'How will we survive?': Syrian refugees trapped in poverty in Thailand

[webfact]

'How will we survive?': Syrian refugees trapped in poverty in Thailand

Sarah Haaij

The Guardian

 

The status of refugees is not recognised in Thailand, leaving the few hundred Syrians there unable to work or go to school, at constant risk of deportation

 

BANGKOK: -- After prayers, Nassr, 58, lights one of the 60 cigarettes he will smoke that day. “It’s the stress,” he shrugs apologetically. “The tension of being an illegal refugee in Thailand.”

 

As the minaret’s call fades, the noise from Bangkok’s khlong boats intensifies as they carry commuters along the waterways. Together with two Iraqi friends Nassr, a Palestinian Syrian, watches the bustle, wishing he could get a job.

 

“We cannot work. There are no options to make money. All we can do is wait,” says Nassr.

 

Four years ago, Nassr lived in the suburbs of Damascus with his wife and three teenage children, running a carpeting business. But as the war crept closer, everything changed. “Instead of smiling people there were dead bodies in the streets. It was time to leave.”

 

Full story: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/jan/23/how-will-we-survive-syrian-refugees-trapped-in-poverty-in-thailand

 

-- The Guardian 2017-01-24

 

[Credo]

So, does he face deportation to Germany?

[ezzra]

 

This is what happened when a people smuggling gang get their pay and dump their cargo just anywhere, why have the Thai government has allowed passage in to these people without thinking of  the consequences late that I don't understand, and where is the UN in all of this mass? aha, busy vilifying and demonizing Israel...

[Scott]

Oh, goodness, read the article.   They got a visa and got on an airplane.   They arrived with a visa, which they paid for.   I don't think this had much to do with people smugglers, anymore than a lot of people posting in the various sub-forums on this form.

 

They, like a lot of people who are listed as 'Persons of Concern' by the UNHCR, receive some assistance while waiting for resettlement.  

 

It remains to be seen how the new US administration will deal with people such as this that have already been accepted for resettlement.  

[Thorgal]

So, does he face deportation to Germany?

Thailand isn't subjected to the Dublin accords...which are applicable for the EU countries.

Diplomatic agreements in these cases will be made between the concerned countries and possibly any neighbouring country to the Syrian state who will accept them as refugees.

Must have popped out of your rhetoric that Merkel was against accepting the refugees in the beginning, but was forced to accept them under pressure from the EU and the US.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Somtamnication]

New one to me. I know of the Rohynga and other refugees. No idea there were M.E. refugees too. Thailand needs to grow up and help them.

[phantomfiddler]

How the "expletive" did Syrian refugees find themselves in Thailand ! Easy for them to survive, just smoke less cigarettes and spend the surplus money on food :)

[trogers]

Should have gone to Jordan instead of in a plane to Thailand...

[8OA8]

1 hour ago, Somtamnication said:

New one to me. I know of the Rohynga and other refugees. No idea there were M.E. refugees too. Thailand needs to grow up and help them.

There are many different nationalities of asylum seekers in Thailand. Pakistani Christians and Pakistani Ahmadiyya, Sri Lankans, North Korean (they are usually resettled very quickly by South Korea), Somalian and Vietnamese.

Thailand's government isn't perfect, however the current government has been on the right track with regards to their attitude towards over 100,000 refugees living in the camps along the border areas.

Yes there have been cases of refoulement, most recently the case of the Uighurs to China, but bear in mind that was done under heavy political pressure from the Chinese government 

[Peterw42]

What is a Palestinian Syrian ? Or is that hedging your bets ?

[8OA8]

8 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

How the "expletive" did Syrian refugees find themselves in Thailand ! Easy for them to survive, just smoke less cigarettes and spend the surplus money on food :)

How did you find yourself in Thailand?

 

The wonderful thing is that the Syrian asylum seekers in Thailand will survive. They left the life they had back in Syria and believe me if you wound the clock back 10 years those same people wouldn't even be considering a holiday overseas, let alone a move overseas, as they had everything they needed or wanted back in their home in Syria.

[8OA8]

5 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

What is a Palestinian Syrian ? Or is that hedging your bets ?

Consider yourself fortunate if you find a Palestinian person to have a coffee with and after they explain to  you as to the recognition of the Palestinian state by other countries, then perhaps you'll figure out that he or she was born in Palestine (Palestine as we know it but one that isn't recognised by everyone as being a country) Fortunately the Syrian people provided a safe refuge for the Palestinian people who weren't being welcomed everywhere. 

[SoFarAndNear]

What were they thinking to come here? Just googled Thailand and say Beaches and cute Thai Girls?

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

If you can smoke 60 a day you are still financially ok.

 

Why does Merkel not take these people in, I think they will like to stay in a small Bavarian town and receive monthly government handouts. 

 

The only Syrian refugees are the ones inside their own country and the ones that fled to neighbouring countries. People that pay other people to go to far away countries are immigrants or tourist. Refugees have my sympathy but economic immigrants must accept a cold shoulder if they break laws. 

[trogers]

3 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

If you can smoke 60 a day you are still financially ok.

 

Why does Merkel not take these people in, I think they will like to stay in a small Bavarian town and receive monthly government handouts. 

 

The only Syrian refugees are the ones inside their own country and the ones that fled to neighbouring countries. People that pay other people to go to far away countries are immigrants or tourist. Refugees have my sympathy but economic immigrants must accept a cold shoulder if they break laws. 

A flight out is the safest way to avoid being robbed of family wealth and treasure, unlike using a land route to neighbouring countries.

[optad]

They did a reasonable thing. Took a flight and presented themselves to authorities given predicaments.

