Large Number Of Refugees From Myanmmar Seek Asylum In Thailand

[Jai Dee]

Large number of refugees from Myanmmar seek asylum in Thailand due to conflicts in their homeland

The Department of Provincial Administration reports that a large number of Myanmese refugees are seeking asylum in Thailand due to internal conflicts in their country.

The Director General of the Department of Provincial Administration, Mr. Charnchai Sunthornmat (ชาญชัย สุนทรมัฏฐ์), hosted a seminar on operational procedures for refugee assistance in Mae Sot district of Tak province. Mr. Charnchai reports that the United Nations Refugee Agency and private organizations have begun a selection process for refugees living in Thailand in order to send a number of asylum seekers to other nations to relieve Thailand's burden. 10,000 out of 140,000 refugees living in temporary camps in Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi , and Ratchaburi provinces have so far elected to be relocated to a third nation.

The Director General of the Department of Provincial Administration added that the reason for the low number of refugees seeking asylum in a third nation is due to their desire to resettle in their homes once conflicts end.

The United States is the nation receiving the largest number of refugees from Thailand.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 08 June 2007

[Krungthepian]

Pardon me for saying it, but this is nothing new. There have been stories about this in the english language press here in recent weeks (The Nation in early May), and it's been talked about for one to two years.

These are the (mainly Karen) refugees who have sat and rotted in the border camps for up to 20 years. Many come from villages that have been destroyed by Burmese troops, and given little change in affairs in Karen and Shan states, what else does Thailand expect them to do? One would hardly expect them to return to a country overseen by military known for its lack of respect for human rights, brutal treatment of ordinary villagers, forced labour, summary executions, and spending little providing on desperately needed public services, such as health.

Why doesn't Thailand go a step further and take up the much repeated suggestion (by the UNHCR, Thai Border Burma Consortium, international NGOs and foreign governments) that these people be allowed to make a meaningful contribute to the local economy, near their camps .. open stores at markets, learn skills and interact with the local community in a more positive way.

Thailand seems to be paranoid it will be flooded with refugees - yet most people who deal with them say the Burmese want to go back to their homelands, when it is safe to do so. They don't want to stay in Thailand, stuck in indefinitely in the camps. In fact there is reportedly about 500,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) inside the border in Burma's eastern states - three times the total number in the Thai border camps (the TBBC and HRW use that figure). Those people aren't rushing into Thailand.

On the other hand, they are probably not in a position to do so, given the thousands of Burmese reportedly deported every month with minimal fanfare or coverage in the media (I saw info on the weekend quoting Human Rights Watch, which allegedly estimated 10,000 Burmese are trucked back, informally, each month).

If Thailand wants to stop the "pull" factor in which Burmese are encouraged to cross into Thialand so they can get to be resettled in the West, maybe they should follow some of the Karen who are being resettled abroad - and, say, make a documentary on the staggering changes such people have to cope with flying across the world to countries and cultures that, while safer, are utterly alien to them.That way, people in Thailand and on the border might be view about how tough that experience is.

British photographer James Fuller covered the resettlement of a Karen family who went to live in Buffalo, New York, a few months back. And you can tell just by his very good pictures, that is an enormous adjustment for these people to make. As he said, for people used to walking a day to get food, they are now living in a modern house (sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags in a crowded flat, by the look of it), and coming to grips with telephones, and a million other devices of the modern world, aside from having to learn a new language (often taught by Christian groups foisting their faith on the new arrivals). The faces on those people showed that the initial struggle they have to undergo is pretty traumatic.

Sometimes it seems that Thais have little grasp about life in their neighbouring countries - and little sympathy for those around them, who often have to cope with tremendous trauma and suffering.

It would be very interesting to see what would happen if a Thai administration did decide to sign the UN convention on refugees.. how much more financial and administrative assistance they would then get from international institutions such as the UNHCR, World Bank, ADB, etc.. and if the number of refugees would increase dramatically. At the moment you have groups such as MSF upset that they have to foot the bill for the Hmong refugees in Phetchabun (1.3 euros this yr), for 7800 refugees. And they reportedly can't get that money from the EU or other major donors unless Thailand signs the UN convention from 1951).

[Krungthepian]

Reports this morning indicate the Hmong being held in Nong Khai are getting stressed again because of fears they may be sent back to Laos this weekend .. despite Thai government promises they won't be returned.

It looks like three of the Hmong escaped. Two were later recaptured, allegedly trying to link up with their family members, elsewhere in Thailand. One was still on the run at about midday.

Hmong advocates in the US have warned that they fear the Thai government's promises not to forcibly deport the 156 may be meaningless, given the fact 160 other Hmong with similarly strong claims to refugee status were deported last weekend - with Thai officials allegedly using electric stun guns to herd them out of Khao Kor jail.

Laos posted pics on the internet of the "returnees" but Hmong advocates say these only show the women, and they are wondering why the pictures do not show the men - where have they been taken? And what condition are they in?

This paranoia creeps in because Laos forbids international or neutral observers to check on the detainees.

The one thing that may "save" these Hmong at Nong Khai is the fact they have UN status as 'people of concern'.

Officials from various countries and groups such as Amnesty, which is following the situation closely, are now trying to determine if a couple that was in Khao Kor - the only ones of about 36 "jungle Hmong" there with UN status - were deported last weekend. Thai official sources have said 34 were sent back from Khao Kor, so there is some hope that couple, who have three young children in Nong Khai IDC, may remain in Thailand.

Meanwhile, senior Thai journalists have been wondering why Thailand has deported the 160 Hmong last weekend - and repeatedly assuring the press and international comunity they would not do so. The action has drawn complaints from the US, the UN, EU and others.

One speculated in a private conversation yesterday that Thai officials - possibly the PM Surayud - had made a promise to its little neighbour and felt obliged to fulfill that vow - for the sake of good relations with "little brother".

The big question is, were the 156 at Nong Khai part of that grubby deal? Or can they say, 'enough, we have to balance international concerns with bilateral relations'?

The answer to that is unknown at present, although I'd guess they don't need further international heat. On the other hand, Hmong advocates in the US fear their kin at Nong Khai are vulnerable now - as the US (who have been vocal and closely following these developments) are set to bring in a new ambassador in Bangkok. Ralph Boyce is heading elsewhere apparently.

With all the talk of another coup in Bangkok (quite intense last night), and Thaksin's assets being frozen, rallies planned throughout Isaan and the North this weekend, there have been distractions aplenty in the capital, and the Hmong have slipped off the news pages.. once again. That adds to the "danger" some think.