The path home

But there is also a well-understood anxiety within the refugee community. Some have genuine fears about safety, security and the restoration of their rights back home. These concerns are natural. Many fled their villages because of conflict, persecution and other rights abuses. Landmines litter the landscape. Ceasefires are in place but a peace agreement has not yet been signed. The refugees need to know if their homes are still standing, if they will have food, work, healthcare and school in Myanmar. Those born in Thailand’s camps have no other concept of home.  

They are watching developments in Myanmar with keen interest. So is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the humanitarian community at large.

The UNHCR works to ensure that no one remains a refugee indefinitely. Voluntary repatriation is the preferred solution in refugee situations around the world, and it is the right of every person to return to their home country. 

However, much needs to be done in the places of origin and places of return before refugees from Myanmar can feel comfortable to voluntarily repatriate in safety and with dignity. 

These principles are shared by key stakeholders. In the spirit of hospitality that has seen it host more than a million refugees since the mid-1980s, the Thai government has provided assurances that there is no deadline for closing the border camps and no rush in the complex process. 

The Myanmar authorities have said that when they do repatriate, returnees can freely choose to go back to their villages, or to sub-townships being developed, or elsewhere in the country. Ultimately it is up to each individual to decide when and where they wish to repatriate to. 

Several thousand refugees and internally displaced people have already made their way home without the assistance of the two governments or the UNHCR. However, tens of thousands of others will likely need some form of assistance to help re-establish their lives and futures.

There is a cautious optimism that one of the most protracted refugee situations in Asia may finally come to an end for those who choose to return. But the government of Myanmar with the support of the Thai government, the UNHCR, donors and the non-governmental and community-based organisations (CBOs) must come together to support the displaced populations and create conditions that would assure a successful and sustainable return for those who wish to do so.

The UNHCR is listening. We are communicating regularly with the refugees, as well as CBOs, NGOs and governmental partners on the best way forward. It is a complex balance to strike – to take steps to be fully prepared for any eventual returns while not promoting it prematurely. 

Much work remains to be done on both sides of the border before voluntary repatriation to Myanmar can start. In southeastern Myanmar, ceasefires must be translated into enduring peace. Amnesty must be considered and basic rights respected. Landmine clearance and awareness-raising must be stepped up. Property restitution needs to be provided; homes rebuilt; infrastructure, facilities and services restored. Proper documentation to returnees must be provided. Economic development must be fostered to create jobs so that returnees can sustain their lives back home. 

In Thailand, the UNHCR and partners are adjusting existing programmes in the camps to focus more on what the refugees will need back home, including specific skills and education. After more than 20 years of relying on handouts to survive, they will need help to get back on their feet.

The UNHCR is looking to our partners and the donor community to invest on both sides of the border to create conditions for voluntary return. We are also urging host and resettlement countries to keep their doors open to those for whom a safe and dignified return to Myanmar is not possible.

More than three decades after they were forced out of their villages, the refugees must be empowered to choose for themselves the path home, wherever that may be.

 

James Lynch is the UNHCR regional coordinator for Southeast Asia.