More than 20,000 people risk all on Indian Ocean to reach safety: UNHCR report

GENEVA, August 22 (UNHCR) – A new UNHCR report on irregular maritime movements in Southeast Asia estimates that 20,000 people risked their lives in sea crossings in the first half of this year. Many were Rohingya who fled Myanmar and arrived in the region suffering the effects of malnutrition and abuse during the journey. Several hundred people were also intercepted on boats heading to Australia.

The report was produced by UNHCR's Bangkok-based Maritime Movements Monitoring Unit, which collates information through interviews, and from media reports, partners and governments. It focuses on departures from the Bay of Bengal and elsewhere passing through Southeast Asia, and highlights the abuses people are facing on their journeys, and developments related to Australia's Operation Sovereign Borders policy.

It also shows that more than 7,000 asylum-seekers and refugees who have travelled by sea are at present held in detention facilities in the region, including over 5,000 in Australia or its offshore processing centres in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Because of its clandestine nature, the extent of people smuggling remains hard to determine. But interviews with survivors have offered insights into what goes on during the long and arduous journey from Myanmar and Bangladesh to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and beyond.

The report estimates that 53,000 people departed irregularly by sea from the Bay of Bengal in the 12 months ending June 2014 – a 61 per cent increase over the previous 12 months. In the two years following the June 2012 outbreak of inter-communal violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, some 87,000 people – mostly Rohingya but also Bangladeshis – embarked on the dangerous journey in search of safety and stability.

The main sailing season has continued to be between October and the first quarter of the year when seas are calmer. Departures were mostly from Teknaf in Bangladesh and Maungdaw in Myanmar, with smaller numbers from Sittwe. Typically, passengers were ferried on small boats to larger fishing or cargo boats that could each hold up to 700 people. Most were men, but there were also rising numbers of women and children.

Most passengers interviewed said they paid between US$50 and US$300 to board the boats and were at sea for an average of one to two weeks. Some waited for up to two months for their boat to take on more passengers. Many said they fell sick along the way. There are also unconfirmed reports of deaths due to illness, heat, a lack of food and water and severe beatings.

In Thailand, the survivors of sea journeys said they were packed into pick-up trucks at night, and forced to sit or lie on top of up to 20 other people. They were taken to smugglers' camps in or around hills, jungles or plantations. Hundreds were confined, for up to six months, behind wooden fences with only plastic sheets to sleep on.

Many were unaware that they would need to pay more money, usually US$1,500-US$2,200, to be released. They were made to call relatives in Myanmar, Bangladesh or Malaysia to send money through hard currency, bank transfers or mobile payment systems. Those who could not pay would be beaten and detained for long periods of time.

Survivors of this ordeal told UNHCR staff about people dying in these smugglers' camps due to illness or physical injuries. Some lost sensory abilities and mobility from beriberi due to malnutrition, specifically Vitamin B1 deficiency.

As of early July, 233 Rohingya remained in Thai detention centres or shelters. UNHCR is discussing alternatives to detention with government counterparts and other stakeholders. UNHCR is providing aid and working with the authorities and UNICEF to enable the children to attend local schools.

In Malaysia, UNHCR has had access to 230 people who arrived directly by boat between January and June, as well as to others who landed by boat in Thailand and made their way across the land border into Malaysia. In total, more than 4,700 Rohingya were registered during this period, including 375 unaccompanied and separated children. Since the late 1990s, some 38,000 Rohingya have registered with UNHCR Malaysia.

The health and protection needs of recent arrivals remain a major concern, with many.showing signs of beriberi.

In Indonesia, 60 Rohingya approached UNHCR in Indonesia between January and June – a drop of almost 90 per cent compared to the same period last year. By the end of June 2014, there were 951 Rohingya registered with UNHCR, mainly people who arrived in previous years from Malaysia. In the first half of the year, nine boats travelling towards Australia with more than 400 people were intercepted under the government's Operation Sovereign Borders. Seven were returned to Indonesia. One boat with 41 passengers was returned to Sri Lanka. The 157 people on board another boat that left from India were transferred to Nauru, pending a decision by the Australian High Court on how to process them.

All these developments take place in the context of a very challenging protection environment for refugees in the region. States, including Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, are not signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and lack formal legal frameworks for dealing with refugees. Without a legal status they are often at risk of arrest, detention, and deportation under immigration laws. It also makes legal employment impossible and drives many people, including women and children, into exploitative and vulnerable situations.

The report "South-East Asia: Irregular Maritime Movements January-June 2014" is available atwww.unhcr.org/53f1c5fc9.html

Burmese refugees wary over Thailand's changes

Tha Song Yang, Thailand - Eight years ago, Saw Thi Say, 45, and his family left their home in Myanmar and relocated to a refugee camp in Thailand. They had endured the ongoing conflict between Myanmar's army and various ethnic groups in his country's northern state of Shan .

When the Burmese army confiscated their farmland in 2006, Saw Thi Say decided it was time to flee to the Thai border.

"We were forced to destroy our own crops and then they forced us to grow crops for [the army]," Saw Thi Say said. "So we came here. Our youngest was three at that time."

Mae La refugee camp, the largest in Thailand, is home to more than 40,000 people and stretches across 184 hectares along the mountain ranges of western Thailand. In operation for three decades, the majority of its residents - some of whom have lived there for just as long - are ethnic Karen who fled fighting.

"We need our children to get a good education and to have a good quality of life," the father of four daughters told Al Jazeera.

Saw Thi Say and his family thought life would be easier in Thailand. Although he no longer hears gunshots at night, he said living in Mae La remains challenging.

Thailand's military seized power on May 22, and since that time has cracked down on migrantsfrom neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. These moves have many refugees in Thailand wondering what's next for them. 

Reduced rations

At first glance, the Mae La camp resembles a rural town, with row after row of bamboo-stilt houses lining the mountainous terrain. Rising in the early morning, refugees head to the bustling market area, which is located by the camp's entrance and manned by Thai soldiers. Within the market's centre are the ration stations, where refugees line up waiting to receive rice and cooking oil.

However, rations at the camp have recently been reduced because of dwindling donor funds, and, in the last two months, restrictions imposed by the Thai authorities have increased. Additionally, a population census carried out in July has left most of the camp's residents worried about what changes its results may bring.

A lack of communication between the authorities and residents has fuelled rumours about the intention of the census, leaving the refugees in a heightened state of anxiety for their future.

These new fears compound the already-precarious situation for refugees living in one of Thailand's nine border camps. For families such as Saw Thi Say's, the task of obtaining a good education for their children is saddled with daily difficulties.

"In [Myanmar], we were oppressed by the military government," Mary, Saw Thi Say's wife, said. "Now here, we feel the same, oppressed by the Thai military."

Restricting movement

Law Ba Htoo, 39, has lived in the camp since 1992, when he also fled Karen State in Myanmar to escape fighting.

Since the Thai military banned residents from leaving Mae La to seek work, the community has been left to fend for themselves, he said. They worry that their attempts to gain additional income would backfire, causing them to lose their refugee status.

