Myanmar Refugees Come Home After 30 Years

Tens of thousands of refugees settled in nine camps along Thailand’s Border with Myanmar can finally go home. On Tuesday, 68 Myanmar refugees from camps along the border are the first to receive an endorsement from the Thai and Myanmar governments.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees called the undertaking as a “milestone”. Furthermore, the agency pointed out that the first voluntary repatriation will not lead to an “exodus”.

The movement to go back home was unfeasible for a very long time because of the political and economic turmoil in Myanmar. However, Aung San Suu Kyi changed all that when she ascended to power earlier this year. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, Suu Kyi is the first woman to serve as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Myanmar.

The UNHCR’s senior field coordinator, Ian hall said that the repatriation will begin on Tuesday. One family will leave the camp on the western border province in Ratchaburi. Another group will follow on Wednesday from the Nupo Camp in the western Tak province of Thailand.

A Safe Return Home

In a phone interview with Reuters while in the border town of Mae Sot, located about 490 km (304 miles) of Bangkok, Hall said, “This particular movement is a milestone. But it won’t be the start of a large exodus”.

Hall added that refugees who chose to return home had information from their families in Myanmar, who told them it was safe to go back home. He said, “The Myanmar government came over and issued certificates of identification saying these people are their citizens”.

30 years of waiting

There are an estimated 103,000 refugees and internally displaced people inhabiting the nine camps along the border. Decades of military rule drove the refugees to flee and escape the persecution of the Myanmar army. 80% of the refugees are ethnic Karen from Western Myanmar. Most of them had been living in the camps for 30 years.

The senior official of the Ministry of Social Welfare Relief and Re-settlements of Myanmar, Ko Ko Naing said they are prepared to accept the returnees. He said, “”These people want to return to Myanmar of their own volition’.

Previous Thailand administrations had planned efforts to permanently shut down the camp. Hall believed otherwise, he said this is not the right time to do so. “We’re not promoting return and we’ve made that clear with both governments. We don’t yet believe it is the time to return but of course, these people have the right to return if they want to”.

In the recent weeks, the country continues to endure erratic violence between the government and the Muslim Majority Rakhine state. Officials believed the Islamists greatly influenced the uprising.

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Hungary; Citizens Vote for Government to Oppose EU Refugee Quotas

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government called for a referendum regarding mandatory European quotas for asylum seekers. Hungary’s citizens are set to vote on Sunday for the referendum to oppose future EU mandatory quotas.

A 50 percent plus-one ruling threshold applies in order for the referendum to be valid. Conversely, the government is certain to received positive support amongst voters, but uncertain if it will meet the threshold.

The voting ballots are straight to the point; it states “”Do you want the European Union to be able to prescribe the mandatory settlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary even without the consent of Parliament?”

Orban urged Hungarian citizens to vote “NO”. Considering that the EU’s policy for imposing such quotas is in contradiction to Hungary’s sovereignty and independence.
Orban said that when the referendum reaches majority, Hungary’s Parliament will pass legislation for valid selection regardless of the outcome. On the other hand, if the “YES” votes won, he will resign as Prime Minister. Critics foresee Orban’s statement as a publicity ploy to draw more citizens to the polling votes.

Meanwhile, the referendum itself does not hold any obligatory acts for the EU. Nonetheless Orban ascertains the referendum will create massive influence on Brussels.
Orban said in an interview after he cast his vote in an elementary school in Buda hills. “The most important issue next week is for me to go to Brussels, hold negotiations and try with the help of this result — if the result if appropriate— achieve for it not to be mandatory to take in the kind of people in Hungary we don’t want to,”

Likewise, he wants each EU nation to hold more influence in the decision making process. Orban hopes to see the possibility of other potential anti-quota referendums in EU nations. He said, “We are proud that we are the first” he said. “Unfortunately, we are the only ones in the European Union who managed to have a (referendum) on the migrant issue.”

On a separate case, Hungary is suing the European Court of Justice because of the EU’s decision in 2015 to relocate 160,000 asylum seekers. EU denounced the original plan of moving 1,294 refugees to Hungary. EU instead relocated all refugees to the straining countries of Greece and Italy.

Roughly 8.3 million citizens were eligible to cast ballots on Sunday between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. (0400-1700 GMT). Turn out by 1 p.m. (1100 GMT) reached 23.5 percent according to the National Election Office.

The polls represent deeper denotation of citizens urging to “send a message to Brussels”. incidentally, there is an increase in cases of xenophobia in Hungary associating migrants with terrorism.

Several opposition and civic oriented blocs advised citizens to boycott the vote. Other recommended casting invalid ballots that will not count to the total tally of votes. These ballots on the other hand, can represent as a vote for rejecting government’s “”zero migrants “policies”.

Hungary’s geographic location makes it easy for nearly 400,000 migrants pass through the country on the way to Western Europe. With Serbia and Croatia’s new expulsion policies and razor wire fences built along the borders, numbers dramatically diminished. According to a police report only one or no migrant penetrated the border in 13 consecutive days.

Last year, Hungary rejected 80% of asylum claims, one of the EU’s highest according to Eurostat.

A total of 508 applications for asylum was approved while 2,917 rejected. With 37,000 more under process.

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