The patron of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party paid a visit on Monday to the renowned Mae Tao Clinic for Burmese refugees and migrants in Mae Sot, Thailand.
During the visit, NLD patron Tin Oo met with Dr. Cynthia Maung, founder of the Mae Tao Clinic, which offers health care to Burmese refugees and migrants, as well as providing education for their children on the Thai-Burma border.
Tin Oo crossed the border into Thailand after arriving in Myawaddy, Karen State, to officially inaugurate an NLD branch office in the southeastern Burma border town on Monday.
“He visited the Mae Tao Clinic to thank and honor Dr. Cynthia Maung’s efforts on health care,” said Sein Bo, the district chairman of the NLD’s Myawaddy office.
The NLD patron spent about two hours on Monday at the clinic, where he also met with members of the refugee community, and health and education workers.
Cynthia Maung told The Irrawaddy after their meeting that they had discussed how to collaborate in the health and education sectors amid Burma’s ongoing political reforms.
“We discussed collaboration, not only in providing health care services and support in ethnic areas, but also for the development of health care policy in general,” Cynthia Maung said.
The ethnic Karen doctor, who has won a number of awards for her work along the Thai-Burma border, said she thanked the NLD leader for his encouragement and support for the clinic’s health care workers and staff.
“We appreciate such an honor—that he gave time to meet with us while he was here for the NLD office opening in Myawaddy, and assessed the border issues by meeting with various groups,” she said.
Tin Oo is scheduled to address the public at the newly inaugurated NLD office on Tuesday.
