World Refugee Day Calls for Greater Awareness of Burma’s Refugees

20 June, 2016 marked World Refugee Day, a global recognition of the nearly 65 million people who are displaced worldwide. In Burma, the Day served as a tragic reminder of the displacement resulting from decades of civil war, state-sponsored persecution and forced relocation. According to a report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Burma is the second highest contributor of both refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Asia-Pacific region. By the end of 2015, there were 450,000 IDPs and 451,800 refugees, including the over 100,000 refugees that have been displaced in nine camps along the Thailand-Burma border.

KWO Message for World Refugee Day

June 20, 2016  •  By Karen Women's Organisation  •  Tags: IDPs, Kachin State, Karen Women Organisation, Peace Process, Shan State, World Refugee Day  •  Read more ➤

World Refugee Day is a Timely Reminder that the Rights of Refugees Must Be Respected

The Royal Thai Army’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) last week requested, at short notice, to meet with representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and local NGOs to discuss how refugees from Burma currently living in various camps along the Thai-Burma border can be repatriated in the near future.  It is notable, however, that while regional military commanders were present at these meetings, no representatives from the refugee camps themselves or from community-based organizations (CBOs) assisting them were invited.  The obvious and disturbing implication is that a decision on the status of refugees inside Thailand is likely to be made in the very near future with minimal consultation with affected parties.  Moreover, the timing is not just premature and ill-considered, it is bitterly ironic given that last Friday, 20 June, was #WorldRefugeeDay.

We call upon all parties to respect the UN 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, which represents international law as regards the rights of refugees, and is at the very least morally persuasive if not legally binding on the parties concerned.  We also call upon all parties to include representatives of the refugee camps and of CBOs in any future meetings on the status of refugees or their potential repatriation.  Furthermore, we urge all parties to ensure that repatriation of refugees only takes place when circumstances are appropriate, it is genuinely safe to return, all refugees’ rights are guaranteed by the Burma government, and that, most importantly, such repatriation is completely voluntary[…]

Karen Women’s Organization Letter of Appeal on World Refugee Day

I am a woman. I am a refugee. This is my life. Listen to my voice. On World Refugee Day, it is our desire to appeal to the governments, to UNHCR and to all stakeholders, that the rights of refugees be valued and respected […]