About 100 settlers in Nupo refugee camp in western Thailand’s Tak province are demanding that they be given official status.
The group protested their stateless condition in front of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ office inside the camp yesterday calling for official refugee status and sufficient food aid.
Saw Thoolehdo Soe, secretary of the camp’s committee, said the protesters were upset that they have not received official refugee status even though they moved to Nupo in 2009.
“They want to become [recognised], but the UNHCR has yet to do so – they are still in the [evaluation phase],” said Saw Thoolehdo Soe. “Whether they will be [recognised] depends on Thai authorities.”
He said UNHCR officials in the camp told the protesters they will pass on their demands to their superiors.
There are over 17,000 residents in Nupo refugee camp, while 6,000 lack official status.
Tags: protest, refugee camps, UNHCR
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If refugee or otherwise goes or migrated to third country, they will be marginalized and will never be given an equal opportunity as of the native citizen. Perhaps it may be after many years for their children after they successfully integrated into the adopted society. Remember you will only left the world with a greater regret later. Burma is your home. You can easily live with vast oppotunities for you and your children.They will be available soon, perhaps in one or 2 years from now. It is the moving market that people are interested not the market that already moved up and stagnant or dead with so many faults in hand.You speak the same language, same culture, eat same food and so on in this country. We live many years oversea with just our body without soul in it. Our soul and minds are in Burma, but it is due to bad government policies that we disagreed and left. Many oversea Burmese have attachement with back homes, but reluctant to go back due to uncertaintities and their families who have no idea what is going on in the country that they know little of it. Mostly with fear of something. It is sad that no coodination work for this has been looked after by all parties, both government, fighter, refugee, local authorities, NGO or the people, etc. These people should be explained properly, provide education, policy change if needed, resettlement with guaranteed, safe, secure environment, living and working opportunities, etc. The world is eagered to help Burma especially right now if you have workable program in hand and readily available plans for execution. Why not build it up now? It is never too late for all of these people ( in and out of country) to integrate in to the upcoming country building phases. Many wins for all of them and it will be expected very soon. The country will be beneficial and so the people and the immediate neigbours too. Cheers…..
Refugees are refugees whether it be official or not. The word official is the term used only by UN bureaucrats. Even Jesus Christ was a refugee when Herod ordered to kill all children under two although Jesus was born innocent. Did anyone give Jesus official refugee status? No!
No one on earth wanted to be refugee. Refugees are not made or produced but forced out of wickedness by certain rulers in certain places.