Sometimes I think that living in a refugee camp is like pigs living in a barn. When the time comes to eat, the owner feeds them. Even if they don’t enjoy where they live, they have to stay. Similarly, we, refugees, have to stay inside the camp which is made by a fence of sharp iron rope. The owners of the humans are the NGOs. They feed us. When the time comes to eat we have to go to the rice store and take our ration. This is the routine of our lives in the refugee camp. Our living standards are not so different from the pigs in a barn. This is my opinion, if you agree with it or not depends on you.

When we stay in the camp, we have the opportunity to study till Posten school (this is a facility in the camp, which offers further study to students who finish high school) and that’s all. This is the end of education, university is just in our dreams. We are not allowed to go outside the camp. Everyday we are feeding ourselves with rice, fish-paste, yellow bean and chilli. Sometimes we hear that people from outside say “refugee people are lazy, they do nothing, just sleep and eat”. One person who came to the church, gave us a speech and said “you refugee people, have you ever considered that you are like a pig in a barn?” At first it made me angry, but later I agreed with this person, because I think carefully and analyse that they judge us by looking at us with an outsiders eyes. Who will know the real ideas of the situation and our feelings?

Now, the refugee people are busy with UN registration. I want to focus on what I see and hear when the UN do their registration. Initially on the 25th June 2005 at 10 o’clock the Minister of Interior for Po Pra District held a meeting in Umpiem Mai camp with zone committees and religious committees. They focused on the issues of the refugees. They create the rules for the refugee people. All of the rules make things stricter for the refugees.

In the meeting we heard that refugee people might get four benefits from this UN registration.

1. Anyone who has the UNHCR identity card, if they want to go to a third country, they can apply.
2. Anyone who has the UNHCR identity card, if the Thai government gives the chance of Thai Nationality they can apply. But they have to leave the camp and have to stand by themselves.
3. Anyone who has the UNHCR identity card, if they want to stay in the refugee camp until Burma gets independence, they can and they will enjoy the same care as now.
4. Anyone who has the UNHCR identity card can go back to Burma if it gets independence. If they go back UN will give help for at least two years.

During the interview the officers ask them “If there is peace in Burma will you go back? And they ask “Back? Can it be?” Nobody can answer this for sure. As for me, I answer with “if Burma situation changes to justice and peace I will go back directly, and if it does not I won’t.” To answer the other question “will you go to a third country? Many people said if nothing change in Burma they will go to a third country.

During the days of the UN registration early every morning you can clearly hear the announcement from the speaker that nobody is allowed to go outside even to find some vegetables from the forest, if anybody break the rules, they will be punished by the laws. This statement is from the Ministry of Interior (MOI). Day by day the rules get more strict until nobody can sell or buy anything. Morning market is closed and villagers also are not allowed to sell food in the camp. For this reason the price of the products is expensive and people are disheartened for this reason. For example, before soap was 6 Baht, now it is 8 Baht. Nobody is allowed to go outside, so there is a lack of products and so increasing prices. Due to the rules nobody is allowed to trade things or carry anything in and out of the camp. Only the things from the NGO which are appropriate with the MOI rules can be carried in.

Then the authorities said that they will check up on people 10 days after the registration and the people who are not in the camp at that time will be taken off the UN list. I think this is just one a threat, it doesn’t happen. When you stay in the camp you hear many things that come from everywhere and sometimes this makes scared. For instance during the UN registration nobody is allowed to go outside but some people use the hide way and try to go outside but on their way the authorities arrest them, threaten them with the big dog and let the dog to bite them. Living in threatened conditions gives us demoralization and we can’t open our heart and our soul.

We hear that UN registration will be the last chance for the refugee people and there will be no more refugees in Thailand. Moreover we heard many good things about this registration such as we will have refugee rights, we will be free to go out of the camp. However there are also many bad things. The rights that we already had are gone. The situation is worse than before.

During the UN registration I listen to the voices from the people and my own feelings. In many cases refugee people believe that something will change for them and they are excited. However whether it will be good or bad for them depends on the arrangements made by the leaders and the authorities.

Registration Puts Refugees in a Fix

By Saw Poe Kler Htoo

Have you thought that United Nations registration can only be a good thing for refugees? For us refugees, it still brings more problems. As I am a refugee in Umpiem Mai, I want to share my experience with you on how registration works for me and other people like me.

Today, there are difficult and complicated situations in the camp. for refugees, traveling in and out of Umpiem Mai is strictly controlled. Since we had UN registration, the situation in the camp is very bad. We cannot go outside unless we have camp pass from the Thai leader who is controlling Umpiem Mai. I have seen an interesting thing that the Thai leader did. It made me surprised. There is only one way that we can use to go outside of the camp. We need to get a camp pass from the Thai leader but then, we have to ride in his car and pay him. Whoever does not follow these instructions, cannot go outside. There is no other way.

As well as this, since UN registration in Umpiem Mai, the price of food is increasing for vegetables, fish, chickens and the other things. I heard that one shop owner from zone B in the camp brought some snacks and materials from outside the camp to his small shop at night time. Suddenly, the Thai leader and his soldiers came and made the owner of the shop to take back his goods to outside the camp. Things like this keep the price of food high.

Here is one example of our difficult lives everyday. I have seen one man, above 40 years old. His house is located in zone B, at section 2, near number 2 High school. One time, when the Thai leader and his soldiers were passing by, the man was sitting in front of his house. At that time, they started talking with the man and the Thai leader slapped his face without any reason. Can you estimate if you were that man, how would you feel? Would you be you satisfied in your life? From my point of view, they look down on refugees and abuse their human rights too. However, one thing that I can not understand is why we do not have any chance to do something back, why we do not have a proper way to complain and why we have to be afraid of them. We are the same, human beings, but we are still different. So it makes me depressed living in refugee camp.

However, I hope that UN registration will bring the best thing for refugees and it will become true. But right now, we do not have any chance in our life and we lose our dreams too. It is similar to life in jail. In my opinion, if we still have difficult situation like this, the consequence of registration will put refugees in a fix. As refugees, our conflict continues. So we want rid off this tribulation away from us and we need emancipation as well. Although we are refugees, we want our rights the same as other people.

To go to the other articles published in the August 2005 BI Newsletter click on the links below:

Ongoing Attacks on Displaced Persons: A Story of a Woman Who Does Not Give Up
People's Faith: A Tool of War