Refugee Studies Centre

Forced migration has grown considerably over the last thirty years, becoming a major political and social issue in many parts of the world. SE Asia experienced a serious refugee crisis following the Viet Nam War. More recently, the collapse of the Suharto regime in Indonesia, and conflicts in Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand have led to the creation of new populations of refugees and internally displaced persons in many areas. Forced migration is thus a significant challenge to the region. The term forced migration includes not only refugees and asylum seekers, but anyone forced to leave their homes by violence, persecution, development projects, natural disasters or man-made catastrophes. This article is designed to provide background information for the analysis of forced migration in SE Asia, by showing the global context. I will start by providing definitions of forced migration and its various types, and presenting a statistical overview. Then I will discuss recent changes in forced migration patterns. The article will examine the ‘international forced migration regime ’ – that is the way states, international agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) respond to humanitarian emergencies. Finally,