WORLD BRIDGE BLOG

In the first days of June, a new Burmese government offensive began in the eastern parts of Karen State, which borders Thailand, against the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA).  The offensive, which is being conducted by proxy through the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), has since displaced over 4,000 people to Thailand. The Thai government has generously given refuge to these new waves of displaced people, and new refugee settlements have sprung up overnight alongside rice paddies and cornfields that overlook the river border with Burma. Despite the familiarity of this situation --Thailand already hosts over 150,000 Burmese refugees -- many questions remain as to the long-term safety of these new refugees.

Concentrated in two new sites – Nongbua and Mae Usu – these camps are being assisted by international and domestic organizations that provide food, shelter, water, and basic sanitation.  In a recent visit by Refugees International, refugees were thankful for finding safe harbor and reported that their immediate needs were being met adequately. Sheltered by plastic sheeting and quickly built bamboo and thatch huts, the Thai government has insisted that no permanent construction take place in these locations.  

Most of the people that Refugees International spoke with expressed a desire to return to their homes and their farms in Burma; many are just a one to two day walk away from home.  However, both parties to the conflict have littered the conflict zone with fresh landmines. Reports abounded of refugees who tried to return, but were injured by landmines. Those who survived had to return to Thailand. The threat to their physical safety is compounded by an aggressive recruitment drive by the DKBA, who are supposedly attempting to triple their ranks by year’s end. As a result, the prospects for immediate return are slim.  

Thailand has indicated that it expects the new refugees to return home at the end of the rainy season in October, exactly when the DKBA is expected to intensify its offensive.  So Thailand’s hope for a neat and speedy resolution to the current crisis may be thwarted. In the meantime, the Thai government has also rejected suggestions that the new refugees be integrated into longstanding camps such as Mae La, which has housed some 40,000 Burmese refugees for over 20 years. As a result, these new refugees are precariously harbored in temporary sites.  

The latest displacements into Thailand raise a larger question: With conflict continuing in Burma for more than twenty years, why has Thailand not developed long-term, durable solutions for its Burmese refugee population?  Many Western nations have offered solutions for some refugees by resettling them in third countries. More than 50,000 Burmese refugees have started new lives in the U.S. and other countries. However, for those who remain and for the newly arrived, Thai policy only offers two solutions – return to a home wracked by conflict, or be warehoused in a refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border. Neither is a particularly attractive option for people with few choices. The new displacements should encourage Thailand to reexamine its policy towards Burmese refugees and develop humane solutions for all people who seek protection on its soil.