The number of refugees resettled by IOM and its partners from
Thailand since 2004 has reached 90,000 people.

The vast majority, some 72,000, came from Myanmar and left nine
Thai border refugee camps on IOM buses before being flown out of
Bangkok to start new lives abroad.

Another 16,000 were ethnic Hmong from Laos resettled to the USA
from the grounds of the Wat Tham Krabok temple in Saraburi
province, mainly between 2004 and 2005.

The 90,000 milestone, ahead of World Refugee Day on Monday,
brings the number of refugees from Thai camps accepted by the US
over the past seven years to over 71,000.

The remaining 19,000 have been accepted by other resettlement
countries including Australia (7,954) , Canada (4,414) , the Czech
Republic (23), Denmark (134), Finland (1,541), Ireland (100), Japan
(27), the Netherlands (626), New Zealand (563), Norway (1,719),
Sweden (1,317) and the United Kingdom (285).

This year IOM Thailand and its partners, who include the Royal
Thai Government, the resettlement countries, the UN Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), have
resettled over 3,775 refugees from the Thai camps – most of
them Karen and Karenni ethnic minorities fleeing conflict in
Myanmar.

The ongoing IOM operation, which includes providing medical
screening for five resettlement countries, cultural orientation for
six countries and travel to thirteen countries, follows some 11,829
departures in 2010, 17,079 in 2009, 17,452 in 2008 and 15,048 in
2007.

IOM's 35-year history of refugee resettlement from Thailand
began in 1975 in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, when it helped
nearly half a million Indochinese refugees from Vietnam, Laos and
Cambodia to leave the country and start new lives abroad.

For more information please contact:

Chris Lom

IOM Bangkok

Tel: +66.819275215

E-mail: "mailto:clom@iom.int">clom@iom.int