Tell Thailand to Grant UN Access to Detained Rohingya Refugees

Tell Thailand to Grant UN Access to Detained Rohingya Refugees

The Issue

53 Rohingya "boat people" have been detained in isolated Thai prisons since 2009. Their crime? Fleeing brutal persecution in their homeland of Burma. In late January, Thailand nabbed another 158 Rohingya who had survived a harrowing journey on ramshackle home-made boats. Thai officials threw them directly into prison.

Despite the known mistreatment of Rohingya in Burma, the Thai government is refusing to recognize the migrants as refugees. Worse, they are blocking the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from visiting the detained Rohingya, thus sequestering them from any legal defense or opportunity for protection.

Under international law, any migrant who can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution must be granted refugee or asylum status, which offers ongoing protection in a new land. Burma's oppressive military regime has repeatedly cleansed its country of ethnic groups like the Rohingya--so the detainees' eligibility for refugee status is, in all likelihood, a no brainer.

Tell Thailand it needs to measure up to the basic principles of human rights when it comes to immigration and refugee protection. For starters, Thailand should give the United Nations access to the detained migrants. What are they so afraid of?

avatar of the starter
L MPetition StarterI live in my native Bay Area where I am a writer, educator and immigrant rights advocate. I currently work for Refugee Transitions and the Oakland Unified School District, supporting newcomer youth and parents to access the educational services they need during their transition to life in the U.S. I have also worked with immigrant and other vulnerable populations in Uganda and El Salvador. I am studying creative writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts and believe in writing as a tool for learning, healing, growth and social change.
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The Issue

53 Rohingya "boat people" have been detained in isolated Thai prisons since 2009. Their crime? Fleeing brutal persecution in their homeland of Burma. In late January, Thailand nabbed another 158 Rohingya who had survived a harrowing journey on ramshackle home-made boats. Thai officials threw them directly into prison.

Despite the known mistreatment of Rohingya in Burma, the Thai government is refusing to recognize the migrants as refugees. Worse, they are blocking the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from visiting the detained Rohingya, thus sequestering them from any legal defense or opportunity for protection.

Under international law, any migrant who can demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution must be granted refugee or asylum status, which offers ongoing protection in a new land. Burma's oppressive military regime has repeatedly cleansed its country of ethnic groups like the Rohingya--so the detainees' eligibility for refugee status is, in all likelihood, a no brainer.

Tell Thailand it needs to measure up to the basic principles of human rights when it comes to immigration and refugee protection. For starters, Thailand should give the United Nations access to the detained migrants. What are they so afraid of?

avatar of the starter
L MPetition StarterI live in my native Bay Area where I am a writer, educator and immigrant rights advocate. I currently work for Refugee Transitions and the Oakland Unified School District, supporting newcomer youth and parents to access the educational services they need during their transition to life in the U.S. I have also worked with immigrant and other vulnerable populations in Uganda and El Salvador. I am studying creative writing at Vermont College of Fine Arts and believe in writing as a tool for learning, healing, growth and social change.
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Kasit Phirom
Kasit Phirom
Foreign Minister, Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Petition created on February 11, 2011