CRITICAL ISSUES ON FORCED MIGRATION STUDIES AND THE REFUGEE CRISIS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
ABSTRACT: This article reviews
the recent discourse on forced migration in Southeast Asia. In the aftermath of
the Cold War era, movements of people have entering a new predicament. The
interstate wars have produced displaced populations that many have spill into
the neighboring countries or oscillating within border areas. In these new political
circumstances, studies on population movement shall move beyond the
conventional theoretical framework, derives from the modernization theories.
The increasing magnitude of forced displacement, in many instances resulted
from the state's failures in resolving political conflicts, critically
challenges the conventional study on migration in which politics and security,
often neglected. From a narrow academic perspective, displaced people is
divided into three broad groups, based on the major cause of displacement:
violent conflicts, development and natural disasters. In Southeast Asia,
internal conflict that produced internally displaced population and refugees
that fill or cross the state borders, is often resulted from elite's conflict
or· conflict between different factions in the national government, that in
turn produce tensions in the society at the grassroots levels. This article
argues that the need for a new perspective beyond Eurocentric framework is
needed to analyze unfolding events related to migration-development-security
nexus in Southeast Asia. The failure of existing international refugee regime
to contain the critical issues and the refugee crises in the region mirror the
failure of regional cooperation in Southeast Asia to develop a viable regional
framework to tackle the problem of refugee and the displaced population.
Penulis: Riwanto Tirtosudarmo
Kode Jurnal: jpsosiologidd080061
