Resource information
...According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees, more than 600,000 Burmese refugees and asylum seekers remained in countries neighboring Burma at the end of 2003. Driven out by the ruling military regime’s policies and practices that suppress their freedom and violate their human rights, refugees and asylum seekers have fled to countries including Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Thailand. Refugees flee forced labor, forced relocation, torture, rape, and other human rights violations perpetrated by members of the Tatmadaw (armed forces) or other State sponsored individuals or organizations. As the SPDC continues to try and eliminate all armed and unarmed resistance, the military presence and involvement in every area of the country and all aspects of life continues to grow, forcing many to leave their homes fleeing to neighboring countries or to become displaced within Burma. There are an estimated one million internally displaced people in Burma who have the potential to become cross border refugees in times of increased military conflict.
In Thailand, the U.S. Committee for Refugees reports a population of over 400,000 refugees, the majority of whom are from Karen, Karenni, Mon, and Shan ethnic groups. At the same time, there are more than one million migrant workers in Thailand who go there for many of the same reasons as refugees. A new trend is more ethnic Burmese leaving Burma from both urban and rural areas in family groups. They usually become migrant workers and leave Burma due to forced labor, heavy taxation, corruption, inability to maintain an adequate standard of living and interference with their livelihood through the theft or confiscation of land, property and livestock..."...Situation in Thailand:
Refugee Demographics in 2003; Thai Government Policy towards Refugees and Asylum Seekers; The UNHCR and the Refugee Status Determination Process; The Provincial Admission Boards... Situation in the Camps; Situation of Women in Refugee Camps; Situation of Refugee Childre...Situation of Specific Ethnic Groups of the Refugee Population: Situation of Karen Refugees; Situation of Karenni Refugees; Situation of Mon Refugees; Situation of Pa-O Refugees; Situation of Shan Refugees...Timeline of Major Refugee Related Events on the Thai/Burma Border in 2003... Situation of Refugees in Bangladesh: UNHCR Disengagement and Forced Repatriation; The Unofficial Rohingya Refugee Population; Situation of Rakhine Refugees in Bangladesh; Burmese in Bangladeshi Prisons...Situation of Refugees in India; Situation of Chin Refugees in the Northeastern States of India; Situation of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in New Delhi...Situation of Refugees in Malaysia...Refugees from Burma in Other Locations...Personal Accounts:
Chin Refugee Testimony Regarding the Situation in Mizoram State, India; Account of A Karen Refugee in Thailand; Refugee Accounts of Forced Repatriation from Nayapara and Kutupalong Camps in Bangladesh.
