst
Malteser International
Malteser International is the worldwide relief agency of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta for humanitarian aid. The organisation covers around 200 projects in about 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas...
(MHD), MSF
MSF
MSF may refer to:* Mail Summary File , file extension used by Earthlink, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Netscape mail clients to store folder data in Mork.* Marvel Super Heroes vs...
, Operation Handicap International
Handicap International
Handicap International is a non-governmental organization created in 1982 to provide help in refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. Based in Belgium and France, it has since opened branches in six other countries : Switzerland, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the United States...
(OHI), the International Rescue Committee
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee is a leading nonsectarian, nongovernmental international relief and development organization based in the United States, with operations in over 40 countries...
(IRC), Japan Sotoshu Relief Committee (JSRC), and YWAM. These organizations were coordinated by UNBRO, which was directly responsible for the distribution of food and water.
Food and water
On a per person basis rice, canned or dried fish, one egg and a vegetable were distributed weekly at Site Two; dried beans, oil, salt, and wheat flour were given once a month. Exact amounts for the weekly and monthly rations in 1990 were as follows:- Rice: 3.4 kilograms/week
- Eggs: 100 grams/week
- Vegetables: 500 grams/week
- Fish products: 210 grams/week
- Dry beans: 500 grams/month
- Oil: 700 grams/month
- Salt: 280 grams/month
- Wheat flour: 700 grams/month
Water was a particular problem at Site Two. UNBRO constructed a large reservoir at Ban Wattana, approximately 12 kilometers from the camp. Most of Site Two's water was trucked in from this reservoir but in the dry season even this source was insufficient for the camp's needs. Late in 1990, UNBRO began drilling several deep wells in the camp, which ultimately provided much of the camp's water.
Health services
Medical services were provided by 5 dirt-floored, thatched bambooBamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
hospitals and 8 outpatient clinics staffed by doctors and nurses from international voluntary agencies as well as Khmer medics and nurses. There was no surgical facility and surgical emergencies were referred to the ICRC
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
hospital at Khao-I-Dang
Khao-I-Dang
Khao-I-Dang Holding Center was a Cambodian refugee camp located 20 km north of Aranyaprathet in Prachinburi Province of Thailand...
, although family members of KPNLAF soldiers could obtain medical and surgical care at the Chiang Daoy Military Hospital, just outside the camp on the northern perimeter.
Education
Education at Site Two progressed slowly due to the Thai Government's policy of "humane deterrence" which discouraged programs and services that would attract refugees from Kampuchea. In 1988, with the agreement of the Royal Thai Government, UNBRO launched a major new educational assistance program, focusing at the primary level and providing support for curriculum development, the printing of educational materials, teacher training and the training of teacher trainers, the provision of supplies and the construction and equipment of classrooms.By early 1989 the school system consisted of some fifty primary schools with an enrollment of approximately 70,000 pupils; three middle schools (collèges) and three high schools (lycées
Secondary education in France
In France, secondary education is in two stages:* collèges cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14...
) with approximately 7,000 students, and more than 10,000 adults in literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
and vocational skills programs. Instruction was provided in Khmer
Khmer language
Khmer , or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. It is the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language , with speakers in the tens of millions. Khmer has been considerably influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, especially in the royal and religious...
by some 1,300 primary and over 300 secondary teachers recruited almost entirely from within the camps.
Security
The Khmer Police took care of traditional police functions within Site Two. Until 1987 overall camp security was the responsibility of a special Thai RangersThahan Phran
The Thahan Phran is a paramilitary light infantry force which patrols the borders of Thailand and is part of the Royal Thai Army...
unit known as Task Force 80, however this unit violated human rights extensively until it was disbanded in April 1988 and replaced by the DPPU (the Displaced Persons Protection Unit), a specially trained paramilitary unit created in 1987 expressly to provide security on the Thai-Cambodian border. The DPPU was responsible for protecting camp boundaries and preventing bandits from entering the camp.
Camp closing
Site Two was closed in mid-1993 and the great majority of its population was voluntarily repatriatedRepatriation
Repatriation is the process of returning a person back to one's place of origin or citizenship. This includes the process of returning refugees or soldiers to their place of origin following a war...
to Cambodia
External links
- French Lindsay Cole, Mam B, Wuthy T, Grant T, Veasna M. Displaced Lives: Stories of Life and Culture from the Khmer in Site II, Thailand. International Rescue Committee, 1980.
- French, Lindsay Cole. Enduring Holocaust, Surviving History: Displaced Cambodians on the Thai-Cambodian Border, 1989-1991.
- Thai-Cambodian Border Camps: Site Two
- Braile, L. E. (2005). We Shared the Peeled Orange: the letters of "Papa Louis" from the Thai-Cambodian Border Refugee Camps, 1981-1993. Saint Paul, Syren Book Co.
- Vietnamese Refugees at Site II
- Tim Grant's Site Two Photo Album
- More of Tim Grant's Site Two Photos at Flickrhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/pictim/tags/siteii/