Addressing the protracted Burmese refugee situation in Thailand

Abstract

Migrants have escaped intra-national conflict within Burma by seeking refuge in Thailand for over 30 years. But recent development projects in eastern Burma have further displaced segments of Burma's ethnic population, with approximately 150,000 refugees now dispersed throughout nine refugee camps in Thailand. Additionally, an estimated 2-4 million 'self-settled' refugees reside in communities along the Thai-Burmese border and in Thailand's larger cities. Both categories of migrants are referred to as the 'asylum-migration' nexus, and represent the visible side of human rights abuse in Burma.