urban refugees in thailand

UNHCR Thailand also undertakes some protection activities for urban refugees in Thailand. UNHCR assisted urban refugees - who cannot work legally - with food, shelter, health services, education, vocational training and basic protection against arrest. Thailand is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no national legal framework on refugees. Thailand is also discussing a new regulation that would introduce a screening method to distinguish refugees and asylum seekers from other types of overstaying migrants, Puttanee said. Or email us at [email protected]. UNHCR Global Report 2000— 325 Thailand Persons of Concern Main Refugee Total Of whom Per cent Per cent Origin/Type of in UNHCR Female under 18 Population Country assisted Myanmar (Refugees) 104,600 104,600 48 49 Income and Expenditure (USD) Annual Programme Budget Revised Income Other Total … Specifically, … Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (2013) Urban Refugees in Asia Pacific, Resiliency and Coping Strategies – National Consultations: Bangkok Asylum Access, Boat People SOS and Conscience Foundation (2009) UNHCR Protection Challenges for Urban Refugees in Thailand: Report and Recommendations Asylum Access Thailand (2011) Urban Refugees in Thailand “It’s very difficult living as a refugee here,” she said. The report consists of a multi-sector Needs Assessment and post-distribution monitoring of UNHCR’s cash support programme. “It was so crowded that we could not sleep properly and we had to take turns laying down. Lubna, a 35-year-old asylum seeker, fled religious persecution in Pakistan, but faces arrest and uncertainty in Thailand. } To make this easy to follow, this guide speaks directly to urban refugees in Bangkok, but we hope that anyone from the general public, government, media, or civil society will also … “The key thing is refugees should not be arrested. The difficult situation is compounded for urban refugees in Bangkok partly because the Kingdom of Thailand does not have any mechanisms in place to assist survivors of human rights abuses who have fled their home countries. Urban refugees however, are much less visible. They are coming from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Vietnam, Somalia, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and even Iraq. According to UNHCR (2012b), there were 1,077 refugees and 966 asylum seekers in urban Thailand (mainly in Bangkok) in August 2012. In 2009, their number was around 5.5 million people. “The MoU provides a framework for the release of all children detained in [detention centres] in Thailand,” she said. Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention nor to the 1967 Protocol. Research question and instrument 2.2. Rights groups say Thailand’s January signing of a Memorandum of Understanding aiming to end the immigration detention of children “edges closer to respecting refugee and migrant rights”. As of 2016, more than 100,000 refugees are known to be living on the Thai-Myanmar border housed in refugee camps. Thailand hosts some 477,000 asylum seekers and refugees; in 2006 there were 10,000 new arrivals. Urban refugees however, are much less visible. Fr John Murray O.S.A. Urban refugees are asylum-seekers - that is, people who seek refugee status before the United Nations Refugee Agency - who come from countries outside of Thailand. Online resources. But for Lubna and other urban refugees in Bangkok, Thailand is often seen as a transit point for asylum seekers hoping to move onward or be resettled elsewhere once gaining refugee status. As of 2016, more than 100,000 refugees are known to be living on the Thai-Myanmar border housed in refugee camps. In this vibrant and complex city of Bangkok and around, some 6,500 “ urban refugees” may have walked past us, but are generally invisible, largely due to our oblivion. In this vibrant and complex city of Bangkok and around, some 6,500 “ urban refugees” may have walked past us, but are generally invisible, largely due to our oblivion. In January, the Thai government signed off on a plan to release children detained in immigration detention centres. But even with this progress, refugees and asylum seekers like Lubna live in a desperate state of limbo. As a VLA, I provided direct legal services to urban refugees in Bangkok, Thailand. Although Thailand has hosted tens of thousands of Myanmar refugees in “temporary shelters” along the Myanmar border for more than three decades now, Thai authorities are often surprised to learn that there are other refugees in need of protection in Thailand. The majority are religious minorities facing persecution in Pakistan, Vietnamese minorities, and others from parts of Africa and the Middle East. Pastoral Care for Urban Refugees in Bangkok - January to June 2017 . UNHCR’s worldwide urban refugee policy provides that assistance for urban refugees should be given in a manner which encourages self-sufficiency and does not create long term dependence on UNHCR. Learn more about Asylum Access Thailand at www.asylumaccess.org. “We just stay inside and wait,” she said. CHAPTER ð3 REFUGEE STATUS DETREMINATION (RSD) IN THAILAND 23 3.1 Role of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 24 3.2 Refugee Status Determination (RSD) in Camps 27 3.2.1 Situation 27 3.2.2 Administrative Structure 28 3.2.3 Criteria on Refugee Definition for Status Determination 29 3.3 Urban Refugees 31 URBAN REFUGEES is a not for profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of urban refugees and internally displaced persons in developing countries. Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Key words: Urban Refugees, Bangkok, Thailand, Agency, (Im-)mobility, Illegal Status, Transit . Urban refugees do not have the right to work; although some (mainly Asian) refugees manage to … The UNHCR office in Indonesia has warned refugees that resettlement opportunities are “limited”. