RI Guest Blogger: Michael Hawkins on Burmese Refugees in Thailand
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Refugees International Board member Michael Hawkins is currently on mission in Thailand focusing on the situation for Burmese refugees there and how the impact of the ongoing conflict inside Burma affects the stability of neighboring countries.
Today we visited the refugee camp at Tham Hin. It’s about three hours west of Bangkok and ten miles off the main road on a bumpy dirt road with many parts of the road washed out. The camp is very isolated and in the middle of a national forest.
Approximately 10,000 Burmese refugees live in this very crowded camp in bamboo huts without electricity or running water. Latrines are holes in the ground under their huts.
People have lived in the camp for an average of eight years, and it feels like a small city. We met with a number of officials in the camp, including some who discussed the problems they are facing in trying to resettle Burmese refugees permanently overseas. The resettlement of these refugees is important because it provides them with a permanent living situation after so much time in limbo.
In the afternoon, we had a camp tour. There were little children everywhere, barefoot and scurrying about. People are mostly sitting around as there is no work in the camp for them. It’s a sad situation.
We met with some of the refugees who were pursuing resettlement and learned about the atrocities they experienced in Burma and their frustrations in trying to get resettled to the US, Australia, and Scandinavian countries. Some want to stay in the camp because they hope to return to Burma if things change or because they have family in the camp who are not eligible for resettlement. These people are truly caught up in red tape and stuck in a bad situation. This all begs the need for a peaceful resolution in Burma and greater awareness of the plight of these refugees.
--Mike Hawkins
Today we visited the refugee camp at Tham Hin. It’s about three hours west of Bangkok and ten miles off the main road on a bumpy dirt road with many parts of the road washed out. The camp is very isolated and in the middle of a national forest.
Approximately 10,000 Burmese refugees live in this very crowded camp in bamboo huts without electricity or running water. Latrines are holes in the ground under their huts.
People have lived in the camp for an average of eight years, and it feels like a small city. We met with a number of officials in the camp, including some who discussed the problems they are facing in trying to resettle Burmese refugees permanently overseas. The resettlement of these refugees is important because it provides them with a permanent living situation after so much time in limbo.
In the afternoon, we had a camp tour. There were little children everywhere, barefoot and scurrying about. People are mostly sitting around as there is no work in the camp for them. It’s a sad situation.
We met with some of the refugees who were pursuing resettlement and learned about the atrocities they experienced in Burma and their frustrations in trying to get resettled to the US, Australia, and Scandinavian countries. Some want to stay in the camp because they hope to return to Burma if things change or because they have family in the camp who are not eligible for resettlement. These people are truly caught up in red tape and stuck in a bad situation. This all begs the need for a peaceful resolution in Burma and greater awareness of the plight of these refugees.
--Mike Hawkins
Labels: Burma, Guest Blogger
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