"People cannot leave the camp at all now. Even if we try to go out, we have to get permission from the Thai authorities," he said. "Among all the camp people, we are very worried that we will be sent back, and then we would have to be registered as refugees again."

Law Ba Htoo's application for resettlement in the United States was also approved in October of last year; he and his family have been eagerly preparing for a new life in Dallas, Texas.

However, Law Ba Htoo has not heard anything from the US since March. He is worried that the recent population census will affect his status in the country. 

"They don't share this information with us," he said. "The people who stay in the camp, they mostly want to resettle in the US because the restrictions by the Thai military are bad for our lives."

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was not involved or consulted by the Thai government in the headcount, said UNHCR senior coordinator Iain Hall, who explained that authorities have said the census was done to ascertain the actual number of refugees living in the camps.

"UNHCR has shared its concern that refugees are very anxious about the purpose of the headcount, and therefore that they should be better informed," said Hall, adding the new Thai government has not stated any changes in its refugee policy.

Census concerns

Duncan McArthur, partnership director of The Border Consortium - a non-governmental organisation that distributes rations to the refugees - said while he doesn't expect the census to affect ration allocation, the reasons for it ambiguous.

"The actual purpose remains unclear but there haven't been any punitive outcomes to date," McArthur said in an email.

According to The Border Consortium's population records, there are more than 58,000 unregistered refugees in nine camps - almost 50 percent of the total camp population.

"The vast majority of unregistered refugees appear to have fled from the effects of conflict just like registered refugees before them," McArthur said. "It is not clear how unregistered refugees will be treated on this occasion, but they remain more vulnerable to discrimination than registered refugees."

Thai army spokesman Colonel Werachon Sukondhadpatipak told Al Jazeera the population census would also determine which refugees are moving in and out to work in Thailand illegally.

"They need to be able to control the movement of the refugees living in the camp, for those moving out and moving in," Werachon said, adding the military would not forcibly deport anyone.

"We have to work with many organisations, including the UNHCR," he said. "We also need to work closely with the Myanmar authorities to find the right time to send them back."

Decaying hope

But camp residents remain in the dark, and view both the Thai and Myanmar governments' plans for them with mistrust. Saw Wah, 34, has been living in Mae La for 15 years and is accustomed to, yet frustrated by, the constant dearth of information. 

"When things change, I have to follow the situation to look out for my life," he said. "Things are never stable for us."

With his rations recently reduced, Saw Wah said he had hoped his small grocery store in the camp might bring in extra money. But now, his business has been affected by the restrictions.

"There is no transparency between [the Thai authorities] and the camp people. This issue confuses everyone - the entire camp feels this way," Saw Wah said, his two-year-old daughter on his knee. "It decays my hope and my purpose."

Source : uk.news.yahoo.com

Australia to take 4,400 refugees from Syria, Iraq

Australia will offer to resettle some 4,400 people fleeing violence in Iraq and Syria, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said today, adding the places had been freed up by success in stopping asylum-seeker boats. Boat arrivals have all but dried up since Australia said it would refuse resettlement to any refugees arriving on unauthorised.

Australia will offer to resettle some 4,400 people fleeing violence in Iraq and Syria, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said today, adding the places had been freed up by success in stopping asylum-seeker boats.

Boat arrivals have all but dried up since Australia said it would refuse resettlement to any refugees arriving on unauthorised vessels, sending them instead to Papua New Guinea and Nauru in the Pacific.

"The government's policies under Operation Sovereign Borders have not only saved lives at sea, but also allowed more places to be returned to our humanitarian programme for the world's most desperate and vulnerable people," he said.

The minister said a minimum of 2,200 places would be for Iraqis, including ethnic and religious minorities fleeing the violence in the north of the country.

"The government has also committed a minimum of 2,200 places for Syrians, including those now living in desperate conditions in countries such as Lebanon," he added.

Australia accepts 13,750 people into its humanitarian refugee programme each year, and Morrison said the government would ensure that 11,000 of these places would be for people overseas in need of resettlement.

"This government has made it very clear that priority in the humanitarian programme should be for those waiting overseas and entering Australia under an orderly process," he said.

Last year, Australia took more than 1,000 people from Syria, more than 2,000 from Iraq, 2,754 from Afghanistan and just over 1,800 from Myanmar.

Morrison said while the situation was improving in Myanmar, Australia would continue to support the resettlement of its refugees, "in particular those from the many Christian ethnic minorities currently living in Malaysia and Thailand, such as the Karen and Chin".

The Refugee Action Coalition criticised the government's announcement, saying the conservative administration had cut the overall refugee intake from 20,000 to 13,750 after taking office in September 2013.

"The number of refugees the coalition (government) says they will take from Iraq is paltry and hides the fact that the government has cut the refugee intake," said spokesman Ian Rintoul. "It is phoney generosity."

He said the announcement did nothing for the more than 100 Iraqi asylum-seekers in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. – AFP, August 17, 2014.

Thai Authorities Hamper Food Deliveries to Burmese Refugee Camp

Thousands of Burmese at the Ei Htu Hta refugee camp in eastern Burma are struggling to feed themselves as monthly food supplies from non-governmental organizations have been interrupted by Thai authorities, according to an aid worker.

Ei Htu Hta, located on the western bank of the Salween River in Burma’s Karen State, across from Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Province, houses about 4,000 Burmese refugees.

Saw Htoo Klei, the secretary of the Karen Office of Relief and Development (KORD), said refugees who live in the camp have seen food rations dwindle beginning late last month, as supply lines to the camp, which come from Thailand, have been monitored and sometimes interrupted by Thai authorities.

“Food for this month should have arrived by late last month, but we were not able to transport it in time as we faced some difficulties from Thai authorities,” said Saw Htoo Klei, whose organization provides assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Karen State and at the Ei Htu Hta camp.

Eh Doh, an Ei Htu Hta inhabitant, told The Irrawaddy that as a result, refugees were having to look elsewhere for food, and do more with less.

“Because we have had problems receiving rice on time, we have had to buy rice from local merchants,” he said. “Some people say they have been eating boiled rice soup since early this month as they don’t have enough rice.”

Food supplies for Ei Htu Hta are transported by boat through the nearby Thai village of Mae Sam Laep, upstream on the Salween. Thai military checkpoints are positioned along the river, which demarcates the Thai-Burma border.

There are nine refugee camps on the Thai side of the border, where some 130,000 refugees live.

A May 22 military coup brought the National Council for Peace and Order to power in Thailand, and with it have come changes that have restricted refugees’ movement and sent tens of thousands of migrant workers back to their home countries, fearing detention or worse.

At the same time, NGOs’ support to Burmese refugees in Thailand has declined since the beginning of 2012 as peace negotiations between Naypyidaw and ethnic armed rebel groups have ramped up. The prospect of an end to the decades-long armed conflict in Burma has spurred discussions between the Thai and Burmese governments about repatriating refugees.

In an interview with The Irrawaddy, Nyar Hter, chairman of Ei Htu Hta refugee camp, said food supplies have been declining annually.

