Navigating Liminal Legality: Vulnerabilities of Urban Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Thailand
- Andrew Wai Phyo Kyaw, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand, sawandrew410@gmail.com
Abstract
This article examines the vulnerabilities of Thailand's urban refugees and asylum seekers under existing laws and legal mechanisms. Despite hosting approximately 5,500 urban refugees and asylum seekers from over 40 countries, Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 protocol. The country's response to people seeking refuge is primarily governed by domestic laws, leaving urban refugees and asylum seekers vulnerable to arrest, detention, and limited access to basic services. The recently established National Screening Mechanism (NSM) in 2019 aims to differentiate between migrant workers and asylum seekers, who are granted 'Protected Person' status. However, this study reveals that the existing framework falls short in key critical areas, potentially exacerbating the vulnerabilities of those it intends to safeguard. Through qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews with 20 urban refugees and asylum seekers in Bangkok, this article explores their experiences and interactions with Thai law enforcement, immigration procedures, and daily survival strategies. The findings highlight interconnected vulnerabilities, including legal barriers to employment, subjection to exploitation, racial profiling, and procedural challenges to accessing justice. Drawing on the notion of "liminal legality" suggested by Cecilia Menjiver to understand the precarious existence of urban refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand, this article illustrates how urban refugees and asylum seekers live in a paradoxical area where they are both legally invisible and physically present, which leaves them vulnerable and in a condition of constant uncertainty. It concludes that Thailand's approach to refugee protection must be revisited holistically and address legal, policy, and practical issues to create a more effective, humane, and rights-based protection system aligned with international standards.
Keywords: Urban Refugees and Asylum Seekers, Vulnerabilities, Liminal Legality, Thailand
References
Asylum Access Thailand (AAT). (2016). Urban refugees in Bangkok. Retrieved from https://asylumaccess.org/urban-refugees-bangkok/
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative research in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Chaiyasit, S. (2017). Cultural integration of urban refugees in Thai society: A case study of Pakistani refugees in Bangkok (Master's thesis). Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok.
Chotinukul, J. (2020). Thailand and the National Screening Mechanism: A Step Forward for Refugee Protection?. Retrieved from https://repository.graduateinstitute.ch/record/298475/files/Thailand_NSM.pdf
Eun, K. S. (2010). The Thai Immigration’s Decriminalization Practices Towards North (Doctoral dissertation). Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.58837/CHULA.THE.2010.2230
Gallagher, D. (1989). The evolution of the international refugee system. International Migration Review, 23(3), 579-598. https://doi.org/10.1177/019791838902300309
Guzzetti, G. (2016). Urban asylum seekers and refugees in Thailand: A case study on the Somali Community, Webster University.
Issa, F. S. (2016). Survival of the invisible: Economic security of African urban refugees Asylum seekers in Thailand (Master's thesis). Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Retrieved from http://doi.org/10.58837/chula.the.2016.1648
Jittiang, B. (2022). Policy Entrepreneurship and the Drafting of Refugee Law in a Non-Signatory Country: The Case of Thailand’s National Screening Mechanism. Journal of Refugee Studies, 35(4), 1492-1507. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feac032
Kaewkuekoonkit, A., & Chantavanich, S. (2018). Rohingya in Thailand: Existing social protection in dynamic circumstances. Asian Review, 31(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.58837/CHULA.ARV.31.1.1
Lang, H. J. (2002). Fear and sanctuary: burmese refugees in Thailand. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctv1nhk0m
Laocharoenwong, J. (2020). Re-imagining the refugee camp (Doctoral thesis). University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/11245.1/51646a30-ef81-446a-8c4f-49a3a672597c
Malaver, A. M. C. (2016). Living in the shadows: Urban refugees in Thailand. In J. A. Jaworski (Ed.), Advances in Sociology Research. Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Menjívar, C. (2006). Liminal legality: salvadoran and guatemalan immigrants' lives in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 111(4), 999-1037. https://doi.org/10.1086/499509
Nguma, M. (2017). The challenges and livelihood strategies of Pakistan’s urban women refugees in Bangkok, Thailand (Master's thesis). Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University. http://doi.org/10.58837/chula.the.2017.297
Palmgren, P. A. (2014). Irregular networks: Bangkok refugees in the city and region. Journal of Refugee Studies, 27(1), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fet004
Suhrke, A. (1983). Indochinese refugees: the law and politics of first asylum. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 467(1), 102-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716283467001008
Thoresen, P., Fielding, A., Gillieatt, S., & Thoresen, S. H. (2017). Identifying the needs of refugee and asylum-seeking children in Thailand: A focus on the perspectives of children. Journal of Refugee Studies, 30(3), 426-446. https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/few028
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2024). UNHCR in Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/th/en/unhcr-in-thailand
Varophas, K. (1966). The Vietnamese Refugees in Thailand. World Affairs, 128(4), 233-238. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20670709
Vungsiriphisal, P., Chusri, D., & Chantavanich, S. (2013). Humanitarian Assistance for Displaced Persons from Myanmar: Royal Thai Government Policy and Donor, INGO, NGO and UN Agency Delivery (Eds.). London, UK: Springer Science & Business Media.
Wangcharoenpaisan, Y. (2017). Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Practices in Thailand (Master's thesis). Thammasat University, Bangkok. https://doi.org/10.14457/TU.the.2017.228
Indexed in
Search