A new IOM report says the recent Asian tsunami highlights the need
to take migrant communities, both regular and irregular, into
account when planning for natural disasters in order to ensure they
are treated in accordance with the core principles of international
human rights law and international humanitarian law.



"When disaster strikes, migrant communities often tend to become
forgotten, hidden groups that miss out on humanitarian assistance
and support," says Frank Laczko, IOM's Head of Research. "And
because their basic needs are overlooked, they become even more
marginalized and vulnerable."



The report says the December 2004 tsunami further aggravated the
already precarious legal and socio-economic position of many
thousands of migrants from Myanmar who worked in agriculture,
fisheries and construction along Thailand's shoreline. Because of
their status, many did not come forward for assistance for fear of
arrest and forced return. Others faced difficulties to re-establish
their legal identity or recover lost permits and authorizations.
Some were unable to reclaim the bodies of dead relatives and the
majority failed to claim the 20,000 baht (USD 630) compensation
offered by the Thai government for deceased relatives.



The report notes that the tsunami also affected many internal
migrants in all affected countries who, without regular work
permits, birth certificates, and land and property rights, were
unable to benefit from assistance and post-disaster compensation.




The report also finds that natural disasters lead to migratory
flows out of affected areas. This is often due to a lack of access
to material assistance and protection for migrants and because of
important damage to the environment.



In the case of the tsunami, the report notes, however, that a mass
exodus never occurred, partly because diasporas from affected
countries mobilised their financial resources and skills to provide
assistance to vulnerable groups. This was, for instance, the case
with Sri Lanka where net private remittances grew by more than 28
per cent between 2004 and 2005 to reach more than USD 1.7 billion
and where some skilled expatriates returned home to provide medical
support to affected communities.



"One important lesson from the tsunami is to improve the flow of
remittances from the diaspora to affected communities. This can be
done by minimizing costs and bureaucratic obstacles and by
providing the logistics for such transfers," says Laczko. "Skilled
members of the diaspora should also be helped to return to their
country to provide technical expertise and in-kind support."



The report also recommends greater diaspora involvement in disaster
preparedness as was the case in India where qualified expatriates
took an active part in developing a national disaster mitigation
plan following the Gujarat earthquake.



The report concludes the Indian Ocean tsunami has highlighted a
number of measures which need to be taken to ensure that migrants
are fairly treated in the aftermath of a disaster, including the
setting up of systems to monitor their immediate, medium and
long-term well-being.



It also recommends setting up appropriate mechanisms to maximize
the positive impact of diasporas during the emergency but also
during the recovery and reconstruction phases. Above all, the
report emphasizes a need to ensure coherence between the three
policy areas of migration, development and disaster response to
ensure the many needs of migrants are fully taken into account when
disaster strikes.



For further information, please contact



Frank Laczko

IOM Geneva

Tel: +00 41 22 717 94 16

Email: "mailto:flaczko@iom.int">flaczko@iom.int