Refugees in policy limbo
These refugees, mostly ethnic Karen minorities fleeing war and persecution in Myanmar, have lived in limbo for over 40 years. Many were born in the camps, their hopes for resettlement long dashed, with nowhere else to go.
The humanitarian crisis began with US President Donald Trump's executive order freezing all foreign aid for a 90-day review on Jan 20, immediately followed by a stop-work order for US-funded NGOs, including those serving nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Now, the cuts have become permanent. Even with US assistance, food and medicine were barely enough. Without it, how long can people endure hunger, illness, and despair?
The Thai government must act before this desperate situation turns into a disaster. When the National Security Council meets this Thursday, it must go beyond temporary relief. A dignified and realistic solution is to allow them to work. With income, they can stand on their own feet, thus significantly reducing the burden on the government.
To be fair, the government acted swiftly by providing emergency health care. But food aid is drying up. Other donors offer only minimal support. Without proper food or income, families face starvation or breaking the law by slipping out of the camps to find work.
Let's be clear: these camps are no longer shelters. They are holding pens. People are locked in, barred from working or leaving. Thai is not even taught in the camps, making communication harder. Yet many are skilled and ready to contribute.
Thailand has done better before. The country has hosted refugees from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, even China and Nepal. When repatriation proved impossible, Thailand gave them "displaced person" status with legal IDs, the right to work, and the chance to live with dignity.
Reclassifying these refugees as migrant workers would be a mistake. That status limits them to manual labour, tight controls, and nearly no chance of changing jobs. The migrant worker label is neither fair nor productive. After all, refugees didn't migrate to find jobs, they were running away from a civil war. Their situation is different and deserves a different solution.
One proposed solution is to classify them as "displaced persons from Myanmar". This is possible under the Immigration Act, allowing legal stay and work rights in jobs not reserved for Thai nationals. This term enables security agencies to monitor and manage the process properly.
Many of these refugees are Karen, sharing cultural ties with Thai-Karen communities. Integration, especially in border areas, would not be difficult. Furthermore, only about 30,000 of these refugees are of working age. The labour market will have no problems absorbing the extra manpower.
Without intervention, the risks are clear: illegal work, trafficking, and an increase in crime. These problems can be prevented if the government acts now. No one is asking the government to feed 80,000 mouths forever. People want the chance to stand on their own two feet. Give them that chance before it's too late.
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