From Relief to Development: Negotiating the Continuum on the Thai-Burmese Border

A major characteristic of the humanitarian assistance effort for ethnic minority refugees from Burma, is its constant movement along a continuum between relief and development-oriented assistance. Using the example of the Karenni ethnic minority as a recipient group, this paper attempts to look at both the factors favouring and constraining the movement towards a more development-oriented provision of services. In this way, a case study of movement and tension along the ‘continuum’ can be elicited. More importantly, the lacunae with regard to a development orientation can be identified and recommendations for future action can be made.