Bangkok Refugee Center - 1st posting

11 Feb 2009

Yesterday I went back for a 2nd "interview" with the doctor and learned more about what the needs are from a medical standpoint.

I feel that I have to explain a bit about refugees & asylum seekers in Thailand. Refugees are those who have been accepted as refugee status by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commision for Refugees). The reasons for being accepted as a refugee is fear of persection for race, religion, nationality, social or political associations. Once they are accepted by the UNHCR a refugee gets certain benefits (small amount of money & sometimes housing & medical care). Before being accepted the people are called asylum seekers and they get no benefits at all. It can take sometimes years to get accepted as a refugee, so the asylum seekers are really in a tough situation. Neither group is allowed to work.

The situation is worse in Thailand, because the Thai government does not recognize refugees or asylum seekers, to they are considered illegal immigrants. So at any time these people can be picked up & detained (in horrible conditions) & sent back to their home country, where most likely they will be in even greater danger, because now their home government knows they are trying to escape. It's really complicated & sad.

In Bangkok there are 1,373 refugees. These people are just waiting for other countries to accept them as residents. This can take years & some people are never accepted, so they live the refugee life always. Those who have been involved in the government or military in their home countries are likely not to be accepted. There are 570 registered asylum seekers in Bangkok, but likely many more they just don't know about. These people are from 45 different countries.

The Bangkok Refugee Center does not provide housing, but a place for these people to come during the day. There are classes for the children, a library, medical clinic, computers, a small cafe and space for people to socialize. Each time I've been there it is a very busy place. It is interesting to observe these people, laughing & talking, they seem happy. I don't see the desperation that they must feel, but I guess it is better than what they would be facing in their own countries. We can complain about our country, but let's face it, we are the lucky ones.

I'm sure I will learn a lot more as I begin working there. I'm going to go 2 days a week. The doctor would like help teaching family planning classes. The challange is the different cultural & religious beliefs related to family planning. There is a need to respect these values, but also make them realize there is no place for newborns in this situation. I am also going to help with the immunization program, to make sure people are up-to-date & if not remind them about getting their shots. This will be mostly paper pushing, but a necesary thing. Since my interest is in public health, this should be a good experience for me.