Project Leader	Oba Midori (Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Graduate School of Global Studies)
Research Project	Myanmar Refugees' Choices for Return: The Case of a Village in Kayin State
Countries of Study	Myanmar, Thailand

Outline of Research

The Lay Kay Kaw village in Kayin State, Myanmar was established as a place to receive victims of conflict and refugees returning to Myanmar. It was also the subject of extensive support funded by Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).  The principal investigator has conducted interviews mainly with former residents of the Lay Kay Kaw village, including refugees who have returned from refugee camps in Thailand-Myanmar border. In this study, as a preliminary study toward the final objective, information will be collected through visits to relevant international organizations and academic institutions to examine the major framework of the return.

Purpose of Research, Its Significance and Expected Results, etc

The purpose of this study is to clarify why refugees chose to return to the Lay Kay Kaw village. UNHCR has advocated return as the most desirable long-term solution to refugee problem. However, the number of refugees willing to return to Myanmar from the refugee camps in Thailand-Myanmar border was limited. In addition, only 25% of the population in Lay Kay Kaw village was moved from the refugee camps.

On the other hand, several refugees interviewed in the past chose to return to the Lay Kay Kaw village, even taking the risk of cessation of refugee status and protection as camp refugees. Prior research has been dominated by critical arguments against return as a long-term solution. This study examines the choice to return to the Lay Kay Kaw village from the perspective of the refugees, as accepting the critical arguments of prior research as valid. While criticisms of return are useful for policy advocacy, they tend to portray refugees as uniformly powerless people. This study attempts to portray the diversity of the refugees and the reality of the situation on the ground.

Most of refugee studies rely on literature research, and the majority deal with African region. The significance of this study is that it focuses on the return of refugees in Southeast Asia, where there is little accumulation of such studies. Also, it examines the return from the perspective of refugees on the ground. In addition, it could provide a proposition for future return assistance projects, not only in Myanmar, but the people in protracted refugee situations in the world.