“We only get rice and salt. We don’t get other additional foods such as yellow bean, cooking oil, canned fish and other nutritious foods like before,” Nyar Hter said.

According to a press release from Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a recent visit to Thailand by Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, commander-in-chief of the Burmese armed forces, included a meeting with Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, head of the ruling Thai junta.

Both sides touched upon the repatriation issue, according to the press release, and the Burmese side reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with Thailand to prepare for a safe future return, in accordance with humanitarian and human rights principles. The discussion was in general terms with no specific timeframe under consideration, the release stated.

Even as NGO support has declined and talk has increasingly turned to repatriation plans, it is clear that many refugees are not ready to return home.

“There is no safety for us to return as government troops are still occupying our village,” Nyar Hter said.

Help Burmese Migrants and Refugee Communities

What?

Volunteers help migrant schools and communities. And the qualified volunteer may help with health care work.

Why?

Burmese and other ethnic minority groups, Karen etc., migrants and refugees live in very simple and unhealthy conditions, escaping even harsher conditions in their homeland. Burmese migrants not only have very poor education opportunities but also suffer severe health problems.

Where?

The Mae Sot region by the Burma border. You stay in Mae Sot town, host family or guesthouse or in the mountains, at a school or with a host family.

Mae Sot is a town by the Myanmar border with the Friendship Bridge linking it to Myawaddi in Myanmar. Burmese, Karen, Thais mix with Chinese and other ethnic groups.

When?

All year round. Monthly volunteer training offered in Thailand to prepare volunteers

Volunteers – Who?

Dedicated volunteers willing to put in an effort are welcome, ready for simple living and an extraordinary and life changing experience!

What you can do as a volunteer

Teach English, focusing on practice and conversation

Computer training

Combined English and computer training

Child care

Health care

Projects and people we help

Volunteers go to local schools, very poor migrant learning centers and their communities in the Mae Sot Region and mountains.

We also invite young migrants to our Thailand Training Center to train them, together with overseas volunteers, so one day they can go back to help their friends who are not allowed to travel in Thailand.

How to apply

Contact us for more information and to discuss what you can do

http://www.openmindprojects.org

visit our website : www.openmindprojects.org

Email: info@openmindproejcts.net

Call/WhatsApp: +66885640734

The life of a refugee: fleeing forced labor, finding financial limbo

In her home country, the military used to make Nang Doi sew uniforms, sheets, curtains and upholstery for them. They wouldn’t pay her, and if she didn’t work, they would fine her. Other refugees from the area say the consequences were much worse: beatings, jail, sometimes rape. Doi was forced to work simply because she is Christian. She lived in a village in the Kachin state of northern Burma, also called Myanmar, a Buddhist country, where Doi says she was the only seamstress. Doi was born with a painful vascular malformation, called Hemangioma, on her right thigh. This made it difficult for her to stand for long periods of time. It made it difficult for her to work.

When she fled her village, Doi says the military followed. So without telling her parents, Doi escaped to Malaysia. But the thing about refugees is that often when they flee to neighboring countries, the conditions in those places are not much better than what they came from.

“Most refugees flee by land,” said Sarah Ivory, director of immigration and refugee programs for Church World Service in Greensboro. “So most refugees in the world are housed in countries, bordering countries that produce refugees, meaning they’re not much better than where they’ve come from. And in fact, sometimes much more dangerous.”

After making her case to the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Doi was granted refugee status in the United States. She arrived in Greensboro, N.C. in August 2013. Staff from Church World Service’s Greensboro refugee resettlement program greeted her at the airport. They had an apartment, food and employment classes all ready for her. A case manager was assigned to help Doi with whatever she needed to get settled. When she needed multiple surgeries on her leg, Church World Service helped get her Medicaid extended beyond the eight-month period refugees are given on arrival. Without the surgeries, Doi, who is 32 years old, would likely face a lifetime of living on disability. Now she has hopes of becoming a famous fashion designer.

Doi is one of about 70,000 refugees, or about half of one percent of all refugees, who are allowed in the U.S. each year. Church World Service resettles about 250 to 300 of those in the Greensboro area. Two other agencies also work nearby.

Earlier this summer, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, or ORR, shifted $94 million from refugee programs and services to help deal with unaccompanied minors crossing the border. Ivory was afraid she would have to cut staff. And with a staff of only 14 employees and AmeriCorps members, losing people can significantly affect the work they do.

ORR recently restored $22.5 million of the money back to refugee programs and services. But a new budget has to be approved soon.

“Supplemental funding is needed not only to replenish what has already been re-programed but also to make sure there is sufficient funding for next year,” Ivory said. “Because if they don’t significantly increase the overall budget for ORR next year, we’ll be in the exact same situation just in another six months.”

KNU warns it will block any efforts to return refugees prematurely

The Karen National Union’s, secretary 1, Padoh Saw Thaw Thi Bweh told Karen News that unless the situation in Burma guarantees refugees safety, their dignity and is conducted according to international humanitarian guidelines any return at the moment is not appropriate.

In an interview with Karen News, Padoh Saw Thaw Thi Bweh, Secratry of the Karen National Union, warned that the situation in Burma was not yet stable enough to see the safe return of refugees from Thailand.

“We, the KNU, firmly decided that if there is not yet political stability and a permanent ceasefire in Myanmar, it is not appropriate to repatriate the refugees,” Padoh Thaw Thi Bweh said, adding, “The Thai junta has assured us that they will not force the refugees to return home.”

Padoh Thaw Thi Bweh said that if efforts were made to return refugees in an unsafe manner in the future, the KNU would try and block such efforts. “If the Thai junta forces the refugees to return home or other organization would like to forcibly repatriate the refugees, we, the KNU, would like to prevent those plans. The refugees should not be forcibly repatriated unless they are repatriated with dignity as a group of human being with their fundamental rights to security, shelter, and food along with the process,” he said.

Padoh Thaw Thi Bweh said that a lack of information from the Thai government, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), camp authorities and NGO’s tasked with assisting refugees was stoking fears of forced return.

“If the committees (the UNHCR) formally meet with the camps’ leaders and camps’ committees and inform them about the Thai authorities’ conducting refugees’ census or head counting process clearly with accurate reasons, the refugees will not be scared of the insecurity,” he said, adding that the Karen Refugee Committee would try and fill the information gap, “the refugees directly belong to the KRC and the KRC is responsible to inform them clearly so they will feel relieved.”

However, Padoh Thaw Thi Bweh voiced concern that reports in the regional media of meetings between Thai authorities and the commander-in-chief of Burma’s military – where the two parties agreed to work closely together on refugee repatriation – was a “severe” concern.

“The current Thai authority is the military regime, and they do or follow as the orders. Therefore, it is also a threat for the camps’ residents. At the same time their [Thai junta] meeting with the Myanmar General Min Aung Hlang also becomes a severe concern for us,” he said.