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide. I practiced as a lawyer before the local offices of the United Nations Refugee Agency. She and her two children were freed; her husband remains locked away. Many asylum seekers come to Southeast Asia hoping to move elsewhere once gaining refugee status, but there is a growing backlog and the prospects of resettlement are slim. You really couldn't take showers because they were not designed well for women,” she said. APRRN collaborated with its member organizations to reach the urban refugee population and to collect reliable data on urban refugees living in Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; New Dehli, India;and Kathmandu, Nepal. Sitting was also uncomfortable as we were so close together,” she said. At the end of 2019, there were approximately 98,000 refugees in Thailand comprising some 94,000 Myanmar refugees residing in nine temporary shelters on the Thai-Myanmar border and approximately 4,000 “urban” refugees of some 40 nationalities who live in Bangkok and the surrounding urban areas. As a VLA, I provided direct legal services to urban refugees in Bangkok, Thailand. It’s a similar story in other parts of Southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia host more than a quarter of a million refugees and asylum seekers. Countries: Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, occupied Palestinian territory, Pakistan, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Viet Nam . Our Bangkok-based team currently serves "urban" refugees from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc. “You should therefore understand and accept that you may never be able to benefit from resettlement from Indonesia, and you should consider all other options available to you including returning to your country of origin.”. “We are still very afraid of being found. background: rgba(45, 180, 135, 0.5); @media screen and (max-width: 600px) { The 35-year-old mother of two small boys left Pakistan more than four years ago, hoping to find safety in the sprawling Thai capital, Bangkok. The formation of a new civilian government following elections at the close of 2007 ended military rule. The new visual exhibition, “I am not allowed to exist in your reality”, is about to bring “Urban refugees” upfront. Puttanee calls it a “transition period of progress” for the government. Thailand is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and has no national legal framework on refugees. Hi there! Thailand September 24, 2018 By Puttanee Kangkun in The Nation. I have created this Facebook Page to journal my life as a PhD candidate in the UK to raise awareness of urban refugees in Thailand and to translate the research findings into accessible policy to help create a better world for urban refugees and the people of Thailand. (*Lubna’s name has been changed to protect her family’s identity. It is based on a survey carried out from 29 October to 06 November 2020 with 213 asylum-seeker and refugee households in urban areas of Thailand and follows the earlier Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) and Post-distribution Monitoring (PDM) exercise conducted in May 2020. On October 1, 1999, … COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Urban Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Thailand . On the Thai-Myanmar border, UNHCR will continue to coordinate with the Ministry of Interior, IOM, Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees, Humanity and Inclusion, and the Committee for Coordination of Services to Displaced Persons in Thailand and its member NGOs. For the majority of urban refugees in Thailand, the only durable solution is resettlement to a third country. Results and discussion 4. But many soon discover they have little protection and few rights in their adopted homeland. Authorities this year established a new division under the immigration bureau that will look to protect refugees and asylum seekers, Puttanee said, adding that the government has also discussed providing access to healthcare, education, and possibly job opportunities for asylum seekers and refugees. } Introduction. A timeline of violence against humanitarians, and the evolving efforts to keep them safe. To make this easy to follow, this guide speaks directly to urban refugees in Bangkok, but we hope that anyone from the general public, government, media, or civil society will also … www.unhcr.org 1 . “The water wasn’t clean enough to drink and smelled badly. Eight refugees were submitted on an emergency priority basis, including refugees who were denied entry and held in transit at the airport. Urban Refugee Project (URP) provides casework and psychosocial services. COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Urban Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Thailand – Multi-sector Rapid Needs Assessment and Post-distribution Monitoring of Cash Support (February 2021) By The Right Monk on March 2, 2021. Asylum seekers and urban refugees are under constant threat of arrest and detention. Thailand is home to one of the largest refugee populations in Southeast Asia, with approximately 5,600 registered urban refugees and asylum seekers in Bangkok alone, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) December 2018 figures. Lubna keeps her sons close and hardly moves from her tiny apartment. “We have to realise the world is changing and that many refugees live among us in urban areas. Thailand does not allow refugees to locally integrate and is not likely to change this policy. In July, dozens of Pakistani Christians, including children, were arrested in a police sweep in one of the biggest recent crackdowns, said Naiyana, who believes the raids are not an appropriate form of enforcement. Conclusion and suggestions 5. In Burmese refugee camps in Thailand, an average of 2.1% of children were found with acute malnutrition (wasting) 6. “There are simply far more refugees in Indonesia than there are places for resettlement,” the agency said in a pamphlet distributed to asylum seekers and refugees in 2017. Refugees residing in the urban setting of the country come from around the world because it has a large tourist industry as well as relatively easy-to-meet visa requirements. Refugees in Thailand. “The police will have to deal with this,” she said. At the end of the year, 283 refugees were held in detention centres. works and lives in Bangkok. They come from countries including Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Somalia, and China and are fleeing armed conflict and persecution in their home countries. Although Thailand has hosted tens of thousands of Myanmar refugees in “temporary shelters” along the Myanmar border for more than three decades now, Thai authorities are often surprised to learn that there are other refugees in need of protection in Thailand. Police often target and stereotype people of African and South Asian descent. Lubna described her family’s four months in immigration detention last year as “miserable”. “However, they don’t have the right law to work with refugees for now.”