Refugee in Thailand? Disenfranchisement and possible deportation to hostile territory
We are no longer surprised that Thailand unceremoniously puts refugees across the border for the violence in Myanmar, back to the violence of war. The country is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol and lacks legislation for the reception and treatment of refugees. However, this does not excuse the inhumane treatment of the Rohingya and Uyghurs who, instead of protection, experience misery and further suffering in Thailand.
In the past week, more than 5.000 Myanmarese have fled to Thailand because of the escalating violence in eastern Myanmar.
Karen child refugee school in Ban Ti is nearing completion
The construction of the school for Karen child refugees from Burma, a stone's throw from the border west of Kanchanaburi, has been delayed in recent months by the heavy wet monsoon. Now that this is a bit over, work has quickly resumed. The official opening will almost certainly take place in January next year. With thanks to Lionsclub IJsselmonde in Rotterdam and the Dutch Association Thailand Hua Hin and Cha am. However, there is still a shortfall of 600 euros.
Bamboo School: lifesaver for Burmese children
What should become of you if you were taken out of a toilet bowl as a newborn baby? What your mother put you in because you were a child of another father? Where do you go when your father, a Karen from Burma, has been shot and your mother has left you somewhere? Is there still hope if you weigh only 900 grams at birth, without medical care? For very young children who no longer have a father or mother?
Drama in the making on the Thai-Burmese border
Almost immediately after the military coup in Burma/Myanmar, I warned of a possible new drama on the Thai-Burmese border. And I'm afraid I'll be proven right very soon.
U-Tapao and the end of the Vietnam War
The long Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975 with the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. No one had expected that the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong could conquer the country so quickly and, moreover, no one had any idea of the consequences and consequences.
Tensions in Burma & the Karen
Now that the first deaths have occurred in Burma in the demonstrations against the military coup two weeks ago, tensions on the Thai-Burmese border have also started to rise. After all, it remains to be seen whether the military junta, just as it happened in 1988 and 2007, wants to nip the protests in the bud with a heavy hand.
When Mowae was born 36 years ago in a hut in the jungle of Myanmar, no one could have predicted that he would one day work as a general practitioner at Be Well, the Dutch clinic in Hua Hin. But from an early age it was clear to Mo that he wanted to become a doctor. And thanks to a combination of dream, hope and perseverance, we succeeded.
Rohingya population on the run
In recent years, the sad stories about the persecution of the Rohingya, especially in Myanmar, have increasingly come out through the media. On Thailandblog you could read a number of stories about it in May 2015, so more than five years ago. The Rohingya is an ethnic group with a worldwide population of between one and a half and three million people. Most of them live in Rakhine, a province in western Myanmar, on the border with Bangladesh and form a stateless Muslim minority there.
Worldwide there are about 65 million people on the run, the majority of which is about 90 percent in the region. Unlike Europe, for example, Thailand does not participate in the UN refugee treaty in which the right to (worldwide) reception is regulated. In practice, this means that people (from the Thai region) who flee to Thailand have no rights there. Thailand sees them as illegal immigrants.
After the discovery of several mass graves in the south of Thailand, several mass graves have now also been found in Malaysia, presumably containing the bodies of victims of human trafficking. Human traffickers smuggle migrants, mostly hunted Rohingya Muslims, from Burma to Thailand and Malaysia.
The Thai police, which is investigating the smuggling and trafficking of refugees in the south of the country, comes with a remarkable message. A major general of the army is said to be involved in these illegal activities. The police would even have evidence for it, but do not dare to take action because they are afraid of the consequences of the military junta.
Thailand pretends to be surprised by the problem with the Rohingya refugees, but nothing could be further from the truth. For years, the government has looked the other way and failed to act against smugglers and corrupt officials who turned a blind eye.
News from Thailand – Tuesday, May 12, 2015
A selection of today's most important Thai news, including:
– Japan is going to build three high-speed rail lines
– Police chief wants reception camps for Rohingya refugees
– Woman without a driver's license not prosecuted for accident with 9 deaths
– The number of teenage pregnancies must be reduced
Who are the Rohingyas?
With the recent discoveries of mass graves in the border area of Thailand and Malaysia, apparently involving Rohingya refugees, this minority group is once again in the news. Who are the Rohingyas anyway?
After the discovery of the first death camp with 26 bodies, a second and third camp was discovered today just a kilometer from the camp found last Friday. Victims of smugglers were also held here. That has been announced by the police.
News from Thailand – July 27, 2014
Today in News from Thailand:
• Director Muang Thai murdered; husband commits suicide
• Red shirt party for Thaksin's birthday ended by army
• Suvarnabhumi: Waiting for a taxi next month over
News from Thailand – July 16, 2014
Today in News from Thailand:
• Denial again: no co-payment for patients
• 30.000 weapons in incinerator (plus video)
• Lector gives a higher grade in exchange for 7-Eleven stamps
Rapid return of refugees to Myanmar risky
Refugee organizations are very concerned about the planned rapid repatriation of Myanmar refugees to their homeland. Returning to the states of Kachin and Shan is particularly risky, as they are still in conflict with the central government.
News from Thailand – July 11, 2014
Today in News from Thailand:
• BBC World Service publishes bilingual news on Facebook
• Martial law may last another year
• Gifted Chaiya can shake it
Suu Kyi visits Karen refugees in Thailand (video)
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's opposition leader, visited an ethnic Karen refugee camp on the Thai border this week. She let the crowd know that they will not be forgotten.
The Karen villages on the border with Burma have been virtually inaccessible by car for several weeks now. Due to the rainfall of the past few weeks, the water in the rivers is so high that supplies have to be made walking and wading through the rivers. The organizer of the relief effort, retired accountant Hans Goudriaan, even returned empty-handed on the last trip because the river water washed over the hood. Fortunately, the first phase of our assistance is…