UNHCR welcomes Thai Cabinet approval of national screening mechanism
In a development welcomed by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the Thai Cabinet approved on 24 December 2019 the establishment of a screening mechanism to distinguish people who need international protection from economic migrants. This follows the Cabinet’s January 2017 approval of a proposal to finalise and implement such a mechanism.
Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and does not have specific asylum legislation. Consequently, refugees and asylum-seekers who do not otherwise have a legal right to stay in Thailand are treated as illegal migrants.
