.

 Please Help Us

 

To,

The UNHCR Regional Representative

3rd Floor, United NationsBuilding

Rajdamnern Nok Avenue

Bangkok 10200.

Mailing address: P.O. Box 2-121

Bangkok 10200

Thailand

Telephone          +66 2 288 1234

Date, May 27, 2013

Subject : requesting UNHCR to make Mae Fah Luang Foundation modify itsquestionnaire

             As the subject mentioned above, Mae Fah LuangFoundation have been starting their program ofcollecting information about the refugees in Mae la Camp.

1.     Indoing so, they called a meeting on May 5, 2013 to explain the refugees at ZonesA – 1 about their questionnaire.

Theymade a public statement explaining that every refugee has to answer all theirquestions, it is a must.

Therefugees said they would answer the questions which seemed safe to them, butthey didn’t want to answer the questions that supposed to be unsafe. But MFLFdidn’t accept it. After making their statement, they distributed theirquestionnaires to the refugees. They rejected the appeal and  made an appointment to see the refugees onMay 17, 2013 again.

Afterstudying their questionnaires, the refugees felt resentment against theirirrational questionnaires all directing refugees to go home. On that very day,most of the refugees appeal to be resettle in a third country.

2.    Meeting on May 17, 2013, they turned theappeal of the refugees to modify their questionnaires. Moreover MFLF forced therefugees to answer all the questions with no exception. The refugees said theycouldn’t answer their questions if they didn’t modify them. Then, MFLF gave anappointment to see the refugees before the end of May.

3.    MFLF said that UNHCR had asked Thai government,and the government asked them to carry out this program; and they were doingthis with the support of UNHCR. . As Thai government did not sign 1951 UNHCRTreaty, they have violated human rights. The refugees’ rights are needed to begiven. For humanitarian reasons, they should have showed a little humanity. Andthey had objection to register the refugees. This resulted in refugees havingbeen suffering from being confined for so long that they can’t cope with theoutside world like prisoners detained within barbed wire fence compound. Ifrefugees are confined in the camp more than 3 years, they can suffer fromdepression. So they have to be resettled in a third country. Thai governmenthas neglected that.

Now the refugees have been living in the camp without hope foryears, yet they feel very bad as MFLF has been discussing to repatriate therefugees. So, if Thai government keeps on having objection to resettle therefugees, it will be good for them to be sent to a third country. If therefugees are sent to a third country, their tension and depression will belessened, and they will feel free and they will have opportunities to createtheir own future.

If the refugees are repatriated, their lives would exactly likethose who are serving life imprisonment. Those who committed murder will bereleased after serving 10 year imprisonment. But the refugees’ life is justlike criminals serving life imprisonment. We ourselves as well as you do notknow when we will be released. Hence, our release date can only be appointed byyou, and we earnestly appeal you to take measures in appointing our releasedate.

4.    We, refugees, are feeling resentment towards being forced toanswer these unsafe questions. So, we appeal UNHCR to request MFLF to modifythe questions as asked and signed by the refugees.

Appealing   MFLF

A.To modify the questions as well as the format.

B.To let the refugees’ representatives include in MFLF team when modifying thequestions.

C.  The question format is:

1)  to be repatriated with one’s consent

2)  living in Thailand

3) the form of resettlement in a third country isto be of a separate papers, not in a tablet pattern.

D.To let the refugees answer the questions according to their will.

E.To express the feeling of the refugees as based on their will.

F.  If it is not according to the will of therefugees but against their will, the questions are not supposed to be answered.

 5.  Our special appeal is thatthose who have signed here don’t accept to be repatriated as according to theirwill which in fact forced by MFLF. Hence, we appeal to make an arrangement toresettle us in a third country according to our will. On May 26, 2013, thosewho were going round collecting the signatures of the people were annoyed andstopped by the security members. The leader of Zone-A told the heads of thefamilies not to sign the paper. The leaders of Zone B, B-4 and Zone C, D-4Acalled a meeting and told the people not to sign the paper. That is whycollecting signatures stopped. And those who have signed the paper are in fear.Hence, going round collecting the signatures of the people is banned.

The above mentioned appeal isagreed and signed by the refugees whose signature seen below. The number of therefugees who signed the agreement is ( 3644 ) and the number of signed papersis ( 275 ).

             Attached see the signatures.

                                                                                                                                                           Faithfully

Refugees

Maela Refugee Camp, Tak Province

Copyto – United Nation High Commission for Refugees Office, Bangkok

UnitedNation High Commission for Refugees Office, Maesot