Thailand to push for bigger Asean role in Rohingya crisis

[webfact]

Thailand to push for bigger Asean role in Rohingya crisis

By SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE 
THE NATION 
SINGAPORE

 

People attend the 2nd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit at the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related meetings in Singapore,14 November 2018. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

 

THAILAND IS ready to support a greater Asean role in resolving the Rakhine crisis, as the group prepared mechanisms to deal with the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who face repatriation amid grave concerns about their future.

 

 

The Rohingya issue was discussed in almost every forum of leaders of Asean and their partners from the Asia Pacific during the summit this week in the city-state.

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told his Asean colleagues that Thailand, which will chair the regional grouping next year, viewed Asean as capable of playing an important role in addressing the situation in Rakhine state in a constructive, tangible and sustainable manner.

 

The group should enhance the Asean Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) in providing humanitarian assistance to affected people, support the commencement of credible repatriation on a meaningful scale and the improvement of the quality of life for all communities in Rakhine state, a source quoted Prayut as telling the meeting.

 

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said that he was upset with the situation in Rakhine and urged the group to make collective efforts to help Myanmar end the humanitarian crisis.

 

Myanmar State Councilor Aung San Suu Kyi (L) adjusts her headphones beside Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte (R) during the 21st ASEAN-Japan Summit at the 33rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related meetings in Singapore, 14 November 2018. // EPA-EFW PHOTO

 

Earlier, the Malaysian senior leader slammed Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi as trying to defend the indefensible. “They are actually oppressing these people to the point of killing them, mass killings,” he said on the sidelines of the Asean business forum on Tuesday.

 

More than 700,000 people have taken refuge in Bangladesh since violence broke out in August last year when a militant group attacked security outposts prompting a harsh reaction from military’s clearance operation.

 

Investigations by the United Nations human rights body indicated that genocide and crimes against humanity occurred in Rakhine and called for the case to be referred to the International Criminal Court.

 

Suu Kyi said during a meeting with her Asean colleagues that her government understood the international concerns over the situation in Rakhine state and she had tried to fix the problem through peaceful ways for reconciliation and unity within her country, according to a source at the meeting.

 

While many Asean leaders such as Mahathir used strong words in discussing the Rohingya crisis, most of them expressed their support to and provided a comfort level to the Nay Pyi Taw government to resolve the problem, the source said.

 

Asean has mulled dispatching representatives to Myanmar to oversee the repatriation and resettlement of the refugees after Myanmar and Bangladesh reached an agreement at the end of October to send thousands of them back beginning today. But the team to be dispatched has not yet been settled, a source said.

 

In a meeting with Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the Asean Summit, US Vice President Mike Pence said the violence committed by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) was inexcusable.

 

Leaders of Asean and its partners from Asia and the Pacific gathered this week to also discuss the contentious issue of the South China Sea, as many members of the group are at loggerheads with China.

 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed during the summit that Beijing and Asean should finish negotiations on the Code of Conduct (CoC) to regulate the contentious sea within three years.

 

The joint working group is now preparing a draft text of the CoC for negotiations, according to an Asean official who added that the text would be ready for deliberations by next year.

 

The CoC will not settle territorial disputes between claimants but Asean aims to have a legally binding instrument to guarantee freedom of navigation and flyover rights as well as ensure peace and stability in the region.

 

Mahathir told his Asean colleagues at the summit that the group was not in a position to confront China and the CoC was the way to avoid conflict and live with the giant neighbour in peace.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30358556

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-15

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

militant group attacked security outposts

There's your problem right there.

[Somtamnication]

Thailand and Myanmar, brothers who both have radical Buddhists in power. 

[Chang_paarp]

Is Thailand going to continue its efforts to keep any stray Rohingya at sea as part of their offer of help?

[Aussie999]

Thailand, the upholder of human rights..... what a load of smelly dung.

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

29 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Is Thailand going to continue its efforts to keep any stray Rohingya at sea as part of their offer of help?

The Rohingya concentration camps run by the men in green and brown uniforms close to the Malay border is another low water mark for this country. Do they really think that the outside world think Thailand could solve the Rohingya problem?

