Refugee Protection: Thailand
INTRODUCTION
Similar to the stateless Vietnamese in the Philippines, there are currently 65 stateless Vietnamese from the original asylum seekers from the aftermath of the fall of Saigon. Not given any permanent legal status in their country of asylum, they have remained without any rights or protection for seventeen years, living in constant fear of imprisonment and deportation.
Post-CPA and Statelessness in Thailand
In 1996, the UNHCR closed the refugee camps in Thailand, withdrawing their support. Since then, these Vietnamese refugees have been fending for themselves, making a living by buying and selling goods in markets or on the streets. In effect, they became “stateless” - Vietnam will not recognise them unless they volunteer to return and are accepted, but currently no repatriation program exists. Most importantly, it is impossible for them to return to a regime which has persecuted them, causing them to risk their lives and flee. In Thailand, the Vietnamese are illegal and stateless aliens, living in hiding from local authorities, in constant fear of imprisonment and deportation. They are consistently victims of bribery and exploitation from police officials. Children are unable to receive birth certificates and are barred from education.
The Need for a Solution
The effect of statelessness is far more than destitution. The denial of basic civil rights exposes individuals of the most extreme vulnerability to continual abuse and exploitation. The stateless Vietnamese are impoverished targets of discrimination, bribery and violent crime. Without residency or any form of government identification, they are denied equal protection before the law. They are unable to turn to local authorities for help, and continue to live in fear of arbitrary arrest. As stateless persons, they are denied the rights to legal employment, social services, travel and ownership of property. Children are unable to receive birth certificates and are barred from education.
The remaining Vietnamese have lived in this position of vulnerability for 17 years. VOICE is working to bring about an end to this ongoing human tragedy.
