Building More Systematic Approaches to Internally Displaced Persons in Southeast Asia Post-2015

The year 2015 has been notable for bringing to the public eye, situations involving the movements of people. In April and May of this year, news emerged of thousands of Rohingya and Bangladeshis stranded at sea. They faced an extremely precarious situation with dwindling supplies and resources on the one hand, and an uncertain future on the other. One of the main reasons that prompted them to undertake this risky journey was internal displacement within their own home countries. While representatives from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar met in May earlier this year to discuss the issue, not nearly enough has been done towards ensuring their human security. Thus, it is important to increase understanding about Internally Displaced Persons (or IDPs), one of the most vulnerable and insecure groups in Southeast Asia. According to the Centre for Research on Globalisation, 95 percent of the total 855,000 displaced people in the region are in Myanmar, the Philippines and Indonesia.