Sources say a struggle for control of supplies to some makeshift refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh is behind recent violence and the presence of masked men roaming the dark streets of the camps at night.

Tens of thousands of workers have fled Thailand, most of them for homes in neighbouring Burma, after new labour regulations adopted by the military government sparked fear and panic among the migrant community.

The concerns of ethnic Karen refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) were raised on Tuesday, World Refugee Day, over the lack of a clear plan for the return and reintegration of those going back to their homelands.

The number of recorded suicides and attempted suicides has soared at Thailand’s largest camp for refugees from Burma, the International Organization for Migration said on Monday as it called for urgent action to treat high levels of distress.

More than 65,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled conflict-torn northern Arakan State in recent months, seeking shelter across the border in Bangladesh, according to startling figures released by the United Nations this week.

Yanghee Lee was denied access to conflict-wracked Hpakant and Waignmaw townships in Kachin State this week as she undertakes her fifth visit to Burma in her capacity as UN special rapporteur on the country’s human rights situation.