Refugees have expressed growing fears that repatriation will occur in the near future, pointing out recent cuts to rations, reductions in camp services and a recent crackdown on long-existing, though until now laxly enforced, camp regulations by authorities – including harsh restrictions on movement – are making life harder for them.

Community based organisations working with refugees have also expressed concern that refugees are being ‘squeezed out’ by the recent changes.

Confusion has also abounded in regional media on the repatriation issue. Last month a Bangkok Post report warned that the Thai military might return refugees “within one year,” and that the UNHCR was preparing to provide land to refugees going back. UNHCR denied these reports as “untrue.” While in an official statement, Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that refugees would be sent back in line with “humanitarian principles” but failed to precisely outline a timeframe or under what specific humanitarian criteria refugees would be repatriated.

Padoh Thaw Thi Bweh concluded that if the current situation in ethnic areas remained as it was, refugees should not return. “[Even] If there is still no absence of civil war, and the political conflicts are not yet solved, or no political stability, it is absolutely not appropriate to repatriate the refugees.”

A 2012 report by the New York based Human Rights Watch, entitled ‘Ad hoc and inadequate,’ criticized Thailand’s treatment of refugees as being “fragmented” and thus leaving them vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and deportation.

“Burmese refugees in Thailand face a stark choice: they can stay in one of the refugee camps along the border with Burma and be relatively protected from arrest and summary removal to Burma but without freedom to move or work. Or, they can live and work outside the camps, but typically without recognized legal status of any kind, leaving them at risk of arrest and deportation. It is a choice refugees should not be compelled to make,” the report stated.

Helping Burmese Refugees Start New Lives in New Zealand

Sparsely populated New Zealand could be said to be punching above its wait in terms of Burmese refugee intake. About 2,000 Burmese, largely coming from refugee camps on the Thai-Burma border, now live in the island nation of 4.4 million people.

Annie Coates, an ethnic Karen woman who has lived in the capital Wellington for more than 30 years, is helping those transplants adjust to life in the southern hemisphere, working with the refugee community on health, education and other social issues. In 2009, she received the Prime Minister’s Social Hero Award in recognition of her work.

Formerly with the ChangeMakers Refugee Forum, Coates now works independently, volunteering her time to teach English, assist with job hunting and even babysitting for refugees. The Irrawaddy spoke with Coates in Wellington about her role in supporting the Burmese refugee community in New Zealand.

Question: How do you help Burmese refugees in New Zealand?

Answer: I was working many jobs in the past, when Burmese refugees began coming to New Zealand in the 2000s. At that time, I took leave to help them. I was what’s called a cross-cultural worker. I helped them to rent houses and with health issues, because at that time, there was a language barrier in communicating with Kiwis [New Zealand citizens]. For social support, I helped them by, for example, staying overnight to babysit. I am not actually a qualified social worker, but just serve in a supporting role.

Most of them are young people and they do not have any relatives in New Zealand, so I become automatically their mother or grandmother. There are 38 children I have been taking care of here. And also I’m helping to recommend some Burmese who apply for visas to come here who are the wives or husbands of people here.

Q: How many Burmese are there living in New Zealand? Are they all refugees from the Thai-Burma border camps?

A: Almost 2,000 Burmese are living here. Mostly they are living in the biggest city, Auckland. More than half the total Burmese are living there. About 200 live in Wellington, and also Nelson. Most of them grew up on the Thai-Burma border, ethnic Karen and Kayah [Karenni] from Burma. But ethnic Chinese and Rakhine [Arakanese] are coming from Malaysia.

They might be economic refugees who are here to seek jobs. But they come here without a visa as there is a lot of corruption in Malaysia. There are many Burmese who queue in front of the UNHCR [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] office in Malaysia to get here. If someone is arrested by Malaysian police, the UNHCR issues refugee cards for them, so some are intentionally paying bribes to police to arrest them, so they can easily get refugee cards and come here. There are no official refugee camps in Malaysia, but there are detention facilities holding some Burmese people.

Q: Are you supporting all of them or do you have to be selective, given the number of Burmese refugees coming to New Zealand?

A: I am helping them through social humanitarian activities; there is not a political agenda. I support whoever needs support. I help them using my own money. While I was working in cross-cultural support in refugee services, there were barriers to helping them, like forbidding emotional attachment [to refugees]. That’s why after my contract ended, I decided to independently support Burmese refugees myself.

Q: Can these refugees become New Zealand citizens?

A: They have been granted permanent resident status. After five years, they can apply for citizenship here. After they have been granted citizenship, some people take a chance and move to Australia.

Q: What about job opportunities for Burmese refugees here? Is it easy for them to find employment?

A: There are a lot of job-seeking agencies for them here. After they get to New Zealand, they receive an orientation; they are taught the English language and also undergo a skills assessment. If they provide some information about their background [such as education and work histories] in Malaysia or Thailand, it’s easy to access jobs. But some people still have difficulties getting a job here. The problem is the language barrier, though there are many job vacancies here. Some people get a chance to study here while working at the same time. As long as they’re trying hard, staying here is good for them.

Q: Is it true that some Rohingya refugees are also coming to New Zealand?

A: I have heard about that, but no one here in Wellington. Some have lived on the Thai-Burma border for a long time as refugees. They are registered in the UN list as Karen, but the names on their ID cards are Muslim names. However they can speak the Karen language very well.

UNHCR raises concerns over Burmese refugee repatriation

Burmese refugees living in Thailand will face challenges if they are repatriated, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday.

The comments follow an announcement made by Thailand’s military government in June that said it would send home around 120,000 refugees who have been living in camps – some for more than two decades – on the Thai-Burmese border.

But non-governmental organisations say they are concerned by a lack of infrastructure to help returnees rebuild their lives.

Thailand’s military government started taking a census on 21 July in the country’s largest camp, Mae La, north of Mae Sot. 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 NGOs record 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 organisations.” said Col. Terdsak Ngamsanong, the commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment, who oversees border security in Tak province where the camp is located.

The UNHCR’s Bangkok-based spokesperson, Vivian Tan highlighted some of the challenges refugees would encounter if repatriated in the near future.



“Some of the challenges include the absence of a permanent ceasefire, 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 affects the sustainability and the safety of the refugee returns,” she said

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-Burmese 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 17 July 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”.

Many refugees still do not trust the political situation in Burma.

“I don’t think the Burmese government has changed. We hear that there was fighting in Kachin and Karen states recently. I don’t believe the Burmese government will offer us peace,” said A Shwe, 49 year-old Karen refugee.

Mae La Refugees, On The Edge

Two weeks ago, Kyi Htay sneaked back into Mae La refugee camp in the dead of night. Working as a medic in southeastern Burma’s Karen State — and registered as a refugee in the camp for more than 20 years – the 45-year-old has made this journey dozens of times.

But this trip was different. With multiple checkpoints manned by the Thai military on the roads and the threat of deportation looming if he was caught, Kyi Htay found it more challenging than ever to covertly ferry his family of five back into the camp.

“It was very difficult to sneak in this time compared to before the coup,” said Kyi Htay, who had been absent from the camp for almost a year. “But if one of my family members misses the population census, the Thai authorities will cut all our rations.”

