This research brief examines the protracted displacement of urban refugees in Thailand and evaluates the extent to which the country’s emerging National Screening Mechanism (NSM) can provide meaningful protection in the absence of a formal refugee legal framework. Drawing on primary data collected from urban refugees in Bangkok between October 2021 and March 2022, as well as a review of policy practices, the study identifies significant gaps in refugee protection, including risks of refoulement, arbitrary arrest, restricted mobility, and limited access to healthcare, education, and employment.

The research highlights how Thailand’s reliance on the 1979 Immigration Act, combined with its non-signatory status to the 1951 Refugee Convention, leaves many asylum seekers invisible and vulnerable in urban settings.

Access: open

Authors: Mary Rose G.A Sarausad and Sureeporn Punpuing

Affiliations: Asia Institute of Technology (AIT) and Institute of Population and Social Research (IPSR)

Date: 07/06/2023

Language: English

Country: Thailand