The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) moved these Burmese refugees into 9 different “Temporary Shelters” in Thailand along the Burmese border. These camps house 140,000 refugees. They are called “Temporary Shelters” rather than refugee camps as the Thai government does not recognise them as refugees, and has not signed the International Refugee Convention (so has no international legal obligation to assist refugees). Avoiding the refugee label also allows Thailand to avoid any discussion about local integration (although this happens on a wide scale informally and illegally). However, as one of the Camp Commanders told us, the Thai government supports the camps “because the situation in Burma is terrible and Thailand is a Buddhist country”.
UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) have been managing a resettlement program since 2005. Everyone who is a registered resident of the camps is eligible to be resettled in another country. Since 2005 over 60,000 camp residents have been resettled in other countries (USA – 80%, Finland – 9%, Australia – 2%, New Zealand – 1.5%, Norway, Sweden and Canada) however camp numbers have not declined significantly, as many more unregistered people keep arriving. Although all registered residents are entitled to resettlement, less than half of the residents opt to be resettled. Many of them just want to be able to return home to Burma, and some are quite happy in the camp.
It is estimated that in Baan Mai Nai Soi (the camp we visited) there are 13,000 registered and 3,000 unregistered residents; however, it seems likely that the number of unregistered residents is higher. In total, the estimate is that there are over 50,000 unregistered residents in the 9 camps, in addition to the registered residents.
In 2005 when the resettlement process began, all residents in the camp were invited to come and be registered. Anyone who chose not to register, or who arrived after this date, remains unregistered. This means that they are illegal immigrants and subject to deportation at any time, and it also means that they are not eligible for resettlement. They are also not eligible for any of the humanitarian services provided in the camps (shelter, food, etc.) although there are many ways around this in practice.
Anyone who leaves the camps (registered or unregistered) and who is caught is immediately arrested and deported. This policy seems to be not-negotiable and despite the fact that the situation in Burma is still so dangerous for these “displaced people”. In reality, people leave the camp all the time, and often have jobs in the local community (they need this to survive as the food rations provided by the various humanitarian agencies are not enough to sustain a family). The local officials seem to turn a blind eye to people leaving the camp, so long as there are no complaints from the local community about theft or any trouble caused by the refugees. When people are caught they are taken to the border and released into Burma, however many of them simply turn around and walk back to the camp.
However, when people leave the camp they are at risk of exploitation and human trafficking as they have no papers and effectively nowhere to go. (Some illegal immigrants who had been living in Thailand for ten years or more have voluntarily moved into the camp because it is much safer for them, and also many services are provided to residents that are not available if you are illegal outside).
Many of the camp residents have been born in the camp and theoretically have never left. Despite a Thai law that all children born in Thailand are entitled to a birth certificate and Thai citizenship, nobody born in the camps is given a birth certificate: they remain stateless. Most of the residents who arrived after fleeing from Burma are also without any documentation and stateless. The Karenni people are not recognised by the current Burmese government as citizens of Burma. Burma’s position is that all the camp residents are insurgents.
Burma/Myanmar history is complicated. Basically, the ethnic nationalities of Shan, Karenni, Karen and Mon had established de facto autonomous states along the border with Thailand. In 1984 the Burmese army launched a massive offensive against the Karen National Union forces, and sent about 10,000 refugees into Thailand. Since then the army has launched regular offensives and by 1994 about 80,000 people had fled into Thailand. In 1998 the people of Burma rose up against the oppressive military regime, led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands more fled across the border into Thailand. Since 1996 almost 3,000 ethnic villages have been destroyed, affecting over one million people. More than 250,000 of these people have fled to Thailand. There are also hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in Burma, either in hiding or in forced labour on government projects.
We visited Baan Mai Nai Soi, the biggest temporary shelter in Thailand, and spent the day there. It is not easy to get access to the camp and we were very lucky be given permission to enter. Security for outsiders is very tight and usually only humanitarian officers working in the camp or high up government officials are allowed in. We had to sign in and provide copies of our passports and a whole lot of documentation (that, thankfully, the Rotary Centre had organised for us).
We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside the camp, but were permitted to take some at the checkpoint outside.
Waiting at the checkpoint before going into the camp
At the camp checkpoint
At the bottom entry to the camp
photo from http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/tonypop
from http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/tonypop
from http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/tonypop
The camp is about one hour’s drive from Mae Hong Son, the nearest town. We had to travel there in the back of four-wheel drive trucks, as the ‘road’ is very muddy and we had to cross a number of rivers. The camp is controlled by the Ministry of Interior. The Camp Commander is the head of the camp, and employs 60 staff (known as “rangers” but they wear camouflage gear, carry firearms, and are effectively part of the armed forces). There is also a Camp Committee comprised of an elected chairperson (a camp resident) and 20 section leaders (the camp is divided into 20 sections and each section elects a leader). The camp committee manages the day-to-day issues in the camp, and also has a role in administering camp justice. There is also a Karenni Refugee Committee, which was formed in 1997 to coordinate and manage humanitarian aid in the camp.
Camp residents are mostly Karenni people. There are four main ethnic groups in the camp: Kayah, Paku Karen, Kayan and Kayaw. These groups are about 80% of the residents. There are also some Karen, Shan, Burman and Pa-O residents.
