Nearly 50 years of military dictatorship have forced millions of refugees and migrants to flee from Burma to neighboring countries, including Thailand. Since Burma’s 2010 so-called ‘democratic’ elections, thousands of new refugees have been displaced and forced to seek safety outside of their own country.
In the past few decades, Thailand has become a significant place of refuge not only for refugees and migrants from Burma, but also for Burmese organizations in exile. Media, political, activist, education, and social welfare organizations have been able to perform essential duties for the people of Burma from their bases in Thailand, while also working actively to bring about positive change inside the country. We appreciate the vital support of successive Thai governments, but now need to work on ensuring that it will continue into the near future as Thailand’s newly-elected government takes office.
Burma has long called for the closing of the refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border, and recently the Burmese government has been stepping-up pressure on Thai authorities to crackdown on Burmese opposition and exile groups based in Thailand. The economically-important border crossing of Mae Sot-Myawaddy was closed by Burma over a year ago, and in July 2011 the governor of Thailand’s Tak province revealed that Burmese authorities have demanded their Thai counterparts to “evict rebels” and “clear out” the refugee camps in exchange for the reopening of the borderpoint. In response, Thai authorities have forced meetings of dissident groups to be cancelled in Chiang Mai, and have raided opposition offices in Mae Sot.
At this crucial time, The Best Friend asks friends of Burma from around the world to write to their foreign ministries and embassies based in Thailand to ask international ambassadors to express appreciation to Thailand for its hospitality towards Burma organizations, migrants, and refugees, and to call for continued tolerance and acceptance as a democratic nation that strives to protect human rights for all.
To sign a petition to your government, visit The Best Friend Library at 302/2 Nimmanhaemin Road, Soi 13, in Chiang Mai. If you’d prefer to write your own letter, sample letters can be found at www.thebestfriend.org/chiangmai. Completed letters can be e-mailed to chiangmai@thebestfriend.org, or sent directly to your government’s foreign ministry or embassy in Thailand. Thank you for your support!
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