This article examines the factors affecting attitudes towards refugees in Thailand. As of May 2024, there were 84,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Myanmar in Thailand.
The research was undertaken in the Koung Jor refugee camp, in Piang Luang sub-district, Wiang Haeng district, Chiang Mai province of northern Thailand, on the border with Myanmar. The camp accommodates around 400 refugees from Myanmar. Data was collected through a survey of 198 randomly selected participants who had had contact with the refugee camp. Participants were asked about their perceptions of the treatment of refugees by Thai authorities, host community concerns about the impact of refugees on safety and security, and host community views on whether refugees should have access to employment opportunities on par with nationals.
Main results:
- There were no significant differences in attitudes between male and female respondents.
- Concerns about the effect of refugees on safety and security increased with age.
- A shared ethnic identity (Tai ethnicity) was associated with supportive attitudes towards refugees, i.e., a belief that refugees were not fairly treated by Thai authorities and that they should have equal access to employment opportunities.
- Respondents who worked in agriculture were less likely to have concerns about the impact of refugees on safety and security.
- Respondents with lower incomes were more likely to have supportive attitudes towards refugees, i.e., a belief that refugees were not fairly treated by Thai authorities and that they should have equal access to employment opportunities.
- Respondents who had been in contact with refugees for more than ten years were more likely to believe that refugees were not fairly treated by Thai authorities and less likely to have concerns about the impact of refugees on safety and security. However, they were less likely to think that refugees should have equal access to employment opportunities.
The authors conclude that host community attitudes towards refugees from Myanmar in Thailand were associated with age, ethnicity, occupation, income, and duration of contact with the refugees.