More than 10,000 Burmese migrants in Thailand’s Mae La refugee camp could soon be resettled in the US...

"It could be a scene from a travel trade show—a crowd of mostly young people clusters in front of poster boards bearing pictures of life in the US. These are no tourists, however, but Burmese refugees in Thailand hoping to resettle in the US and eager for any illustration of what they can expect to find there...

As thousands of Karen wait in resettlement camps, others already settled in foreign lands discover new challenges to their future...

Heh Nay Thaw has lived in refugee camps in Thailand for nearly a quarter-century since he crossed the border from Burma with his family at age five. He is now 29, with a wife and two children, and the long years of waiting for a permanent home may soon be over.

Like many of his fellow Karen, Heh Nay Thaw gave up hope that he could ever return to Karen State and applied for resettlement outside Asia—possibly in the US.

In addition to greater international attention on their plight in exile, Thailand’s growing community of Burmese Muslims wants a voice in the political future of their country... "...The desire for equal protection—at home and in exile—seems to be the order of the day for Mae Sot’s Burmese Muslim community. Like the majority of refugees, they wait for the opportunity to return to a free Burma.

...In the last four years, the Burmese army based in Mon State has confiscated thousands acres of farmland. The farmers whose land had been confiscated were not given any compensation. They have no opportunity to take legal actions against the army. As a result, many farmers who lost their lands left to Thailand to seek employment. Those who stayed in villages and towns became landless and jobless..." Land confiscation by the Burmese military - description, analysis and case studies.

An international symposium on migration in Asia was recently held in Bangkok. Burma sent a delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister U Khin Maung Win. Independent analysts and NGOs estimate that there are one million Burmese illegally working and living in Thailand. However, Thai officials put the figure at 800,000.

As many illegal immigrants wish to live in Thailand permanently, another serious problem arises - the growing number of stateless children. Between 1993 and 1996, the Mae Sot Hospital near the Thailand-Burma border delivered 2,202, 2,026, 2,031 and 2,077 stateless babies respectively.

Recently, outspoken Thai Democrat MP Abhist Vejajiva, expressed his concern over the illegal population in Thailand, saying the problem of illegal workers would become "more severe" in the coming years and could lead to social turmoil if the government does not quickly intervene by producing a viable and widely accepted national strategy.

Deport first and discuss later," declared Gen Chettha Thanajaro. Thailand's Army. Army Commander-in-Chief was voicing his support for a plan to repatriate nearly 1million foreign laborers, most of whom are Burmese.

Confusion arose when the Thai Labor Ministry requested Cabinet approval to relax the repatriation of illegal immigrants. Earlier, the Ministry had announced that the labourers would be forced out by May 1.

As more and more Burmese go to Thailand in pursuit of relative freedom from persecution and poverty, Burma's closet neighbor is seeking new ways to address the root causes of their immigrant problem.

Burmese version

This document presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the People's Tribunal on Food Scarcity
and Militarization in Burma. The Tribunal’s work will appeal to all readers interested in human rights and social
justice, as well as anyone with a particular interest in Burma. The Asian Human Rights Commission presents this
report in order to stimulate discourse on human rights and democratization in Burma and around the world.