Concern about forced repatriation is spreading among Burmese refugees settled along the Thai-Burma border as rumors spread that they will be sent back to their homeland.
Currently, refuges living in camps along the border are not allowed to enter or leave the camps because security measures have increased, according to Mae La refugee Ko Khun Oo.
“Now, nobody in the camp can leave,” said Ko Khun Oo, “We also travel freely within the camp at night. Some refugees who must work outside the camp to earn enough money to survive also aren’t allowed to leave the camp for work. So at the moment, those people are having trouble.”
U Khun Oo also stated that the camp chairman informed the refugees that Thai authorities will come to the camp on July 19th in order to collect census data.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), The Border Consortium (TBC), Thai authorities, and leaders of refugee camps will be involved in collecting data on refugees for the census.
Refugees living in the Ban Don Yang camp in Kanchanaburi Province have also been informed that Thai authorities will visit to gather data on the camp’s refugee population, but they haven’t been informed as to how the data will be collected.
Many refugees, including Ko Htun Lwin, a teacher at Ban Don Yang camp, are concerned about the logistics involved with forced repatriation.
“We have heard about this repatriation, but those in charge of the camp haven’t told us anything yet,” said Ko Htun Lwin, adding that “If they send us back [to Burma] where will we settle down? The people in the camp also don’t want to go back. If we are forced to go back, how will we do it? I am depressed just thinking about it.”
Earlier this month at a meeting in Thailand, Burma’s army chief Min Aung Hlaing met with his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha (who also leads Thailand’s military government) in order to discuss the issue of refugee repatriation.
On July 11th, a Thai TV broadcast said that during the meeting between the two generals it was agreed that Thailand and Burma would cooperate to ensure that repatriation efforts proceed smoothly. The two countries also agreed to provide security and humanitarian aid to refugees to make sure they’re able to return to Burma safely.
According to Thai media outlets, Thai authorities plan to send more than 140,000 refugees back to Burma within one year. After hearing this news, the UNHCR and TBC reportedly voiced concern that the time is not right for refugees to return home or be sent back to Burma.
According to TBC, there are nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border with a total population of over 100,000 refugees.
