Urban Refugee Program, Bangkok
JRS is the primary international NGO in Thailand providing counseling, legal support and financial assistance to urban asylum seekers. The Urban Refugee Programme started in 1990 and since then, JRS has been working closely with UNHCR in assisting asylum seekers in Bangkok.
We assist asylum seekers by:
- Counseling them on UNHCR Refugee Status Determination procedure
- Explaining Thailand’s immigration policies and how they affect asylum seekers, particularly those with no legal documentation
- Advising on appeals for asylum seekers who have been rejected by UNHCR
- Providing material assistance in the form of food packages, a small amount of money, and emergency funds for housing and medical
- Advocating at local and international level for the international protection of refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand
The programme also supports Burmese asylum seekers through community organizations in Bangkok, providing support to new arrivals and very vulnerable people. JRS cooperates with the community organizations in providing limited vocational training.
With this work, the Urban Refugee Program seeks to find a humane and sustainable solution for asylum seekers in urban areas.
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Did you know?
- Asylum seekers come from around the world to Thailand because it has a large tourist industry and relatively easy-to-meet visa requirements. Bangkok is a cosmopolitan city and there are existing community groups ready to provide social support for asylum seekers of almost any nationality. - Compared to camp-based refugees, refugees and asylum seekers in urban areas receive very little assistance and attention from UNHCR and the NGO community in Thailand. Whereas refugees living in camps are guaranteed a minimum of social services, urban refugees have to rely on the limited assistance available. They are required to attain a greater degree of self-reliance even though they are unable to access legal employment opportunities and public services due to their irregular immigration status in the country. They are more likely to confront language barriers, discrimination, violence, as well as extended periods with ambiguous legal status, and therefore be subject to arbitrary arrest, detention, and/or deportation, and exploitation. |