This article reports on a quantitative survey in four provinces on the ThailandMyanmar
border that investigated Thai perceptions of refugees and migrant
workers from Myanmar. The results show that the public is highly concerned with
security issues and that the majority of the Thais surveyed believe that refugees and
migrant workers pose a threat to public safety and may carry diseases. Respondents
also saw refugees and migrants as competing for jobs and national resources with
native Thais. Those who lived closer to the refugee camps, who are rural residents,
generally had more positive views of migrants and refugees than those in urban
areas located farther from the camps. The results are discussed in terms of
recommendations that would help to dispel misperceptions and improve integration
of refugees, migrants and ethnic minorities into Thai society.