Distance from Mae Hong Son 90 km. Distance from Mae Sariang 99 km. Accessibility Car: Generally all year round access, 4WD required in the rainy season. Local rivers can swell making access impossible. The camp is in a remote location that is difficult to access and it maintains strong characteristics of the villages across the border where residents formerly lived.
Refugees were first located at this location along the Mae Surin River in November The site has been the centre of many smaller refugee camp consolidations since. In the following year, some people from another camp located further downstream also moved here. A further almost people moved here in , when many of the smaller camps along the Salween River were consolidated most people went to what is now Mae La Oon camp.
In March , Ban Mae Surin camp suffered the worst-ever fire in the history of the refugee camps. Tragically, 37 people lost their lives and families were made homeless. The camp has since rebuilt and the community has made outstanding efforts towards recovery. Due to its isolation, the camp is off the mains electricity grid. The camp office and health and education centres in the camp have access to power from electric generators. Hydro electricity is widely generated, mainly to recharge vehicle batteries to power household lighting.
In , the Royal Thai Government gave approval for resettlement opportunities to be offered to camp residents. As of September , a total of 2, people had departed from the camp, according to IOM data. The majority resettled in the USA and Australia. Ban Mae Surin. Breakdown by Gender Female