Kyi Htay’s fears are shared by many who go beyond the camp’s boundaries to seek supplemental income. When Thai authorities announced in July that Mae La’s residents were prohibited from leaving, residents began speculating that this latest enforcement could serve as yet another burden on their already uncertain living situations.

Some of the refugees have lived in Mae La for nearly as long as the three decades the camp has been operating, and thus have tried to carve out a better life for themselves within the confines imposed upon them. With the majority of the residents being ethnic Karen who fled from conflict in their home state, these refugees want to be afforded the same privileges as anyone starting a new life. They want to be able to move freely to make more money; they want ample food to stave off hunger; and they want a sense of security — however nebulous such a concept may be for someone displaced by fighting.

While it is true that they are now facing stricter security since Thailand’s military coup in May of this year, the fear that Thai authorities will reduce their rations is a misconception as The Border Consortium (TBC) – which provides food rations to the camps – have no plans to reduce rations after the census is conducted. Yet this hasn’t dispelled concerns as many people have complained that they are not being fully informed on their future, and funding cuts along the border have already caused a noticeable decrease in supplies.

Home to more than 40,000 refugees, Mae La is the country’s largest refugee camp, extending roughly 184 hectares against the mountain ranges of western Thailand. An estimated 100,000 more refugees from Burma are spread out among the other eight camps.

The recent clampdown has stirred new fears. The refugees worry about earning enough for basic necessities if their rations are not sufficient, about losing their refugee status, and about being deported back to Burma. This omnipresent sense of uncertainty and insecurity is part and parcel of the indeterminate nature of being a displaced person.




Kyi Htay, a Karen medic, with his wife. (PHOTO: Dene-Hern Chen)

Kyi Htay, the Karen medic, confesses that he is rarely in the camp because he values his role in a clinic in Karen State’s Hpa-an district treating cases of malaria. Yet he refuses to give up his refugee status for the sake of his wife and four children, all of whom wish to eventually resettle in the US.

“My wife and children want to go to the US, so I will go too,” Kyi Htay said. “I don’t really want to be resettled though. I feel great pity for my people and I want to stay with them to help them.”

On the other side of this spectrum stands Ma Aye Htoo, 44, who said she wishes never to return to Burma. Along with her husband and four children, she lived in the dense forests of Karen State for four years before coming to Mae La. Though food was scarce, the bigger problem was the lack of medicine, and when two of her children got sick, they passed away that same day. Her remaining two children died later that year.

“Even though there are many people who want to return to Burma, I don’t ever want to return there,” she said. “I’ve lived through a lot of misery there. I lost four of my children there, and I will never go back.”

While she is not directly affected by a moratorium on camp departures as she does not plan an attempt to leave, the implication of a virtual house arrest weighs deeply upon her.

“It feels like we are stuck in here, like this camp could be a trap,” she said. “The other thing is that staying here could be like an addiction, because it seems easier than in Burma.”

Saw Wah, a 34-year-old Karen refugee who has lived in Mae La for 15 years, is angered by the lack of transparency, not least because he was never approached to take part in the census.


Saw Wah, a refugee at Ma La, with his daughter in his small grocery store. (PHOTO: Dene-Hern Chen)

“The Thai authorities should explain things to us; there is no transparency between them and the camp people. This issue confuses everyone – the entire camp feels this way,” Saw Wah said. “It decays my hope and my purpose.”

As the proprietor of a small grocery store within the camp that sells mostly bottled drinks and snacks, Saw Wah added that the camp restrictions have directly affected his business as his usual customers now have less expendable income.

Duncan McArthur, partnership director for TBC – which assists with distributing rations to the nine border camps — told DVB in an email that his organisation is not expecting the census to affect the distribution of rations to the refugees.

“The population counts are being conducted in an ad hoc manner and vary from camp to camp,” McArthur said. “The actual purpose remains unclear, but there haven’t been any punitive out comes to date.”

He added that any restrictions on the refugees’ comings and goings will reduce their access to forest products and labour opportunities.

“This is likely to mean that refugees will not be able to supplement food and shelter assistance at a time when some foreign donors have reduced humanitarian support,” McArthur said.

Spectators wait for the start of a football game at Mae La refugee camp. (PHOTO: Dene-Hern Chen)

The UNHCR is also not involved in the headcount, nor were they consulted or invited to take part in the process, said Iain Hall, the refugee agency’s senior coordinator in Mae Sot. District authorities informed UNHCR that the headcount was “to ascertain the actual number of refugees and asylum seekers presently residing in the camps,” he said.

While UNHCR advocates for a comprehensive verification process by the Thai authorities, Hall said that the agency’s concerns about the census “such as the inconsistent approach, lack of prior information to the refugees, and some inconsistent ‘messaging’ by some district-level authorities” were shared with the Thai government.

He also said that while laws governing migrant workers are different from those concerning refugees – current policy bans displaced people from seeking employment outside the camps – Thai authorities have not always enforced these distinctions.

“Over the many years of this protracted situation for the refugees from Myanmar [Burma], the application of that specific regulation may have been inconsistently applied and refugees were able to secure an income outside of the camps, while running the risk of an illegal action,” Hall said, adding that while the Thai government has been “sympathetic” to assisting the needs of the refugees and have allowed the development of their skills and income-generation capacities, the Thai government “is also obliged to manage the issue within the confines of their current policy and legislation”.

“[The Thai government] has not shared any plan with UNHCR as to the possible actions that it may take concerning refugees that are found working outside the camps,” he said.

“There is no timeframe on the repatriation of those refugees that desire to return home to Myanmar [Burma],” Hall said, adding that Thai authorities have issued public statements that “any repatriation will be in accordance with the international standards and in respect of human rights and the associated humanitarian principles related to voluntary repatriation.”



“There is no transparency between them and the camp people. This issue confuses everyone – the entire camp feels this way. It decays my hope and my purpose.”


A young boy smokes a cigarette in Mae La. With the camp in operation for 30 years, many children have lived their entire lives there. (PHOTO: Dene-Hern Chen)

Col. Werachon Sukondhadpatipak, a spokesman for the Thai Army, reiterated that the military government has no intention of immediately repatriating the refugees as it would be a lengthy process. Meanwhile, the census will be used to tally up the actual number of refugees against the figures held by the UNHCR, and this would go into a database, he explained.

“They need to be able to control the movement of the refugees living in the camp, for those moving out and moving in, because some were moving out and trying to seek employment,” Sukondhadpatipak said.

As for issues of transparency, Sukondhadpatipak agreed that there should be more on-the-ground communication between the Thai authorities and the camp residents.

A lack of information and a lack of faith are issues that many people in the camp struggle with. Last October, Law Ba Htoo, a refugee in Mae La for 25 years, was informed that he and his family are now eligible for resettlement in the US. Since then, they have been eagerly preparing for their final departure from the camps, and even attended cultural orientation training sessions in March to acclimate them to traveling and living in a new country, he said.

