global refugee news and facts

Casinos In The Neutral Zone – Ranong, Thailand

May08
2012 Written by admin

In our last article we wrote about Poipet, the town on the Thai/Cambodian border which hosts some of the region’s best casinos.  It’s a sort of tax free zone between the two countries at which wealthy Thais and other tourists can play Blackjack, Roulette and Craps to their hearts content in the knowledge that what is legal here, is not in Thailand.  Where once the Cambodian refugees flooded across this border, now the locals provide the services for those from Thailand.

free payday loans online

Thailand’s attitude to gambling and it’s location in this occasionally tense part of the world means its borders offer an ideal location for what one might call ‘cottage-industry’ casinos.  On its western border is Myanmar (Burma), a country which may now be showing the first signs of emerging from fifty or so years of a brutal military regime.  That regime has resulted in massive refugee camps building up inside Thailand where the countries meet.

Victoria Point, Myanmar

Victoria Point, Myanmar

There are more than a few border crossing points between the two countries and the one which is of interest to us is the sea crossing between Ranong on the Thai side and Victoria Point inside Myanmar.  This is a popular visa stamping location for expats and other tourists who enjoy not only the boat trip between the two locations, but also the Andaman Club Casino and hotel which sits on an island midway between the two countries.

Those who are happy to pay a bit more for their visa service can hand over their passport to the appropriate people and spend a few hours or even days at this resort.  For those who like a few hours of Poker it’s an ideal solution – there are gaming rooms and slot machines here but of course you may find your trip cost more than you bargained for if you have a run of bad luck.

With the gradual and predicted opening up of Myanmar for commercial opportunities we may well see more ventures such as this as the Myanmar authorities look to entice foreign investors to the country.  You will see very little refugee activity in this area as the sea crossing is much more difficult than using the numerous jungle trails.

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Casinos In The Neutral Zone – Poipet, Cambodia

May08
2012 Written by admin

There are some areas in the world which have a history of confrontation, violence and the passage of refugees for almost as long as anyone can remember.  The particular area we’re concentrating on today is the border area between Thailand and Cambodia.  Since the late 1960s, this has been an area of tension and hostility interspersed with more cordial relations.  The refugee traffic has always been one way, with fleeing Cambodians seeking shelter from the turmoil in their own country in neighbouring Thailand.

While refugees have always streamed across the border at many locations, Poipet is one crossing point which demonstrates the gigantic strides which have been made in this part of the world (notwithstanding the current tension between Thailand and Cambodia).  Poipet is on the Cambodian side and the town of Trat is it’s Thai neighbour,  Between the two border security points is a sort of duty-free zone in which luxury casinos and hotels have been built.

From most points of view the expanding zone has been a unqualified success; it’s fair to say not many Cambodians use the facilities – those who live nearby are too poor and those from nearer the bigger cities can visit their own casinos, if they have the money.  While gambling is legal in Cambodia, it’s not in Thailand and thats why at any time of the day or night you will find those Poipet casinos filled with wealthy Thais playing Blackjack, Roulette and Texas Hold’em and other Casino Games.  These Thais rub shoulders with other tourists and Thai residents who make their way up from Bangkok for a few days spinning the Roulette wheel or playing Poker.

Added to these customers is a small but steady stream of young travellers for whom  this neutral zone provides a bit of ‘safe’ danger – a trip to the perceived badlands between two famous rival countries.

Poipet Casino

Poipet Casino

Thirty years ago, Cambodian refugees streamed across this border as they fled from Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge – now the site is a revenue generating project where Thais and Cambodians rub shoulders, although one lot are enjoying the facilities while the others are serving the drinks and cleaning the hotel rooms.

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Congolese Flee North Kivu

Mar13
2012 Written by admin

The last time we reported on the Democratic Republic of Congo was back in late 2010 in this article and it was more of a general overview of Congo’s troubled recent history.  The North Kivu district of the country is one which has had more than it’s fair share of problems and it is also the focus of the current trouble.

600,000 of the DRC’s estimated 1.7 million internally displaced population are in this area and recent heavy fighting between government troops, opposition forces and local defence militia has meant it is as bad now as it has been for some time.  Neighbouring Uganda is feeling the force of the consequences of the fighting and since the beginning of 2012 more than 3000 refugees have crossed the border from North Kivu.  While most are crossing from border areas in DRC, there are signs that more are heading across from further inside the country.

