Insight Into Thailand's Burmese Refugees [Season 3, Episode 34]

Anyone familiar with Southeast Asia knows how complicated
the issue of refugees is. Thailand, as the wealthiest country in
the region, plays an important role in this.


To gain some insight into things, Ed interviews Ploy
Singthainiyom, an expert on refugees in Thailand. Ploy explains
that she has worked in Bangkok, northern Thailand, and the United
States on various refugee issues, focusing on Burmese refugees
from the Karen minority who have fled into Thailand and live in
camps near the border. She explains how the issue of paperwork,
citizenship, and even formal recognition as refugees is not as
clear cut as you may think, which leaves refugees in a kind of
limbo with limited options. Indeed, most are not permitted to
enter Thailand proper, but also do not want to return to Burma,
which leaves the long and daunting road of applying for refugee
status in a third country, such as the United States, their only
viable option.


Ploy talks about this long process and discusses some of
the current problems facing the Thai government in addressing
this complex issue.


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