The new Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is saying he will be looking to improve conditions for Burmese refugees in Thailand, particulary Karen rufugees in camps on the border.
Surayud said he had long been sympathetic to refugees and that during his military career he had worked with refugees at both the Cambodian and Burmese borders.
The Thailand Burma Border Consortium recently published a map of border camps with population densities.
Thailand has even took a dramatic step to delay a highly controversial dam project in Burma, which certainly would have led to forced relocation, forced labor and environmental concerns. Thailand has much to gain by improving the plight of Burmese refugees,
“These steps would be in line with accepted standards and would also meet the genuine needs of Thailand's growing economy for a bigger workforce,”
This comes at a time when Sec. of State Rice has
exercised her discretionary exemption authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act, so that Chin refugees from Burma living in Malaysia, Thailand, and India can resettle in the United States.
Karens in Tailand and now, Chin in Malaysia will be coming to the US some time within the next year. Though some are already bound for the northwest. A Dept. of State statement reports,
The United States had planned to start resettlement processing in the Tham Hin camp in the first quarter of FY 2006, but this schedule was modified to accommodate interagency consultation concerning the applicability of the terrorism-related inadmissibility provisions of the INA to the camp population. Extensive consultations between the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Justice culminated in the Secretary of State exercising her discretionary authority to render inapplicable the material support inadmissibility provision to the Burmese Karen refugees at the Tham Hin camp who provided material support to the Karen National Union and its armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army. These refugees have been identified as a population of special humanitarian concern to the United States due to their persecution by the Burmese government and their residence at the Tham Hin camp. The decision to exercise the material support inapplicability provision was based on the collective assessment that this exercise of discretion serves the foreign policy interests of the United States and that the admission of these refugees will not compromise U.S. national security.Interviews of eligible refugees in Tham Hin camp began in June 2006. We estimate that up to 1,500 people from the camp will be able to travel to the United States before the end of the fiscal year. Depending on the outcome of ongoing interagency consultations, the U.S. Government plans to discuss with UNHCR and the Thai government the submission of an additional group referral of 10,000 or more individuals from other camps on the border.
Tara over at Burma Underground conveys her frustrations over the fact that the Karen received an early precedent over the Chin.
I'm not sure why the US government seems intent on meting out waivers peicemeal to specific ethnic groups, and I am tyring my best not to think that they are giving preference to those groups that are predominately Christian. But we should all take a moment to appreciate the good news and the hope that it will bring to many Chin people.
UN special investigator for human rights in Southeast Asia Paulo Sergio Pinheiro recently reported that Myanmar's military government continue to refuse to investigate widespread human rights abuses.
including summary executions, torture, forced labor, sexual violence and recruitment of child soldiers
This while the Constitutional Convention is back underway to build the 'path to democracy' in Burma. Though Burma is officially on the United Nation Security Council agenda, the US is waiting for the moment for a UN November visit to Burma before stressing any issues. One of the issues the visiting UN representative will be stressing is the campaign agaist Karen forces which has been gaining momentum in recent months.
