Leiden University Student Repository

Pirom, Paew 2017

Role of Developing Country in Providing Humanitarian Aid to Refugees: the Case of Thailand

Master thesis | International Relations (MA)

open access

Role of Developing Country in Providing Aids to Refugees: the Case of Thailand By Paew Pirom s1906887 8/20/2017 Master’s thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree...Show moreRole of Developing Country in Providing Aids to Refugees: the Case of Thailand By Paew Pirom s1906887 8/20/2017 Master’s thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in International Relations   Abstract The refugee crisis happening across the world today is a humanitarian issue that impacts every nation both directly and indirectly. The over 22.5 million refugees currently scattered across different regions are subject to international protection according to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol. However, most of the host countries into which such refugees arrive are that are developing countries, and this creates problems. In the Southeast Asia region, the refugee problem is a protracted one. Thailand, along with many other developing countries, does not have adequate capacity to resolve the refugee crisis alone. Even though the country has been accepting millions of refugees onto its soil over the past 30 years; it has also been severely criticized by the international community regarding its treatment of refugees with claims that these allegedly infringe on basic human rights. Moreover, the policy to push back some groups of refugees also violates international customary humanitarian law. Yet, the reason behind this state policy is often rooted in security concerns and in the political priorities of the country. This research will explore the core concepts of the international refugee regime, such as the non-refoulement principle and the universality of humanitarianism, in order to explore their interpretation in Thailand. The purpose of the study is to determine the gap between the differing approaches and perspectives towards the refugee mission in a global and national context. Following from this, will be a discussion on whether or not the status of a country as ‘developing’ has been overlooked or devalued, particularly when that country has faced the mass influx of refugee populations for decades. Ultimately, the thesis seeks to explore whether international humanitarian principles and instruments, that have overwhelmingly been set by developed countries and enforced upon the rest of the world, have failed to consider the historical or political contexts of developing countries, and that this might foster the view that developing countries act as rights violator without sufficient recognition of that state’s relative role in alleviating the global refugee problem. The research will review the refugee policies of Thai government over the past 40 years, examining factors that influenced those decisions, what consequential impacts or outcomes resulted from them, and the responses or involvement of the international community to Thailand's refugee policies in a number of cases.  Show less