This photo taken on August 19, 2023 shows Vietnamese Hmong women living in Thailand, many of whom are asylum seekers, taking part in an embroidery workshop in Bangkok. Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 refugee convention and presently makes no distinction between asylum seekers, refugees and others staying illegally, but on September 22 long anticipated vetting rules will come into force and Thai officials will start screening some 5,000 mostly urban refugees and asylum seekers. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) / To go with 'THAILAND-REFUGEES-RIGHTS-MIGRATION,FOCUS' by Lisa MARTIN and Sarah LAI
Picture courtesy of AFP

 

Bangkok is home to a church where Vietnamese refugees find a temporary haven from lives fraught with fear of arrest or deportation. This is because Thailand, having not signed up for the UN Refugee Convention, does not have a system in place to differentiate between refugees and other migrants, resulting in thousands of individuals living under the radar.

 

Soon, a revamped system will be implemented, designed to distinguish between individuals who would face danger if returned to their homelands and others who are in Thailand illegally. However, this new system is being greeted with unease by refugees and rights activists alike, who fear it could be misused or even lead to expedited deportations.

 

Sung Seo Hoa, a Vietnamese pastor and member of Vietnam’s Hmong minority, expressed these fears. Having fled from pressure from the communist government in his homeland 12 years ago, he now leads a life of fear.

“We are afraid of police arrest, being put in jail and deported back to Vietnam. That’s what we are very afraid of, 24 hours a day.”

He does not plan to go through the new screening process due to the risks involved.

 

by Neill Fronde

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thailands-new-refugee-screening-system-stirs-fear-among-asylum-seekers

 

-- Full story 2023-09-11

 

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Long overdue.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Sung Seo Hoa, a Vietnamese pastor and member of Vietnam’s Hmong minority, expressed these fears. Having fled from pressure from the communist government in his homeland 12 years ago, he now leads a life of fear.

If you can prove reason for claiming asylum why fear the new system?

19 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

If you can prove reason for claiming asylum why fear the new system?

Unfortunately because this is thailand, you never can be sure on anything if foreign.

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

If you can prove reason for claiming asylum why fear the new system?

1. Difficult to prove with Thailand's 'fluctuating' rules. eg immigration.
2. Thailand does not want asylum seekers or even genuine refugees. They often return them back to the country that is hounding them.

37 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

1. Difficult to prove with Thailand's 'fluctuating' rules. eg immigration.
2. Thailand does not want asylum seekers or even genuine refugees. They often return them back to the country that is hounding them.

True... 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Soon, a revamped system will be implemented, designed to distinguish between individuals who would face danger if returned to their homelands and others who are in Thailand illegally.

Just declaring you are a christian or gay works in the UK !