 

The fact that Thai authorities and most Thaivisa posters cannot handle that simple reality, is an immature indictment on  both parties on these topics and global affairs.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

5 minutes ago, trogers said:

A flight out is the safest way to avoid being robbed of family wealth and treasure, unlike using a land route to neighbouring countries.

Real refugees have very little and cant afford flights. There are no direct flight between the 2 countries which means they had to go via another country to get here. There are many refugee camps in neighbouring countries where they could have applied for refugee status and resettlement in another country. These people however choose the shortcut and now that they have run into problems are screaming for help. They are nothing different from the millions of illegal immigrants that swamping Europe and the UK. 

[trogers]

2 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

Real refugees have very little and cant afford flights. There are no direct flight between the 2 countries which means they had to go via another country to get here. There are many refugee camps in neighbouring countries where they could have applied for refugee status and resettlement in another country. These people however choose the shortcut and now that they have run into problems are screaming for help. They are nothing different from the millions of illegal immigrants that swamping Europe and the UK. 

That was my inference. They are not poor, but have family wealth and treasure to protect...

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

6 minutes ago, optad said:

They did a reasonable thing. Took a flight and presented themselves to authorities given predicaments.

 

The fact that Thai authorities and most Thaivisa posters cannot handle that simple reality, is an immature indictment on  both parties on these topics and global affairs.

No they tried to take a shortcut. They flew out from a neighbouring country in which they could have applied for refugee status and resettlement. But they didnt want to flow the correct procedure and decided to come here without doing research on the country's policy on refugees. Now they are crying out for help in a country that dont care for refugees. These people arent poor he smokes 60 a day.

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

1 minute ago, trogers said:

That was my inference. They are not poor, but have family wealth and treasure to protect...

They could have protect their wealth in Turkey or Lebanon as well as they could have done here, while they where waiting to be processed as refugees by the UN. But like many they took the shortcut route, which is human, but was the wrong route.  

[optad]

10 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

No they tried to take a shortcut. They flew out from a neighbouring country in which they could have applied for refugee status and resettlement. But they didnt want to flow the correct procedure and decided to come here without doing research on the country's policy on refugees. Now they are crying out for help in a country that dont care for refugees. These people arent poor he smokes 60 a day.

Jesus, forget the cigarettes. The focus on the penny ante on TV is tremendous.

 

If you were in that situation, would you and have a frank discussion with your family about legalities or just go where you could? It is absurd. And what merit you you derive from your judgements? Thaivisa likes?

 

I don't understand the breadth of heartlessness on TV re others/

Edited January 24, 2017 by optad

[Credo]

16 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

Real refugees have very little and cant afford flights. There are no direct flight between the 2 countries which means they had to go via another country to get here. There are many refugee camps in neighbouring countries where they could have applied for refugee status and resettlement in another country. These people however choose the shortcut and now that they have run into problems are screaming for help. They are nothing different from the millions of illegal immigrants that swamping Europe and the UK. 

Money has nothing to do with being a refugee.   Absolutely nothing, neither does how many countries they went through in this case because they cannot ask for asylum in Thailand.   Asylum is not a signatory to the conventions on refugees.

 

 

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, optad said:

Jesus, forget the cigarettes. The focus on the penny ante on TV is tremendous.

 

If you were in that situation, would you and have a frank discussion with your family about legalities or just go where you could? It is absurd. And what merit you you derive from your judgements? Thaivisa likes?

 

I don't understand the breadth of heartlessness on TV re others/

If you read the whole article, the guy gets 3,500 baht a month from the UN, and my calculations spends 4,500 on cigarettes. 

[gk10002000]

Many very good people are stuck in difficult refugee status.  That is a tough situation.  But lets' back up for a moment.  How did this guy get to Thailand?  He says he has no money, yet he smokes 60 cigs a day?  Why did he choose Thailand?  what part of his skills did he think would be useful to making a living for him or his family? 

[jonclark]

And no one thinks that Thailand should recognize the statues of 'refugee'? 

[optad]

4 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

If you read the whole article, the guy gets 3,500 baht a month from the UN, and my calculations spends 4,500 on cigarettes. 

Keep playing with those numbers. They are the important thing.

 

Mind you/ I knew a Stoke on Trent Englishman in the South who bought chop chop. He swore 150 baht  per month would cover his 60plus per day habit.

 

A Syrian would not do that though, would he?

[louse1953]

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

 

This is what happened when a people smuggling gang get their pay and dump their cargo just anywhere, why have the Thai government has allowed passage in to these people without thinking of  the consequences late that I don't understand, and where is the UN in all of this mass? aha, busy vilifying and demonizing Israel...

If you actually read the full story you would know that they flew out with visas.Your story just highlights your predudices.

[louse1953]

45 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

Real refugees have very little and cant afford flights. There are no direct flight between the 2 countries which means they had to go via another country to get here. There are many refugee camps in neighbouring countries where they could have applied for refugee status and resettlement in another country. These people however choose the shortcut and now that they have run into problems are screaming for help. They are nothing different from the millions of illegal immigrants that swamping Europe and the UK. 

Real refugees have nothing whatsoever to do with finacial status.

[trogers]

38 minutes ago, SOUTHERNSTAR said:

They could have protect their wealth in Turkey or Lebanon as well as they could have done here, while they where waiting to be processed as refugees by the UN. But like many they took the shortcut route, which is human, but was the wrong route.  

I doubt one could easily get out and in of a refugee camp to go to the bank in Turkey or Lebanon...

[Peterw42]

There are different ends of the spectrum, genuine refugees and people who use refugee status to cue jump, country shop and a back door to migrating to another country.