Ethnic Karen flee Myanmar

BANGKOK, June 20 (UPI) -- More shelter and clothing is needed in Thailand for thousands of ethnic Karen villagers fleeing army attacks in neighboring Myanmar, refugee officials said.

"They have food and medical attention, but the flimsy makeshift homes they are now in provide inadequate protection from the weather," said Sally Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Thai Burma Border Consortium.

The most recent refugees, primarily women and children, have crowded onto the grounds of a temple a couple of miles inside Thailand, IRIN, the Integrated Regional Information Networks, reported Saturday.

"We desperately need soap, toothbrushes and cooking utensils," said 33-year-old Ma Theingyi, a mother of five. "More than anything though, we need clothes for our children."

The exodus of Karen villagers escalated June 6 when government troops in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, began a major offensive against Karen rebels, IRIN reported.

More than 100,000 residents of Myanmar, most of them Karen, have fled to Thailand, the United Nations said.