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BP: Regional situation worsened by



June 11, 1998


                                     



                                MIGRATION

              Regional situation
              worsened by
              slump

              Humanitarian duty puts govt in
              dilemma

              Achara Ashayagachat

              The economic slump has worsened the region's migration
              situation, and Thailand faces a humanitarian dilemma in
              accommodating international responsibilities and at the same time
              addressing the needs of its people, Foreign Ministry permanent
              secretary Saroj Chavanaviraj said.

              He said Thailand's rising unemployment is compounded by its
              special status as a sending, receiving and transit country for
              migrant workers, being home to 1.3 million migrants, 809,000 of
              them illegal, and 700,000 of them from Burma.

              Mr Saroj was speaking at the third meeting of a conference
              entitled "Asia-Pacific International Governmental Consultations
              on Regional Approaches to Refugees and Displaced Persons",
              hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
              and the International Organisation for Migration.

              He said the financial crisis in Thailand has had a tremendous
              social impact, particularly in terms of rising unemployment, and
              the number of unemployed would reach 2.3 million by the end of
              this year.

              Burma has so far responded positively and is cooperating with
              Thailand to resolve the problem, he said.

              Burma's deputy minister of immigration and population, U
              Maung Aung told the Bangkok Post that he did not think the
              issue was too difficult or too delicate to be resolved between
              neighbours.

              "It's just how to start the talks, but we may have to do something
              about immigration procedures like opening more checkpoints,
              perhaps in the Myawaddy area," said the Burmese minister.

              Mr Saroj said that even though more checkpoints were open,
              the porous Thai-Burmese border could not prevent migratory
              flows.

              "It is one of various means, and we are working on how to
              structure the talks," he said.

              While the Thai government is enhancing the role of the UNHCR
              in dealing with the issue, Burma has yet to embrace the UNHCR
              role.

              Burma seems to prefer bilateral dealing before allowing
              international organisations to step in, Foreign Ministry sources
              said.

              "Cooperation between Thailand and the UNHCR has already
              started. Burma-Thailand is beginning but the Burma-UNHCR
              circle of cooperation has yet to start," he said.

              Apart from the repatriation of illegal migrant workers, the Thai
              government has examined carefully the linkage between the crisis
              and internal migration, and the match between the skills of newly
              unemployed local labour and what is required to substitute for
              foreign illegal labour.

              "We have to minimise the negative aspects of irregular migration
              by promoting orderly and regular migration to support
              sustainable development," Mr Saroj said.

              The Foreign Ministry is now planning to organise an international
              symposium on migration by early next year to focus international
              awareness on the impact of the issue of transnational migration,
              particularly in this region, and to search for international
              cooperation towards a more manageable flow of migration
              including combating transborder crime, drug trafficking, and
              human trafficking, he said.

              Francois Fouinat, head of the UNHCR Bureau for Asia & the
              Pacific, said the migratory dimensions of the economic crisis in
              the region will be the predominant concern, and asylum and
              refugee issues cannot be ignored. 




                                     




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Last Modified: Thu, Jun 11, 1998