The urgent need for protection of Shan refugees as the Burmese military regime fans the flames of war in Shan State
September 23, 2005
Pushed back into the flames
The urgent need for protection of Shan refugees as the Burmese military regime fans the flames of war in Shan State by the Shan Women’s Action Network Background. In September 2003, SWAN issued a report entitled “Shan Refugees: Dispelling the Myths.” The report identified common myths in Thailand and among the international community which were hindering efforts to gain recognition of Shan refugees in Thailand. Regrettably, the situation for Shan refugees has not improved since the publication of the report. Shan refugees have continued to flow into Thailand, mainly from areas of Central and South Shan State where the Burmese military regime has carried out a massive forced relocation program since 1996. It is estimated that well over 200,000 Shan refugees have fled to Thailand during the past nine years. Unlike the Karen and Karenni from Burma, the Shan continue not to be recognised as asylum seekers in Thailand and are not provided safe refuge and humanitarian assistance. Unable to seek refuge, they are forced to either live in hiding as illegal persons along the Thai-Burma border, or seek work as migrant workers, in low-paid, low-skilled jobs such as construction workers, farm workers or domestic workers. The absence of refuge and services particularly impacts on the more vulnerable Shan asylum seekers such as pregnant women, children, elderly and disabled persons who are unable to fend for themselves in the jungle or on work sites. The Shan asylum seekers in Thailand live in precarious situations as they live in constant fear of being arrested and deported to Thailand, where they face ongoing persecution in the forms of torture, rape and death on their return to Burma. Meanwhile, various developments in Shan State and along the Thai- Shan border during 2005 have caused a worsening security situation for villagers inside Shan State as well as for refugees sheltering along the Thai-Shan border. These necessitate an urgent review of the policy towards Shan refugees in Thailand.