. width:100%; They must be protected. This leaves refugees … Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not recognise refugees’ right to safety. There are 3,801 urban refugees and 4,130 asylum seekers registered with UNHCR in Thailand and 2800 of which are children. Multi-sector Needs Assessment and . Counselling and legal assistance needs. Freelance journalist covering Southeast Asia with a focus on Thailand. The Safe and Fair: Key results in Thailand 2018 to mid 2020, © Copyright 2021 United Nations in Thailand, Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Thailand, Report of the Secretary-General on the Work of the Organization 2020, The Sustainable Development Goals in Thailand, COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Urban Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Thailand. In effect, this means the thousands of refugees living in urban areas are undocumented. But here, frequent crackdowns on undocumented migrants also sweep up refugees and asylum seekers: her family was detained for four months before a local NGO pushed for her release last December. The situation for urban refugees and asylum-seekers remained problematic in 2008; their status is not recognized under Thai law and they are subject to arrest and detention. } The aim of this thesis is to Naiyana told TNH that entire families, including children, have been locked up in Thailand’s notorious immigration detention centres. It is based on a survey carried out from 29 October to 06 November 2020 with 213 asylum-seeker and refugee households in urban areas of Thailand and follows the earlier Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) and Post-distribution Monitoring (PDM) exercise conducted in May 2020. ), */. The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in Bangkok is struggling to support growing numbers of urban refugees in Thailand. At present, Thailand continues to host some 91,803 refugees (as of January 2021, under reverification) from Myanmar in the nine RTG-run temporary shelters on the Thai/Myanmar border, in addition to approximately 5,000 urban refugees and asylum-seekers from over 40 countries, and some 475,000 persons registered by the RTG as stateless. Asylum seekers like Lubna come to Thailand fleeing conflict or persecution. UNHCR’s worldwide urban refugee policy provides that assistance for urban refugees should be given in a manner which encourages self-sufficiency and does not create long term dependence on UNHCR. All they can do is wait. ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAMME . Her husband is still behind bars: he has now been in detention for more than two years. Some of them are children and some were still childre More than 60% of the world's refugee population and 80% of internally displaced persons (IDP) under UNHCR mandate live in urban environments. Resettlement, though, is often a long-term process, and many refugees in Thailand spend years in a legal limbo. In Bangkok, JRS Thailand works with urban refugees and asylum seekers, providing financial support and educational training. Thailand hosts some 98,000 refugees. Only a few refugee families in Thailand could afford and enjoy medical services and medication (Pittaway, 2015.) But some say the measures don’t go far enough: refugee fathers are still detained, while mothers have been charged an “exorbitant” 50,000 baht, or more than $1,600, to reunite with their children, according to rights groups. Refugees and asylum seekers are often swept up in immigration police raids. The current situation for urban refugees in Bangkok, Thailand is dismal. COVID-19 Impact Assessment: Urban Refugees and Asylum-seekers in Thailand - Multi-sector Rapid Needs Assessment and Post-distribution Monitoring of … Thailand is not a signatory to the refugee convention, so neither recognises the status of refugees nor protects them. border-top: .5em solid #2db487; I have created this page to journal my life as a PhD candidate in the UK to raise awareness of urban refugees in Thailand and to translate the research findings into accessible policy to help create a better world for urban refugees and the people of Thailand. Amnesty International reported that conditions inside these centres are “appalling” and “worse than prison”. Global urbanization led to a rather new phenomenon: urban refugees, who live on the margins of big cities. Urban refugees are asylum-seekers - that is, people who seek refugee status before the United Nations Refugee Agency - who come from countries outside of Thailand. The regulation is waiting for approval from Thailand’s cabinet; local NGOs and rights groups are hopeful that it will be passed by the end of 2019. It examines the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, analyses the implications for the SDGs, and outlines key policy directions to guide the recovery process. The UNHCR says there are some 176,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia, as well as 14,000 in Indonesia. UNHCR Thailand COVID-19 Impact Assessment. (Caleb Quinley/TNH), Read more: Southeast Asia’s urban refugees. But, in practice, many asylum seekers are reluctant to send their kids to school because they fear arrest. Unfortunately, it is in the Thai language, which few urban refugees can read. What ‘big question’ would you ask attendees? She’s afraid of arrest, unable to work or send her kids to school, and unwilling to return home to Pakistan. Refugees and asylum seekers are often swept up in immigration police raids. Refugees have been fleeing from conflicts and fear of persecution to Thailand for decades. CAP monitors legal, political, security and other developments that impact on the protection environment of refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand. But as an asylum seeker with no legal status in Thailand, she now lives in constant fear of arrest. [CDATA[/* >