It seems likely that a three-way agreement between Uganda, DRC and the UNHCR will face problems if the fighting continues and refugees continue to cross the border.  The agreement was a process which began to return Congolese refugees to their home country from Uganda.  32000 had already returned voluntarily but some of those same refugee are now heading back to Uganda because of the recent increase in fighting and violence.

Congo Refugees

Congolese refugees in Uganda

Many Congolese refugees have been resident in camps and other areas of Uganda since the 1990s and the Congolese Civil War and these camps are largely supported by the UNHCR and the host country.  This means that at least the systems are in place to cope with any new refugees crossing the border and at the moment, sufficient food, shelter and medical supplies are in place.

The refugees are not just fleeing from the side effects of the fighting, many are reporting targeted attacks on civilians and attacks on villages at night have led to enitre villages decamping to safer areas.

 

 

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News 20/2/12 – Refugees Flee Violence In Mali

Feb20
2012 Written by admin

The western African country of Mali is the latest area of the continent to be feeling the effects of internal conflict.  Landlocked between Mauritania, Algeria, Niger, Burkino Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Senegal, Mali doesn’t often make the news; it’s not one of Africa’s leading progressive lights but it’s not one of the worst either.

What’s currently happening dates back some years.  Like many Saharan countries, Mali has a sizeable minority of Tuaregs and it is the Tuareg’s desire for some sort of autonomy within these countries which has often led to violence.  The first Tuareg rebellion was in 1990 and there have been several more in the years between then and 2009, each separated by peace negotiations, reparations and uneasy agreements.  In 2009 an official agreement seemed to have ended the conflict and that ceasefire was holding until recently.

Fighting between Tuareg separatists and Malian government forces has broken out in the north of Mali and there are more reports of conflict between the two sides in Tessalit and Tinezewadam near the Algerian border.  Although that latter violence has not led to any noticeable placement so far, the fighting in the north of Mali has led to a large increase in the number of refugees crossing over into Mauritania (18,000), Niger (18,000) and Burkino Faso (8,000).

Malian refugee camp

Malian Refugees

Currently there are very few specific refugee sites in the areas to which Malians are fleeing;  villages close to the border areas have grown in size as makeshift shelters have been erected.  The problem has been exacerbated by a drought in the region which has been in evidence for several years.  This means a shortage of food is adding to the pressure on resources in the region and several aid agencies are moving in to fill the gap.

The UNHCR has started work on renovating the Mbéra refugee camp which was operational in the 1990s and has been flying and trucking in food, water and shelter.

 

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News 23/1/12 – Unstable Yemen Still A Favoured Destination From East Africa

Jan23
2012 Written by admin

We’ve written before about the Middle Eastern country of Yemen.  It regularly tops the rankings of the Middle East unrest charts but is also situated in a geographically unenviable position just across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia and Ethiopia.

Yemen is a dangerous place to be for a refugee, asylum seeker or one of the majority who use it as a transit to a more stable Persian Gulf country.  Violence from the traffickers occurs even before the refugees have landed.  Somalians and Ethiopians are the most common refugees arriving here.  Somalis are in a better position as they are automatically recognized as refugees, negating the need for documentation and allowing mostly free movement.

Somali Refugees

Somali Refugees

Ethiopians on the other hand are not seen as refugees.  This is largely because they are economic migrants and heading on to another Gulf state.  It also means their movement in Yemen is restricted and their access to documentation is limited.  It also means they are often detained, forcing many to avoid the authorities but increasing the likelihood they will fall victim to robbers, blackmailers and extortionists.

The backdrop to this is an almost 100% increase in the number of refugees making the dangerous trip across the water.  103,000 refugees made the journey in 2011, in 2010 it was 53,000.  2011 was the highest total of any year on record.  Ethiopians also account for 75% of that total with Somalis making up the rest – however only 20% of these Ethiopian refugees actually apply for asylum in Yemen.

One can only surmise that these East African refugees regard Yemen, however harsh it might be, as better than where they are coming from.  Somalia has been a war-torn, chaotic country for several decades now and the famine of recent months had made the situation worse. so perhaps anything is better at the moment.  Ethiopia has also had it’s own issues in 2011 although it has largely escaped the famine affecting Somalia.  In fact it has some of the largest refugee camps in the region to house fleeing Somalis.

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