Thailand

2015 UNHCR country operations profile - Thailand

| Overview |

Working environment

• Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and does not have a formal national asylum framework. The Thai Government currently hosts refugees from Myanmar in nine temporary shelters along the border.

• Since early 2012, ceasefires signed between the Myanmar Government and the main non-state armed groups have led to a decrease in security incidents in south-east Myanmar. While conditions are not yet fully conducive for UNHCR to promote voluntary repatriation, it is possible that spontaneous returns might increase in 2015.

• In the wake of the May 2014 military coup, immigration measures in the country were tightened and the policy restricting the movement of undocumented people in border areas was implemented more strictly.

• Rohingya people continue to flee by sea due to communal violence in Myanmar and reach the Thai coast. Men are placed in immigration detention centres and women and children in social community centres.

• The Government continues to assume primary responsibility for addressing statelessness and risks thereof in Thailand. UNHCR supports implementation of the nationality legislation and strategy that deals with people without clear legal status.

People of concern

Refugees from Myanmar of mostly Kayin and Kayah origin fled armed conflict and have sought refuge in Thailand for more than three decades in temporary shelters administered by the host country.

Refugees and asylum-seekers of more than 40 nationalities are coming to Thailand in increasing numbers. Many live in Bangkok and the surrounding urban areas with no legal means to sustain their livelihoods. Close to 200 are held in immigration detention centres. Those not detained risk arrest and detention, as well as deportation, if found without valid visas.

Rohingya people fleeing communal violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State have been allowed to stay temporarily in Thailand.

Stateless people and people at risk of statelessness in Thailand have either never registered as Thai or lost their connection with former countries of origin due to legislative changes. Others, being habitual residents who had previously lost their citizenship due to legislative changes are now able, through new amendments, to regularize their Thai nationality.

| Response |

Needs and strategies

In 2015, UNHCR will continue to focus on core protection activities and developing durable solutions strategies in the face of decreasing funds and reduced services in temporary shelters. Self-reliance and occupational skills development will be prioritized, in addition to reconciliation and peacebuilding activities within communities.

UNHCR will support repatriation, if conditions become conducive in the home countries for voluntary returns to take place in safety and dignity. The organization is leading the overall humanitarian preparedness through activities such as information dissemination, consultations, and enhanced coordination and planning forums.

In urban areas, an ongoing surge of new arrivals continues to delay case processing and may increase risks of arrest and deportation for people of concern, as well as possible exploitation and abuse as they engage in informal work. UNHCR will continue to conduct urgent protection interventions, advocate detention alternatives and seek enhanced access to basic public services, such as health and education, while seeking to raise awareness so that people of concern may fully benefit from existing protection mechanisms.

UNHCR will support the Government in tackling statelessness and risks thereof, through a pilot project aimed at addressing challenges, such as a lack of awareness among populations in remote areas and bottlenecks in local processing of nationality-related applications.

| Implementation |

Coordination

UNHCR chairs the Donor Humanitarian Agencies Working Group, bringing together donors and international organizations (including IOM and NGOs) for strategic and operational discussions related to refugee protection and durable solutions in the nine temporary shelters. It also chairs the Voluntary Repatriation Coordination Group, comprising refugee leaders from camps, humanitarian organizations and donors.

The Office coordinates the inter-agency Detention Task Force to advocate alternatives to detaining refugees and actively participates in the UN Country Team. UNHCR also leads the Statelessness Support Group, an inter-agency network of national and international organizations that aims to support the Government in implementing its strategy on nationality.

| Financial information |

For the past five years, UNHCR's budget evolved in response to emerging challenges and opportunities, such as: the surge of new arrivals in urban areas; Rohingya people found to be in need of protection; the growing prospect of voluntary repatriation becoming a genuine durable solution for refugees from Myanmar on the border; and an opportunity to strengthen national civil registration processes for stateless people.

The Office's comprehensive needs for 2015 are set at USD 37.2 million. Without the necessary resources, UNHCR will not be able to reach all people of concern and activities will be prioritized for the most vulnerable.

Source: UNHCR Global Appeal 2015 Update

UNHCR contact information