ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the analysis of asylum-seeking journeys from Hong Kong to Bangkok. Bangkok is also a major first asylum port in Asia. Upon arrival, refugees must be self-reliant, as the government does not provide any financial and material assistance to them. The chapter examines how refugees in Bangkok cope with and negotiate uncertainties in a structural context that is significantly different from that of Hong Kong. It explores the role of refugee agency in changing institutional constraints into opportunities. Life for the refugees in Bangkok remains challenging, and goal is to reveal the similarities and differences in the asylum-seeking journeys in Bangkok compared to those occurring in Hong Kong. Prolonged displacement conditions triggered feelings of hopelessness and loneliness among the refugees in Bangkok. The chapter attempts to offer a detailed analysis of how refugees cope with and negotiate uncertainties in a structural context that does not recognise refugees.
