Pouring rain marked the dawn of World Refugee Day in Mae La camp on the Thai Myanmar border today. Camp residents had set up tents and decorations ready for the event the day before, and hoped the rain would hold off. But this was not to be and our cinema tent was flooded with rain water! No one was deterred by the rain however, and a sea of umbrellas soon spread across the football field like a blanket made of multicloured hexagons and octagons. Over 5,000 refugees turned out and a beautiful array of hand made “Solidarity with Refugees” banners fronted the waiting audience. The event heard from Camp Leaders and stakeholder humanitarian organisations and featured costumes and dances from the many ethnic groups culminating in a drama competition which saw moving perfomances reflecting the lives and experiences of the refugees. The rain turned the ground to a red coloured, sticky, gooey mush but this did not detract from the event and our team were able to contribute by providing the sound system and photographing the event. Meanwhile, with the floor a quagmire, we brought chairs to the cinema tent and pulled out the tarpaulins ready to wash later! The red mud is so sticky, its extraordinarily hard to clean off! Children came to watch a the films which were shown to bring enjoyment and laughter. At the end of the screenings our cinema audience were given soap.