Law Ba Htoo, a refugee at Mae La, has been waiting to be resettled since October 2013. (PHOTO: Dene-Hern Chen)

But after March, there has been no news. Since Law Ba Htoo was previously warned that he should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, the 39-year-old Karen man has been cooped up in his home, afraid to leave for the past three months. With his wife and children residing in a different camp about 30 km from Mae La, he misses them very much and they speak daily on the phone.

“Some of my friends… have gone to the US, and some are still here. I am confused about this and no one tells me anything,” Law Ba Htoo said. Queries to the UNHCR were unsuccessful, as the staff could not provide him and his family with a firm departure date.

Despite this long wait, Law Ba Htoo believes that he is blessed to have been chosen, as being resettled in a third country is the majority of camp residents’ desire. Forced to flee from his home when he was just 14 after the Burmese military burned down his village, Law Ba Htoo considers himself a lucky man. After all, he met his future wife while holding a job at a refugee clinic in Mae Sot, has two daughters, and is now looking forward to a new life in Dallas, Texas. He has no desire to look back.

“Even if I go back to Burma now, it would still be the same situation. It would not be better for us,” he said. “We already know the ending to that story.”

Burmese Refugees Still Welcome in New Zealand: Prime Minister

WELLINGTON — New Zealand’s prime minister says his country will continue to accept Burmese refugees, including those currently living in camps along the Thai-Burma border, despite political reforms in Burma since 2011.

In an exclusive interview, John Key told The Irrawaddy that New Zealand would welcome any refugee who has qualified for resettlement according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“As long as they’re on the UN list, we’ll take them,” he said. “And in some places like Rakhine [Arakan] State, for instance, there’s obviously a desperate need, so yes, I imagine we’ll continue to take them from Myanmar [Burma].”

The United Nations estimates that more than 86,000 people have attempted to leave western Burma’s Arakan State by boat since 2012, when an outbreak of inter-communal violence left 140,000 people homeless.

For more than a decade, Burmese refugees from camps in Thailand and Malaysia have resettled to New Zealand as part of the UNHCR program. Most were ethnic Karen, Kayah and Chin and had been staying in camps along the Thai-Burma border.

“There are more than 2,000 Burmese living in New Zealand now. Not all are refugees, but most came from the refugees camps,” said Annie Coates, a Karen-Burmese social worker who has lived in Wellington for more than 30 years. “The Karen and Kayah come from camps along the Thai-Burma border, while the Chin and Rakhine [Arakanese] come mostly from camps in Malaysia.”

She said they faced challenges while adjusting to their new lives.

“The language barrier is a major issue,” she said. “I support their education, health and other social needs in times of difficulty, because many of them are young people who do not have any relatives here.”

Key said that despite political and economic reforms under Burmese President Thein Sein’s administration, refugees in New Zealand would never be asked to return home.

“If we take them under the [UNHCR] program, even if there’s a change in the domestic circumstances, we have granted them effectively citizenship in New Zealand, or residency leading to citizenship, so we can’t return them,” he said.

In the past 10 years, New Zealand has approved residency status for 7,473 refugees. Of those, most came from Burma (1,901), Afghanistan (1,237) and Iraq (999).

Conditions not right in Myanmar for Burmese refugees in Thailand to return home - UNHCR

BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Conditions in Myanmar are not yet right for refugees living in camps near the border to return home, the U.N. said on Wednesday as concerns mount after the Thai military government pledged to repatriate them.

“There’s been a lot of positive developments (in Myanmar) in the last two and a half years or so but… we don’t feel that the conditions are fully in place for organised refugee return,” Vivian Tan, Bangkok-based spokesperson for UNHCR, told Thomson Reuters Foundation in an interview.

Challenges include the absence of a permanent ceasefire in eastern Myanmar, land mines and unmarked minefields, and a lack of infrastructure, basic services and jobs, she said.

“All of this affects the sustainability and safety of any refugee return.”

After the Thai military on Monday launched a refugee headcount inMae La – the largest of nine camps along the border – refugeestold Thomson Reuters Foundation that they fear being forcibly returned to Myanmar.

However, the Thai junta has reassured aid groups, including UNHCR, that the return would be voluntary and no timeframe has been set.

“We spoke to the Thai government, and they clarified that the policy remains the same (as before), that any returns to Myanmar must be voluntary, must be dignified and safe,” Tan said.

“(The refugees) fled a terrible situation back home and of course they have trust issues and they’re suspicious of the different actors involved,” she said.

“We as humanitarian actors have to try our best to try and provide whatever information we can in an objective way. I think that’s the best way we can try manage their anxiety.”

There are approximately 120,000 Burmese refugees living in Thailand. The first waves poured across the border three decades ago after the Burmese military launched attacks against ethnic Karen rebels in eastern Myanmar near the Thai border.

(Editing by Alisa Tang: alisa.tang@thomsonreuters.com)

Thai junta’s pledge to send back Myanmar refugees sparks concern

BANGKOK: Thailand’s military government said on Monday it would send home 100,000 refugees who have been living in camps for two decades and more along the border with Myanmar, a move rights groups say would create chaos at a tense time for both nations.

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.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is emerging from nearly five decades of isolation under repressive military rule.

Its nominally civilian government has talked about repatriating the refugees, but non-governmental organisations say they are concerned by a lack of infrastructure to help returnees rebuild their lives.

“We are not at the stage where we will deport people because we must first verify the nationality of those in the camps,” army deputy spokesman Veerachon Sukhontapatipak told Reuters.

“Once that is done we will find ways to send them back. There are around 100,000 people who have been living in the camps for many years without freedom. Thailand and Myanmar will help facilitate their smooth return.”

Last month, 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 centres to help migrant workers secure work permits. There are also an estimated 2 million Burmese migrant workers, the largest contingent of such labourers in the country.

But without any legal status or marketable skills, the refugees have long been seen as a burden by the Thai state.

An estimated 120,000 Burmese refugees live in 10 camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border, according to The Border Consortium, which coordinates NGO activity in the camps.

Many fled persecution and ethnic wars as well as poverty and have lived in the camps with no legal means of making an income.

MILITARY PRESSING FOR REPATRIATION

An aid worker who has been helping the refugees said the Thai army appeared serious about its repatriation push.

“The authorities said this time they are going to be very strict. It seems like they’re really pushing for repatriation,” said the aid worker, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the issue.

“The situation in the camps is very tense because people don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The refugees fear economic and logistical difficulties in returning as well as sporadic fighting in parts of north and northeast Myanmar.

In his weekly televised speech last Friday, junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said Myanmar and Thailand would oversee a smooth return home of refugees.

“Thailand and Myanmar will facilitate the safe return to their homeland in accordance with human rights principles,” he said.

But rights groups say a lack of transparency surrounds any plan to send refugees back.

“When Prayuth spoke on Friday he left out what the conditions for the return would be,” Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch told Reuters.

“The National Council for Peace and Order can only do this under the conditions expected by the international community.”

