THAILAND: UNHCR raises concerns after Thai junta pledges to repatriate Burmese refugees

Record ID: 275460

  • Title: THAILAND: UNHCR raises concerns after Thai junta pledges to repatriate Burmese refugees
  • Date: 24th July 2014
  • Summary: MAE SOT, THAILAND (JULY 21, 2014) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF MAE LA REFUGEE CAMP
  • Embargoed: 8th August 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Thailand
  • Country: Thailand
  • Topics: General,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAANLN3XPITM8CIN8CXD53E4DVM
  • Story Text: Burmese refugees living in Thailand will face challenges if they are repatriated, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday (July 23) after Thailand's military government said earlier in the month that it would send home around 100,000 refugees who have been living in camps for two decades and more, along the border with Myanmar.
    Thailand's military overthrew the remnants of an elected government in May after months of sometimes violent street protests. Its National Council for Peace and Order has rolled out a raft of tough measures it says are needed to restore order and has promised a return to democracy next year.
    Its nominally civilian government has talked about repatriating the refugees, but non-governmental organizations say they are concerned by a lack of infrastructure to help returnees rebuild their lives.
    Thailand's military government started taking a census on July 21 in the Mae La camp, the country's largest. Authorities said the process is expected to finish at the end of July.
    The Border Consortium, which coordinates NGO activity in the camps, has said the camp is home to around 43,000 refugees.
    The army said the rare exercise was aimed at controlling illegal migrant workers but could benefit the repatriation process. Currently, the Thai army and NGO's have different numbers of refugees living in the camp.
    "The census will have a long term benefit for the repatriation. In the future, we will have the same database to share with UNHCR and other organizations." said Colonel Terdsak Ngamsanong, the commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment, who oversee the border security in Tak province where the camp located.
    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Bangkok-based spokeswoman, Vivian Tan highlighted some of the challenges refugees would face back home.
    "Some of the challenges include the absence of a permanent cease fire, the present of mine fields that never been marked. There is a critical shortage of infrastructure and services. There is limited livelihood opportunity, so all of these effects the sustainability and the safety of the refugee returns," she said Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is emerging from nearly five decades of isolation under repressive military rule.
    An estimated 120,000 Burmese refugees live in 10 camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border, The Border Consortium has said. Many fled persecution and ethnic wars as well as poverty and have lived in the camps for decades with no legal means of making an income.
    Thailand's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday (July 17) noting that "a possible return of these displaced persons has always been raised", and the most recent discussion "was in general terms with no specific timeframe".
    During the census process in the camp, Thai military officials and army rangers organised hundreds of refugees to get their photos taken, with numbers marking the hierarchy in the family.
    Many had fled due to violence and feared being sent back.
    "We left because we were fleeing from the conflict if they send us back, there is no where for us to stay. We don't have a house anymore, so we don't know how to live. That's why we're worried." said K'Pru Htoo 48 year-old Karen refugee who arrived in the camp seven years ago.
    Some said the situation in Myanmar had not changed.
    "I don't think the Burmese government has changed. We hear that there was fighting in Kachin state the other weeks. There was a fighting in area of Kachin and Karen states as well. I don't believe the Myanmar government will give us peace." said A Shwe, 49 year-old Karen refugee.
    In June, comments made by a junta spokeswoman threatening to arrest and deport undocumented migrant workers sparked the departure of more than 200,000 Cambodians, a key component of the workforce in fishing, construction and other sectors.
    Thailand scrambled to reverse that exodus by opening service centers to help migrant workers secure work permits. There are also an estimated 2 million Burmese migrant workers, the largest contingent of such laborers in the country. However, without any legal status or marketable skills, the refugees have long been seen as a burden by the Thai state.
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