Transitions, state building and the ‘residual’ refugee problem: East Timor and Cambodian repatriation experience

Abstract

Observing recent returns of Afghan refugees from Iran, Ruud Lubbers the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, stated to journalists that he was now 'High Commissioner for Returnees'. Since the mid-1980s refugee repatriation has been a cornerstone in the international management of forced migration emergencies. This article considers and compares two major repatriation operations, of Cambodian refugees from Thailand in the early 1990s, and of East Timorese from West Timor in the past two years. A key element of these operations was the role of the UN in assuming some or all of the sovereign powers of the two States emerging out of conflict. The authors examine the implications of the UN's dual responsibility to act both as the architect and executive of state building, while at the same time having primary responsibility for the protection and reintegration of refugees. The article finds that what are effectively politically-driven repatriation strategies often fail to protect refugee rights, and limit the likelihood of successful reintegration and livelihood re-establishment on return 'home'.