UNHCR raises concerns over Burmese refugee repatriation

Burmese refugees living in Thailand will face challenges if they are repatriated, the UN refugee agency said on Wednesday.

The comments follow an announcement made by Thailand’s military government in June that said it would send home around 120,000 refugees who have been living in camps – some for more than two decades – on the Thai-Burmese border.

But non-governmental organisations say they are concerned by a lack of infrastructure to help returnees rebuild their lives.

Thailand’s military government started taking a census on 21 July in the country’s largest camp, Mae La, north of Mae Sot. 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 NGOs record 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 organisations.” said Col. Terdsak Ngamsanong, the commander of the 4th Infantry Regiment, who oversees border security in Tak province where the camp is located.

The UNHCR’s Bangkok-based spokesperson, Vivian Tan highlighted some of the challenges refugees would encounter if repatriated in the near future.

“Some of the challenges include the absence of a permanent ceasefire, 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 affects the sustainability and the safety of the refugee returns,” she said

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-Burmese 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 17 July 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”.

Many refugees still do not trust the political situation in Burma.

“I don’t think the Burmese government has changed. We hear that there was fighting in Kachin and Karen states recently. I don’t believe the Burmese government will offer us peace,” said A Shwe, 49 year-old Karen refugee.

How NCPO Can Help Myanmar Refugees

When Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on July 11 that the Thai refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border would be emptied, many wondered if there really is new resolve by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to repatriate the 130,000 Myanmar refugees who have been living in Thailand for many years.

Gen Prayuth cited national security as the reason for closing the camps, the same reason Thai officials have given over the years. It looked like his statement might be more than just rhetoric, since he cited a repatriation agreement in principle with the Myanmar army commander-in-chief, Gen Min Aung Hlaing.

On July 17, after the two of them met, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued some reassurances, saying that both countries had agreed on “a safe return in the future in accordance with humanitarian and human rights principles”.

Notwithstanding these assurances, refugees in the border camps scrutinise every statement by Thai authorities for signs about a future that is out of their hands. Anxiety is the norm, rumours flourish, a sense of precariousness is ever present, and fear is never far away. No text has been made public for this purported agreement. The fact that it is between the Thai and Myanmar militaries and not with Myanmar civilian authorities is an obvious cause for alarm for refugees who fled killing, forced labour, land confiscation, and many other abuses by the Myanmar army.

The refugees still have security and livelihood concerns. Eastern Myanmar is one of the most heavily landmined areas of the world after six decades of conflict. Myanmar still has multiple armed groups, and though many have signed ceasefire agreements, the army is still an abusive force that routinely violates international humanitarian law. And in many potential areas of return, there has been no preparation for agriculture, basic health, education and sanitation services, or employment opportunities.

Refugees also scrutinise every official action for hidden meaning. Thai authorities have been carrying out new “headcounts” in the camps. One media report, still unconfirmed by authorities, is that about 3,000 camp residents have been screened out in camps in Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi (where recent headcounts have not occurred) as non-refugees — leading to even more rumours and fears.

The recent stricter enforcement of restrictions on entry and exit from the camps also exacerbates fears. While the Interior Ministry says the camps are officially closed and that refugees are not allowed to work, the reality is that the camps have become pretty porous after 30 years.

It’s not uncommon for refugees to leave the camps temporarily to work so they can supplement the relatively meager assistance their families receive from humanitarian agencies. The new restrictions on movement are already causing hardship in the camps, especially since food rations to the camps were also recently reduced.

Until now, the quiet to and fro movements from the camps have also allowed some refugees to make brief surreptitious visits to the areas they fled in Myanmar to check out abandoned villages and properties and assess for themselves the possibility for safe return in the future. If the military is really interested in encouraging voluntary repatriation, it should, in fact, informally recognise this scouting process as important.

A national security mentality that emphasises control and that operates on the assumption that a refugee problem can be solved by moving people from point A to point B is likely to engender lawlessness, not security.

Repatriation before conditions are right not only risks endangering the returnees, but may also overwhelm local communities in areas of return, exacerbate political and ethnic tensions, and cause additional displacement that destabilises unsteady post-conflict situations.

In the longer term, forcible returns also cause resentment and bitterness toward the former host country instead of the gratitude and sympathy that one would expect refugees would feel after being protected for many years. But Thailand’s history with bringing protracted refugee situations to a close, dating back to the Cambodian refugee repatriation of the early 1990s, has been characterised by coercion that has poisoned relations between Thailand and its former refugees.

As a matter of national security, it would be far more effective for the NCPO to take a gradual approach that ensures that repatriation is safe and sustainable. Thailand should engage the refugees themselves and the communities to which they will be returning. It should and allow the refugees to build confidence over time by encouraging voluntary cross-border movement, first through look-and-see visits, and then by longer stays for home reconstruction, field planting, and infrastructure development.

Instead of a big one-time repatriation, Thailand should consider allowing back-and-forth movement that enables families and communities to return in stages as their capacity for sustainable reintegration improves and their confidence in their acceptance back home is restored.

Had such a gradualist, consultative, and gentler approach been taken during the repatriation of Lao Hmong refugees in 2009 and the Cambodian refugees in the early 1990s, their returns might have been far less traumatic and less damaging to human rights principles. The refugees who were returned might have had less bitterness and resentment toward Thailand, and Thailand might be more secure today in relation to its Lao and Cambodian neighbours. That, of course, is a matter of speculation, but it is something worth mulling over as the NCPO considers the Myanmar refugee repatriation.

*Bill Frelick is the director of Human Rights Watch’s Refugee Programme.

Thai junta leader clarifies policy on Myanmar refugees

Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (left) and Thai army chief and junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha during their meeting at Royal Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok on July 4. Photo: Chanat Katanyu/EPA/Pool

Thai junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha has given an assurance that human rights principles will be upheld when the time comes to repatriate tens of thousands of Myanmar from refugee camps, the Bangkok Post reported on July 27.

"The Thai government and the neighbouring administration have to find an appropriate way to ensure a safe return of the refugees," the English-language daily quoted Gen Prayuth as saying in his televised weekly address late on July 25.

"The significant matter is that is that human rights must not be violated," said Gen Prayuth, who has been appointed prime minister since the military seized power in a coup on May 22.

The Bangkok Post report also quoted Gen Prayuth as saying that the Thai authorities were yet to begin the repatriation of Myanmar refugees in Thai camps.

Without giving any indication when repatriations would begin, the Thai junta leader said they would not be conducted by members of the Thai armed forces.

Gen Prayuth's comments were an apparent attempt to assuage concerns raised by refugees and non-government organisations that residents of the nine official camps along the border with Myanmar would be forcibly repatriated.

Concerns have risen during the past month because the Thai authorities have been enforcing restrictions on movement outside the camps and have begun head-counts of their residents.

They rose further when Gen Prayuth said in the aftermath of a visit to Thailand by Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing earlier this month that refugees from the nine camps would be repatriated.

The Bangkok Post said repatriation was expected to be on the agenda during a three-day Thai-Myanmar Regional Border Committee meeting due to begin at Myeik in Tanintharyi Region on August 1.