International NGOs provide all the necessities for the residents of the camp. Residents are given bamboo and other materials to build a house, monthly basic food rations and charcoal for cooking. The TBBC (Thai Burmese Border Consortium) has now been providing food to the camp residents for over 20 years, which is way beyond what they were expecting. The food allocation per month for one adult is:
- 15 kg rice
- 1.2 kg beans
- 125 grams sugar
- 123 grams dried chilli
- 1 litre cooking oil
- 500 grams iodised salt
- 0.5 kg fortified flour
Other INGOs working in the camp include the International Rescue Committee, Jesuit Refugee Service, ZOA Refugee Care, Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees, and Women’s Education for Advancement and Employment. There is also a camp-based organisation called the Karenni Women’s Organisation. We also met an AVI volunteer there!
Basic facilities are actually very good in the camp, and residents have access to services such as education that they would likely not have had in their previous home. There is access to sufficient water and sanitation facilities are good throughout the camp. However, the main problem for residents of the camp is that they have no real access to employment or any way to develop a livelihood because they cannot leave the camp. They also have the impossible situation of being stateless, and not recognised by any country as a citizen. This creates a great deal of frustration and mental health issues, particularly for the men. The women in the camp have, in a way, improved their traditional position in life, as they have the most opportunities to work by preparing and selling food and handicrafts. However, the only work for the men to do in the camp is building and repairing houses. There is no space for agriculture in the camp, other than some small vegetable gardens in the spaces between the houses.
There has been a significant problem with sexual and gender-based violence in the camp and there is now a specific program to address this. The program includes education for men, women and children; medical and psychological care and protection for women (there are two women’s shelters in the camp); and access to legal advice and support in cases of criminal prosecution. Victims of gender based violence and other crimes (so long as they are not serious offences) can choose whether the matter is addressed through the official Thai legal system or the camp justice system (which includes voluntary arbitration by one of the senior and respected camp leaders). The camp justice system is quicker and more effective in many ways, but when a serious offence occurs, the Thai criminal justice system is activated. All people who are charged are provided with voluntary legal representation through the Thai system. The camp also has a legal assistance centre to help people up to that point.
We met with various NGO and camp committee representatives in a bamboo shelter: the main meeting place in the camp. During the talks hens and baby chicks wandered around our feet, and people came in and out to see what was going on. This was the first time that a group of foreigners had visited the camp, so we attracted a lot of attention. The Camp Commander was our host. He is a perpetually grinning young Thai man, who apparently has a big future in the Thai government. Jenn described him as “naturally caffeinated” as he bounced around for the entire day proudly telling us about all the wonderful initiatives in the camp. He seemed to genuinely care about the camp and its residents, and was open in admitting that he did not always follow the letter of the law when it was unfair to residents. However, we were all left feeling a little bit uncomfortable at his over-the-top enthusiasm and the residents’ obvious discomfort and very cautious, tentative responses to any of his questions. It is very clear that he holds a great deal of power over these people’s lives. There were also some uncomfortable moments, such as when he led us into the clinic and announced “Come and see this woman, she has just given birth!”
Most of the residents do not speak Thai, and many do not speak Burmese. We had translators accompany us as we moved around the camp, and sometimes translation was occurring from a Karenni language to Burmese to Thai to English, so I’m sure an awful lot was being lost in translation. Two of the translators shared our truck and spoke quite good English. We asked them a lot of questions while we had this time away from the Commander. They were both awaiting resettlement and were desperate to get out of the camp. One of them was a young man who was born in the camp and had never left. His family left to be resettled in Dallas, Texas, but he stayed in the camp as he was in his last year of high school there and wanted to finish his education. He has now been waiting for a few years, with nothing to do, for his resettlement to be approved. He should be able to go to Dallas to be reunited with his family. The other translator was an older man, probably in his late 50s or early 60s. He had come to the camp 9 years ago alone. He was apparently in grave danger as his brother was in the rebel army. His family is all still back in Burma, and he says that they are safe. He is waiting for resettlement on his own. We asked him where he would like to be resettled and he said “anywhere, I just want to get out of here”.
As we drove around the camp, people stopped and stared at us. We drove past the school buildings and children all rushed to the side and were staring and giggling at us. I smiled and waved to them and they would collapse into hysterical laughter. Some were brave enough to wave back and then everyone laughed! We then stopped and got out of the trucks and the students all rushed back to their seats and sat silently as a couple of us entered each class room. Jenn had given me a bag of candy to give them, so through the translator I asked them whether they would like some. They all sat there very seriously staring at me and nobody said a word. They were so shy (unlike when they had the barrier of the bamboo wall between us). I put a candy on the first three girls’ desks and they didn’t touch them. But when I went to pick them up and take them back, they quickly snatched them and hid them in their skirts. I had to laugh! I asked the translator to explain to them that we were going to play a game and I was going to close my eyes and throw the candies into the classroom and who ever caught them could eat them. That seemed to work! There was a scramble to catch the candies and much giggling when someone caught one. They still wouldn’t answer any questions though, and were incredibly shy. Some did wave goodbye as we drove away though, giggling nervously. They probably are still wondering what on earth these foreigners were doing there.
This is a quite confused account of the situation at Baan Mai Nai Soi and for Burmese/Karenni/etc refugees in Thailand. It’s such a complicated situation and my head is still reeling from all the new information I’ve learnt in the past week. There are many other aspects of the situation that I’d like to write about, but that will have to wait for later posts.
The nearby town, Mae Hong Son is very pretty. We drove there from Chiang Mai (a 5.5 hour drive around 1864 curves up the mountains – you can get a certificate to say you survived that many curves on the drive)! We were all given motion sickness tablets half an hour before getting into our vans for the drive. Thankfully they seemed to be effective and nobody was sick.
In the van (Arti, Jo and Ian in the front row)
Mae Hong Son town and airstrip
No comments:
Post a Comment