4 - The Pattern of ASEAN's Policy on Refugees: A Rohingya Refugee Case

Refugee flows have been challenging for ASEAN’s commitment to exercising Article 16 of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration. This paper investigates ASEAN’s policy pattern in dealing with the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees in the region, particularly since 2012. The analysis of this paper uses the amplification phase of the right to asylum norm localization in ASEAN. In particular, it looks into the amplification of the norm by ASEAN and its three member states -Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. It found that the pattern of ASEAN’s refugee policy is best described in the Triangle Model. The model comprises three stages of refugee policy: comprehensive resistance, temporary protection, and resettlement and repatriation. Each stage is driven by ASEAN’s perception of refugees as threats, burdens, and humanitarian instruments.