On another issue involving Myanmar living in Thailand, Gen Prayuth said the Thai authorities were working with the governments of neighbouring countries to arrange a smoother process for issuing passports to undocumented migrant workers.

There has criticism from migrant rights groups in Myanmar that the process for obtaining documents necessary to work in Thailand legally was too complicated.

Uncertainty, Concern Surround Thai Govt Headcount of Refugees

CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Concerns and uncertainty over the future of tens of thousands of Burmese refugees living on the Thai-Burma border continue to grow as Thai authorities proceed with headcount operations in all nine refugee camps.

Refugees, aid NGOs and the UN said Thai authorities are taking refugees off food distribution lists, tightening restrictions on their movement, and appear to be categorizing residents in order to facilitate their future removal from the camp.

A dearth of information surrounds the actions of the Thai military government, however, and much about the activities remains unclear as neither refugees, aid groups nor the UN have been informed about details of the plan.

The Thai junta, which seized power through a coup in May, announced in the Thai media in recent weeks that it wants to cooperate with Burma to repatriate the refugees by 2015, but it has not mentioned any details of the plan.

Recently, local Thai authorities began carrying out a headcount in the nine camps that have housed some 120,000 refugees for about two decades.

Last week, headcounts were carried out at Mae La, the biggest camp, in Tak Province, and at Ban Mai Nai Soi in Mae Hong Son Province, and smaller camps in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces. Preparations are under way to begin the process in Mae Ra Ma Luang and Mae La Oon camps in Mae Hong Son Province soon.

Saw Honest, chairman of the Mae La camp, which is home to some 40,000 refugees, said Thai soldiers had called residents to assemble at the camp grounds and read out the names of households registered with the camp administration and The Border Consortium (TBC).

If refugees were not present, he said, their names were removed from the household registration cards and they would no longer be eligible for food and other aid distribution from TBC, a coalition of aid organizations supporting the camps.

Saw Honest said he believed that the Thai government had the authority to remove people’s UN refugee status if they were not present in the camp during the headcount, but it appeared that this had not happened so far.

“The [headcount] is the first step. But, we don’t know their intention in the next step,” he said, adding that Thai authorities had told him that the headcount was meant to “update the refugee population registration and they will keep this record as the updated one. It is like they want to clarify who has refugee and who has migrant status.”

He added that the headcount exercise was not affecting refugees who are applying for individual third country resettlement with UN help.

Naw Day Day Poe, deputy secretary of Mae La refugee camp, said, “We don’t know what exactly will happen after this [headcount] program, but things are getting serious.”

Thai military officials told news agency Reuters last week they were conducting the headcount in order to get an updated refugee figure and to ascertain how many refugees were leaving the camp in order to work—which has been prohibited by Thai authorities—or whether economic migrants were among the camp residents.

Many of the refugees regularly leave the camps to find ways to support their livelihoods.

Thai authorities have announced that they delisted some 3,000 camp residents as eligible for refugee support at several camps in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Thai provincial authorities were carrying out the headcount without its involvement, adding that the agency had been kept in the dark about its purposes.

“You’ll have to ask the authorities as we are not involved in the headcount and don’t know what they plan to do with the results,” said Vivian Tan, a UNHCR spokesperson.

“From what we can observe, the headcount is being conducted in an inconsistent and ad hoc way across different camps,” Tan said.

“In some camps, refugees are told that if they are not present for the headcounts, they will be taken off food distribution lists. In some other camps they have been told that they do not have to be physically present and that their families or leaders can account for them.”

Duncan McArthur, Partnership Director of TBC, said, “There are precedents of Thai authorities de-registering [UN] refugees for violations of Thai law, but the current purpose of the headcounts is unclear.”

Last week, Thai media reported that a senior junta member would attend a Thai-Burma Regional Border Committee on Aug 1-3 in Mergui, Tennaserim Division, to discuss refugee repatriation with the Burmese government.

The UNHCR has said that conditions in eastern Burma are not yet right for organized repatriation due to presence of unmarked mine fields and the lack of critical infrastructure, services and livelihood opportunities. It said both Burma and Thailand agreed with the UN that the return of refugees should be voluntary and safe.

The refugees, most of them Karen and Karenni minorities, fled ethnic conflict in eastern Burma in the past two decades or so. Thailand has allowed the refugees to stay on its soil and live in camps with support from UN and aid groups, but has long insisted their presence is “temporary” and has put restrictions on camp residents.

A particular concern during the Thai government’s repatriation push is the status of some 58,000 refugees, more than half of all camp residents, who do not have official UNHCR refugee status.

Those who fled Burma after 2005 were prevented from obtaining such a status, as the Thai government withdrew support for the UN registration process, although it did allow refugees to live in camps and register with NGOs for aid. Prior to 2005, the Thai Interior Ministry and the UN had jointly provided official refugee registration cards.

“The vast majority of unregistered refugees appear to have fled from the effects of conflict just like registered refugees before them. It is not clear how unregistered refugees will be treated on this occasion, but they remain more vulnerable to forced repatriation,” said McArthur of TBC.

Htee Wah, a refugee in Mae La Oon camp, said unconfirmed reports circulating among residents and NGO staff suggest that Thai authorities want to dismantle all but one of the refugee camps.

“We heard after the headcount process, refugees who are eligible for third country program will be asked to resettle in the West. Refugees who want to return home will be sent back,” he said. “Those who want to remain in Thailand will be kept in Mae La Ma Luang camp. After that, Thai authorities will shut down the rest of the refugee camps.”

Thai media have previously reported that the Thai government was planning to register refugees in the aforementioned three categories in order to facilitate their repatriation and dismantle or size down the camps.

Thai authorities are also tightening restrictions on movement of the refugees in order to limit opportunities to work outside the camp, said Tu Tu, an official from Karen Refugee Committee in Mae Sariang District, Mae Hong Son Province.

Thai authorities believe that some camp residents are migrants looking for job opportunities, while some refugees work outside of the camp illegally, according to Tu Tu, adding that authorities also allege that Burmese camp residents are involved in illicit cross-border activities such as timber and drug trade, and human trafficking.

Kyor Dah, a refugee in Mae La Onn camp, said, “It seems the Thai regime wants to clear up the refugee population in order to expel unregistered refugees and economic migrants who live in the camp and refugees who live outside the camps.

“If the refugee population decreases, it will be easier for them to shut down the camps,” he said.

“We are very much worried about the inspections by Thai authorities, as they are ordered by the military. Now they [the military] have power, so they can do everything that they want to. They can repatriate us or shut down the camps if they want.”

At Mae La Oon and Mae La Ma Luang camps Thai soldiers have begun patrols near the camps and regular inspections of camp residents’ refugee status and their belongings, Kyor Dah said, adding that in some cases motorbikes and cars without proper documentation were seized from residents.

“They said that refugees should be living like poor refugees. People who own properties are not like refugees,” he added. Many refugees rely on small remittances made by their relatives who resettled in third countries to buy such properties.