The Plight of LGBTI+ Refugees in Thailand. An Exploratory Study, June 2020
Equal Asia Foundation conducted desk research and a series of interviews with United Nations (UN) agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations (CSOs), individual contractors and affected communities, to understand the lived experiences of LGBTI+ refugees in Thailand and stakeholders’ programme strategies to address their specific needs. The objective was to identify potential protection gaps and develop field-based tools to enhance the identification and protection of LGBTI refugees in the country. We recommend that the findings of this report should be further supplemented by more rigorous research and informed by deeper community consultations.
Like many other Southeast Asian countries, Thailand is not a signatory of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees nor its 1967 Protocol. Instead, refugee issues are regulated by the 1979 Thai Immigration Act, which categorises all undocumented migrants as illegal aliens who are subject to arrest, detention and deportation. These legal and political realities make survival of all refugees in Thailand challenging. In the case of LGBTI+ refugees, these hardships are amplified.
In this research, it was found that LGBTI+ refugees mainly belong to higher socio-economic classes compared to the general refugee population. Most chose to seek asylum in Thailand after having evaluated the national LGBTI+ context and concluded that Thai society was tolerant and accepting of LGBTI+ communities. They then usually flew alone to Bangkok with a valid visa which they subsequently overstayed.
LGBTI+ refugees in Thailand have often experienced emotional and physical trauma back home and arrive in need of psychosocial care and support. Once in the country, they continue to suffer from poor mental health because of inadequate legal recognition and protection. As they struggle to navigate the system, they become increasingly concerned about diminishing financial resources, inability to work legally, difficulty in accessing gender affirming or LGBTI+ friendly healthcare services, and the constant fear of being arrested, detained, and deported. In addition, they often experience social isolation, stigma and discrimination for being LGBTI+ from their own refugee communities
