It is sad to consider how, even in the 21st century, there are still scenes of horror around the world forcing people from their homes. A few years back, the areas of concern were Rwanda, Burundi, and the Congo. Now the crisis in Darfur has emerged as one of the greatest challenges facing humankind and, of course, the leaders of the world's most powerful countries. The question facing them is: Can hundreds of thousands of refugees stranded in the desert and elsewhere be made safe? Or do they have to die - some in front of television cameras - because vested interests continue to trump the need for humanitarian assistance to their region?

When it comes to human agony, previous valuable lessons are not hard to come by. How many people have to go breathless before the world comes to the rescue?

These days, the citizens of Asia are luckier than they have been in the past because of the absence of major conflicts. In the past, especially during the era of the Indochina War, a huge outflow of Vietnamese "boat-people" was followed by millions of Cambodian refugees escaping the conflict in their homeland in late 1970s. Many crossed over into Thailand. At the moment there are refugees seeking permanent settlement in Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Bangladesh and many other places in Asia.

As far as refugees are concerned, Thailand has gone through it all. This country's refugee policy has been shown to have a dual personality, with both positive and negative sides. At the peak of the Cambodian conflict, Thailand processed altogether more than three million Cambodian refugees. Today, refugees as well as economic migrants from Burma continue to cross Thai borders. Thousands of Cambodians have sought refuge inside of Thailand, not to mention the Rohingya from Bangladesh.

In recent months, the government of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has adopted a much tougher stance against Hmong refugees fleeing Laos, while turning a blind eye to several thousand North Korean asylum-seekers who have been arriving in northern areas since the end of last year. This kind of inconsistency has tarnished Thailand's image and its long-standing record of providing transitional homes for those who want to resettle in a third country.

For Thailand to defend its national interest and openness as a country that suffering people can depend on, the government must accede to the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. We have nothing to fear by doing so. Thai bureaucrats must deal with the country's refugee problem in a transparent and accountable way.

The Interior Ministry must be more outward looking in its approach and officials should learn from past lessons that the resettlement of displaced persons from neighbouring countries requires assistance from abroad. Thailand alone cannot handle the influx of refugees - it needs international help.

Acceding to the 1951 convention would be a key step toward achieving this.

Though it has gone five decades without acceding to the convention, Thailand has sought to adhere to the international principles and standards on refugees. Sometimes, of course, there were hiccups and disappointments over Thailand's heavy-handed and often inconsistent policies. Past international criticism of Thailand's lack of action and other liberal measures have discouraged Thais from adopting a proactive stance in regard to refugee policies. With the growing tide of nationalism at home, especially after the coup, the government has also tightened its overall refugee approach. Thailand must not fall further into this trap.