Thailand should extend its kindness to refugees a little bit longer

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BURNING ISSUE

Thailand should extend its kindness to refugees a little bit longer
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation 2011-06-22

The National Security Council (NSC) recently reiterated its policy to repatriate Burmese refugees who have been living along the western border for more than two decades now, but this may not be the best time because the conflict in Burma is far from over.

Sheltering some 100,000 refugees for a long time is definitely a burden, but Thailand cannot shrug this responsibility due to humanitarian reasons. In the eyes of the international community, Thailand has always been a country of kind people who are ready to extend a helping hand.

Thailand has been sheltering Burmese refugees in nine camps in four provinces - Mae Hong Son, Tak, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi - since violence erupted in Burma in 1988. The Kingdom has always been a safe haven for all kinds of displaced persons, be they migrants, asylum seekers or refugees. Many of these people are fleeing conflicts that Thailand has no part in.

It is understandable why the NSC wants to get rid of Burmese refugees, but this policy would not solve the problem permanently. It is not possible to say that democracy has returned to Burma just because elections were held last year. The new government is actually just another face of the previous military regime and it continues to suppress the opposition and dissidents, notably the minorities.

Battles between government troops and the ethnic armed forces are still going on in many locations near Burmese borders, because many of these ethnic groups are refusing to become part of the so-called "Border Guard Forces".

Besides, the conflict in Burma after the election has become a bit more complicated because it is no longer a purely political conflict but is mixed with a so-called "development discourse".

Fighting broke out between the Burmese army and the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) early this month at two of the Dapein dams, breaking a 17-year-old ceasefire pact. China's state-owned company Datang is building the dams.

Scores of people died in the latest conflict and more than 2,000 refugees fled to the Chinese border. The Burmese army, meanwhile, has posted hundreds of troops to secure the dams, which are located close to strategic KIO military bases.

Fighting has spread, with clashes breaking out near Shweli 1 Dam in northern Shan State, with offensives near the Nong Pha Dam on Salween River forcing thousands to flee their homes over the past three months. This is making the burden on Thailand even heavier.

"The root causes of Burma's social conflict have not been addressed and despite the formation of a new government, the country is still under the military regime's mismanagement," Sai Sai, coordinator of the Burma Rivers Network, said.

Rather than simply announcing a repatriation policy, the NSC is considering the whole picture and looking for ways to deal with the problem at its root. However, Thailand cannot handle this issue alone, but requires help from Asean and the United Nations.

Repatriation should be at the last stage of the plan, and only take place as and when the conflict in Burma is over. Otherwise, the repatriated refugees will only sneak back in to escape war.