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

to deal with the plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who face repatriation amid grave concerns about their future.

sure myanmar wants them back; to properly kill them

[ChrisY1]

Seems Prayuths marketing team is starting to crank up his image....I just can't see the current mob actually giving a rats about the Rohingya issue.

[jaltsc]

"THAILAND IS ready to support a greater Asean role in resolving the Rakhine crisis..."

 

Because Thailand has such a great track record of dealing with Burmese in a fair manner. ????

Edited November 15, 2018 by jaltsc

[Oziex1]

1 hour ago, ChrisY1 said:

Seems Prayuths marketing team is starting to crank up his image....I just can't see the current mob actually giving a rats about the Rohingya issue.

No, their main concern is getting Chinese tourists back.

[Oziex1]

The leaders of countries when faced whith a humanitarian crisis that requires swift and effective action, talk and talk and talk is this all they're good for?

[wolf81]

5 hours ago, Somtamnication said:

Thailand and Myanmar, brothers who both have radical Buddhists in power. 

I prefer radical Buddhist quite a bit over radical Muslims - I've seen enough of the latter in Europe and one of the reasons for me living in Northern Thailand is that there aren't much Muslims here. It might be a political incorrect opinion, but it's the truth. 

 

Everywhere in the world when there's a significant (5+%) population of Muslims, there's trouble, especially if this population is closely clustered like in certain neighbourhoods in France, The Netherlands, UK, Sweden, etc... Because Muslims generally don't want to adapt, but instead expect the society around them to adapt in favour of Muslims (e.g. stop eating pork, harass woman that don't wear covering clothes, etc…)

 

I can only hope Thailand will not decide to adopt the Rohingya or -if they do- move them to the south of Thailand where many other Muslims live.

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

THAILAND IS ready to support a greater Asean role in resolving the Rakhine crisis

Obviuosly Thailand is starting to look for another slave labour donator !!

So many Myanmarese, Cambodians & Vietnamese are returning home to Chinese built busineses.

[natway09]

Until ASEAN (the toothless tiger) grows a pair nothing will happen.

They just will not interfere in their other members affairs ,,,,,mores the pity

[BigC]

Maybe Muslim countries should take them

 

we don’t need more social parasites !

[300sd]

Yeh right, should have thought about that a few months ago, when you turned away their refugee boats.

[Galactus]

On 11/15/2018 at 11:34 AM, wolf81 said:

I prefer radical Buddhist quite a bit over radical Muslims - I've seen enough of the latter in Europe and one of the reasons for me living in Northern Thailand is that there aren't much Muslims here. It might be a political incorrect opinion, but it's the truth. 

 

Everywhere in the world when there's a significant (5+%) population of Muslims, there's trouble, especially if this population is closely clustered like in certain neighbourhoods in France, The Netherlands, UK, Sweden, etc... Because Muslims generally don't want to adapt, but instead expect the society around them to adapt in favour of Muslims (e.g. stop eating pork, harass woman that don't wear covering clothes, etc…)

 

I can only hope Thailand will not decide to adopt the Rohingya or -if they do- move them to the south of Thailand where many other Muslims live.

 

sorry such a bs. in northern thailand, there are lots of muslim communities too. and yet, it is funny for a farang coming here and stating ideas like where should rohingya needs to be moved and all that shi.e. sorry, you cannot choose that. you can move to vatikan or south americas where there are not much muslim and live there happily.

so, i guess you are pleased with those mass killings of Rohingya in the hands of bloody myanmar army supported by so called beacon of human rights Suu Kyi.

And those troubles in Europe originates from the people and government of those countries that never give a shit to muslim communities from the beginning with zero tolerance and understanding and with a blind eye and double standards to problems such as Israeli occupation of palestine etc.

Yes, hate islam and all religions but truth is truth. no difference between Buddhist terror and islamic terror.

[Galactus]

Suu Kyi and responsible army staff need to be trialed in International Criminal Court and jailed.

tens of thousands of Rohingya people were killed including even new born babies. their ladies raped and their land is burned.

and reaction from the world is not sufficient. If it was Rohingya doing this to Buddhists, sure UN or US or China intervened and even sent an army to punish the Rohingya and vert fast!

Well, double standard and alligator tears of the important actors of the world politics, a classic.