This week a team from HDFF were at the “Stop Arbitrary Detention of Refugees” event to commemorate World Refugee Day. This event, hosted by the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP), Amnesty International Thailand (AI Thailand), Asylum Access Thailand (AAT), the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), the Center for Asylum Protection (CAP), the Equal Asia Foundation (EAF), Host International, the International Detention Coalition (IDC), the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), the Peace Rights Foundation (PRF), and the Refugee Rights Litigation Project (RRLP), shed light on the treatment that refugees receive daily in the countries where they fled. This panel featured Yuhanee Jehka of Host International, Kannavee Suebsang of the Fair Party, Chawaratt Chawarangkul of the International Detention Coalition, Pia Oberoi of the OHCHR, Prima Sukmanop of Asylum Access Thailand and an anonymous guest who had been detained for more than five years after fleeing Pakistan. This event focused on the inhumane practice of arbitrarily detaining refugees as it is almost impossible for refugees to get the support, they need to leave this detention. In general, two things are needed to bail — a large amount of cash (in some countries up to 2,000 USD) and bail guarantors — both of which are hard for most refugees to obtain. When families are detained, it has many detrimental effects for children. Family members are separated from each other and children who are detained for even a week face many developmental and psychological hurdles that will stand in their way. Even if families have the resources to get out of detention, it often takes up to two months to get children out of immigration detention centers (IDC) which means they will be separated from at least one parent for months. The panel used Thailand as an example as Thailand is such an important state for this conversation to be in as refugees and asylum seekers have been fleeing here from the Middle East, bordering nations, and the People’s Republic of China. The panel agreed on the point of view, that the Uyghur and Rohingya populations have not had their plights addressed fully yet, and Kannavee Suebsang (Fair Party) has stated that the new Thai government should address this issue before it gets any more out of control. This would allow for Thailand to spearhead a joint refugee policy with other countries in Southeast Asia and build relations with their neighbors as they work together to address the influx of refugees and asylum seekers. Yet, the panelists pointed out that Thailand does not recognize legal refugees currently, and rather operates under the 1979 Immigration Act which means related authorities view refugees and asylum seekers as illegal immigrants officially, these people who are extremely vulnerable due to the harsh treatment they face in their home country are subject to similar conditions such as arbitrary detention in even Thailand.
HDFF thanks FCCT for the hospitality to observe the panel and is looking forward to attending other events hosted by the FCCT.
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