Defining 'forced migration’ in Burma - discussion
Most Burmese people fleeing their homes do so for a combination of reasons. The root causes for leaving, however,
determine which category’ they belong to: internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) or economic migrants’. There is
some discussion as to whether people leaving their homes due to exhaustion of livelihoods options are IDPs
according to the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement1 – or not. Ashley South and Andrew Bosson present
their views below...