The document discusses the critical need for accurate information among refugees on the Thai-Burma border, highlighting how misinformation can lead to confusion, disempowerment, and emotional distress. It emphasizes the importance of two-way communication between aid agencies and refugees to address their information needs and facilitate informed decision-making regarding repatriation. The project underlines that effective communication can empower refugees and improve their circumstances through enhanced psychosocial support and information flow.

1. Giving voice to refugees on the Thai-Burma border
Communication as aid:
University of Oxford Refugee Studies Centre @victoriajack #commisaid
“Refugee Voices” International Conference @refugeestudies #refugeevoices

2. A refugee’s voice
“If you decide your fate on rumours, it is all wrong. So that is the
point I want you to understand… There will be a time when you
have to decide whether to go back [to Burma]. And when you are
going to decide, you must know the information.
“Without the accurate information, it is very difficult to decide.”
– Refugee, Nu Po, male, 55

3. The criticality of
information
• Refugees need more than
physical necessities – they
need information
• Information needs are inflamed
by discussions concerning
voluntary repatriation
• Focus 1: The importance of
information to refugees
• Focus 2: The criticality of two-
way communication

4. Background
• The project explores
“communication as aid” through
the lens of camps on the Thai-
Burma border
• #Commisaid is an emerging
concept in the humanitarian
sector
• Humanitarian assistance is
enhanced by information
exchange with communities
(Abud, Quintanilla & Ensor, 2011; Harvard Humanitarian
Initiative, 2011; International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies, 2005; Wall & Gerald-Chery, 2011)

5. The unknown: designing effective
“communication as aid” strategies
• There is an urgent need for empirical “communication as aid” studies
(CDAC Network, 2012; Mandel & Sommerfeldt, 2012; Wall & Gerald-Chery, 2011)
• Crisis communication is the exchange of information between an
organisation and its publics in order to address a crisis situation
(Coombs, 2010a; Fearn-Banks, 2007)
• Crisis response should prioritise the provision of information to
affected publics, but little is known about how to meet their needs
(Coombs, 2007; Coombs, 2010b)

6. In the field
• Semi-structured interviews
• 53 refugees from Mae La,
Umpiem and Nu Po
refugee camps
• 30 practitioners from key
humanitarian and media
organisations
• Participant observation at Mae
La, Umpiem and Nu Po

7. Communication: a crucial role
Refugees linked a lack of
information to:
• Inability to make informed
decisions
• Disempowerment
• Fear, confusion
• Frustration
• Anxiety, depression
“[I feel] so confused sometimes.
Sometimes people who live in refugee
camp said Burmese soldier come [sic] to
the refugee camp and then they are
fighting and so I am scared, but whether
it’s true or not, I don’t know.”
– Refugee, Mae La, female, 31
“When we didn’t get enough information,
we cannot make decisions for our future.
It makes us feel very sad. Sometimes
we get depressed.”
– Refugee, Mae La, male, 61

8. Communication:
a crucial role
• Aid workers also acknowledged
the critical role of information
• Aid workers said the prospect of
repatriation was exacerbating
information needs
• Information provision is a
challenge aid agencies are
unsure how to tackle effectively

9. “We find information flow difficult
and quite challenging, so we try to
use as many approaches as we
think [we need] in order to get the
information out… But still, you
could easily walk into Mae La in
some remote corner and ask
someone, ‘is there vocational
training offered in this camp?’ And
they’d say no…
“It’s amazing how hard it is to get
the information out there. Let alone
whether it’s accurate or not, that’s a
completely different story.”
–Aid worker

10. Existing
mechanisms
• Camp mechanisms: section
meetings, loudspeakers,
noticeboards
• Mass media: limited access to
radio, television, newspapers,
magazines, internet, mobile
phones
“It’s not consistent, it’s sporadic. It’s not
effective. It depends what camp, what
section. So some camps have excellent
loudspeakers, but in some sections it
doesn’t work.”
– Aid worker

12. Existing mechanisms: the issues
• Lack of coordination
• Lack of minimum standards
• Lack of information, particularly
about individual circumstances,
from trusted sources
• Environment conducive to the
spread of distorted, inaccurate
information
“Mainly I got the news from person
to person… it’s not reliable.”
– Refugee, Umpiem, male, 43
“I don’t know when and where they
will send us, but I heard maybe they
will send us by force.”
– Refugee, Mae La, male, 61

13. Two-way communication
• Communication is a meaning-making process that requires two-way
information flow (Botan & Taylor, 2004; Cutlip, Center & Broom, 2006; Heath, 2001)
• By listening – and talking – aid agencies can:
• Facilitate conversations, better understand and respond to debates
• Empower and give voice to the marginalised
• Identify information needs as they change over time
• Take advantage of the opportunity to clarify misunderstandings,
address confusion and build trust

14. Two-way communication
• Refugee interviews identified constraints
and considerations:
• E.g. Most trusted sources, most
accessible sources, language, native
media habits that influence
engagement with various mediums.
• Aid worker interviews also highlighted
key factors:
• E.g. Geographical location, resource
constraints, local policy and
regulations

15. From theory to practice
• Constraints and complexities of the camp environment make
“communication as aid” a challenge
• Internews media projects provide some guidance, in particular:
• The use of research teams so that content reflects information
needs
• Involving communities in dialogue, through calls-ins, stories,
debates and discussions

16. Conclusion
• Communication has an important
psychosocial role and helps
refugees make informed
decisions
• Two-way communication is key
to understanding information
needs and how to communicate
most effectively

17. “I think having access to information would be very important
for the refugees not only to make informed decisions but also
for them to feel that they are considered worthy human
beings that deserve to know about the world and issues that
affect them.
“In my opinion, listening to refugee voices and involving them
in their own affairs would be one of the most empowering
activities that organisations could undertake.”
– Aid worker

18. References
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Botan & Taylor. (2004). Public relations: State of the field. Journal of Communication, 55(4), 645-611. doi:10.1111/j.1460-
2466.2004.tb02649.x
CDAC Network (2012). The CDAC network moving forward: strategy 2012-2016. Retrieved from
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