DISPLACED BURMESE IN THAILAND: REFUGEE POLICIES AND IMPACT ON ACCESS AND RIGHTS, 1988-2008 by Elizabeth Collins Kalnin A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts Graduate Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Elizabeth Collins Kalnin (2010) DISPLACED BURMESE IN THAILAND: REFUGEE POLICIES AND IMPACT ON ACCESS AND RIGHTS, 1988-2008 Masters of Arts 2010 Elizabeth Collins Kalnin Graduate Department of Adult Education and Counselling Psychology University of Toronto Abstract My thesis research centres on the question, how have refugee policy formation and ground level implementation impacted the conditions and experiences of displaced Burmese in Thailand from 1988 to 2008? I examine the effects of the production of subject categories through Thai national laws and practices, a bilateral agreement, and the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees, in order to uncover how official policies are used to manage refugees. This study addresses questions regarding policy formation and implementation toward Burmese who have fled political oppression in Burma (Myanmar) and identifies issues related to the recognition of difference and the allocation of rights in the cultural contexts of migration and integration of minority populations. The formulation and implementation of refugee policies has global implications since policy solutions in general are developed from a perspective that ignores the emergence and significance of displacement. ii Acknowledgments I am very grateful for my thesis supervisor, Professor Roland Sintos Coloma, who helped guide me through this whole process, pushed and challenged me, and reminded me often the importance of this project and the people for whom I am advocating. Thanks to Professor Jack Quarter, my thesis committee member, for making it possible for me to do this study. A huge thanks to my family and Josep for encouraging me in the undertaking of this ambitious project, and helping me in the endeavor. iii Dedication Dedicated to my late father who through example, passed on his love, enthusiasm and commitment for the people of Burma to me. iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. iii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1: Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Analytical Frameworks .................................................................................... 9 Conceptualizing the Minority Position of Displaced People ........................................ 11 Chapter 3: Burmese Migration to Thailand Since 1988 .................................................. 15 Politically Constructed Categories of Displaced People .............................................. 20 Chapter 4: Thai Burmese Relations .................................................................................. 32 Historical Relations ....................................................................................................... 32 Relations from 1988 to 2008 ........................................................................................ 35 Chapter 5: Method ........................................................................................................... 41 Policy Archaeology as a Methodology ......................................................................... 41 Thai Governmental Structure ........................................................................................ 45 Primary Sources of Data ............................................................................................... 46 Limitations .................................................................................................................... 49 Chapter 6: Results ............................................................................................................ 50 International Refugee Law ............................................................................................ 50 National Refugee Policy ............................................................................................... 62 Immigration Act 1979 ................................................................................................... 66 Alien Work Act 2008 .................................................................................................... 70 Nationality Act 2008 ..................................................................................................... 72 Memorandum of Understanding 2003 .......................................................................... 76 Chapter 7: Discussion ...................................................................................................... 79 The Emergence of Refugees ......................................................................................... 79 Language and Discourses ............................................................................................. 80 Governmentality, the Law and Categorization ............................................................. 83 Policy Solutions ............................................................................................................ 84 Challenges to Policy Implementation ........................................................................... 87 Policy Studies ............................................................................................................... 89 v Chapter 8: Conclusion....................................................................................................... 91 Recommendations to the Royal Thai Government ....................................................... 91 Recommendations to the International Community (Donor Governments & UNHCR) ...................................................................................................................................... 92 Recommendations to Burmese Authorities .................................................................. 93 Future Directions .......................................................................................................... 93 References ......................................................................................................................... 96 Policies Examined as Data ............................................................................................ 96 Other Sources ................................................................................................................ 96 List of Figures Figure 1. This map of Southeast Asia shows the geographical location of Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand. (Map provided courtesy of the ReliefWeb Map Centre, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). ....................................................... 1 List of Appendices Appendix A Acronyms ................................................................................................... 105 Appendix B Timeline of Major Events Relating to Displacement, 1988-2008 .............. 107 Appendix C Timeline of Refugee Policy Documents..................................................... 110 Appendix D Key Players in Refugee Policy in Thailand ............................................... 112 Appendix E Types of Legal Status for Displaced Persons: Policy and Practice ............ 113 Appendix F Permission for Copyrighted Map ................................................................ 115 vi Chapter 1: Introduction ―Discourses‖ do categorize people, and sometimes the labels are denatured caricatures of what those people are or believe themselves to be. (Edelman, 2002, p. 409) Figure 1. This map of Southeast Asia shows the geographical location of Burma (Myanmar) and Thailand. Map provided courtesy of the ReliefWeb Map Centre, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 1 2 My thesis research centres on the question, how have refugee policy formation and ground level implementation impacted the conditions and experiences of displaced Burmese in Thailand from 1988 to 2008? I examine the effects of the production of subject categories through Thai national laws and practices, a Thai-Burmese bilateral agreement, and the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Status of Refugees, in order to address questions regarding policy formation and implementation toward Burmese groups who have fled political oppression in Burma (Myanmar).1 Although I focus on the Burmese in Thailand, the implications of my research are generalizable to other parts of the world. Displacement is of global importance. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (2009), there are 42 million people globally uprooted by conflict and persecution. This number includes 16 million refugees and asylum seekers, and 26 million internally displaced people. In this study, I identify issues related to the recognition of difference and the allocation of rights in the cultural contexts of migration and integration of minority populations. The effects on the application and implementation of refugee policies at both international and