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UNHCR: Bay of Bengal boat movements manageable with regional cooperation

Press Releases, 4 December 2015

As the resumption of dangerous sea journeys in the Bay of Bengal looms, countries in the region today affirmed that the only way to reduce loss of life at sea is by working together on comprehensive and sustainable approaches to mixed migration movements.

On Friday delegates from more than 20 countries and international organizations met in Bangkok for the 2nd Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean. They took stock of achievements since the previous meeting in late May when some 5,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis were eventually disembarked after weeks adrift at sea in a bid to better prepare for future movements.

"With an unprecedented 60 million persons displaced today, it has become clear that forced displacement issues are a global phenomenon that no country can address or resolve on its own," said Volker Türk, the UN Refugee Agency's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.

"The numbers we are seeing in this region can be managed and we welcome the regional approach," he added. "The fact that only 1,000 people have taken to boats since September offers an important window of opportunity to put those plans in place."

During the meeting, UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shared a paper offering guidance to affected States on the immediate responses they could take when such movements resume. The paper outlines the need for coordinated and enhanced search and rescue efforts, predictable disembarkation as well as harmonized reception and stay. It also stresses the importance of effective screening procedures to identify people in need of international protection and vulnerable groups like women, children and victims of trafficking.

"Until the refugees among them can return home in a safe, dignified and voluntary way, we will need a creative form of temporary refuge or alternative humanitarian stay that ensures access to health, education, work," said Türk. "Allowing them to work in labour-importing countries is a win-win: It gives them dignity and self-reliance, and eases the burden on host countries."

Opening the meeting, Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai emphasized that solutions must run the gamut from prevention to cure and include the promotion of livelihood at home, safe migration, strict law enforcement, and temporary protection for those who have already left, pending more durable solutions.

UNHCR's Türk noted that on a recent visit to Myanmar's Rakhine state, he saw progress in seeking solutions for internally displaced people, but also heard "legitimate grievances" that remained to be addressed.

"The heart of the matter lies in ensuring a legal identity for all people on Myanmar's territory and the fundamental freedoms that must go with it, such as freedom of movement, non-discrimination, and access to services," he said. " We hope that the new Government will give this issue the attention it deserves, in light of the fact that the absence of these rights triggers displacement and has, as a result, international repercussions."

He added that the Sustainable Development Goals offer a framework for addressing root causes and ensuring that no one is left behind in health, education, work and legal identity, among other rights.

An estimated 95,000 people have made this dangerous journey since 2014, with over 1,100 dying at sea and hundreds more found buried in unmarked mass graves.

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UNHCR country pages

Asylum and Migration

Asylum and Migration

All in the same boat: The challenges of mixed migration around the world.

Refugee Protection and Mixed Migration: A 10-Point Plan of Action

A UNHCR strategy setting out key areas in which action is required to address the phenomenon of mixed and irregular movements of people. See also: Schematic representation of a profiling and referral mechanism in the context of addressing mixed migratory movements.

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Mixed Migration

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Myanmar Cyclone Victims Still Need Aid

Returnees in Myanmar

During the early 1990s, more than 250,000 Rohingya Muslims fled across the border into Bangladesh, citing human rights abuses by Myanmar's military government. In exile, refugees received shelter and assistance in 20 camps in the Cox's Bazaar region of Bangladesh. More than 230,000 of the Rohingya Muslims have returned since 1992, but about 22,000 still live in camps in Bangladesh. To promote stability in returnee communities in Myanmar and to help this group of re-integrate into their country, UNHCR and its partner agencies provide monitors to insure the protection and safety of the returnees as well as vocational training, income generation schemes, adult literacy programs and primary education.

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Over 2,000 refugees from Myanmar have crossed the border into Thailand in recent months. Most claim to be fleeing renewed conflict and human rights abuses in Kayin state, Myanmar. The mainly ethnic Karen refugees say their houses and villages have been burned and civilians killed. Many were weak upon arrival, suffering from illnesses such as malaria, after a long, dangerous journey to the camps through heavily mined areas. The refugees have been arriving at government-run camps, mainly in the Mae Hong Son area in northern Thailand.

UNHCR is working with the Thai government and non-governmental organisations to ensure the new arrivals are admitted to the camps and provided with adequate shelter and protection. Shelter has been a major issue as the capacity in many refugee camps has been overwhelmed. In a breakthrough in mid-May, Thai authorities agreed to build proper houses for the new arrivals.

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Refugees from Myanmar: Ethnic Karens Seek Shelter

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