EU to provide 200,000 euro to assist Rohingya refugees in Thailand

[webfact]

EU to provide 200,000 euro to assist Rohingya refugees in Thailand
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The European Union is committing 200,000 euro to provide humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees being detained in Thailand, the EU Delegation to Thailand announced Friday.

The help will be directed to Rohingya men at detention centres and Rohingya women and children at social welfare facilities.

TheInternational Organization for Migration (IOM) will take charge of the aid, which will provide the Rohingya with basic household items, food and health care.

The project will be monitored by the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), which maintains a regional office in Bangkok.

The funding decision was made after ECHO experts, accompanied by ECHO's Director of Operations, Jean-Louis de Brouwer, paid a visit to one of the detention facilities in May.

Some 2,000 Rohingyas, fleeing communal violence in Myanmar, were intercepted in Thailand in early 2013, while trying to reach Malaysia.

Central government funding to provide food and basic care to the refugees is minimal and donations from local communities have dried up, prompting the Head of the EU Delegation to Thailand, David Lipman, to express the EU's concern about conditions in these facilities.

"We are worried that the unhealthy and overcrowded conditions inside these facilities are detrimental to the health of the refugees" he explained.

"Men and boys are being held in separate facilities from their families and they live in constant fear of being repatriated. We therefore urge the government to work together with international agencies in finding durable solutions for these refugees."

Following inter-communal violence in Rakhine State in Myanmar, thousands of Rohingyas have been fleeing on boats, hoping to reach Malaysia.

Since January some 2,000 Rohingya men, women and children have been detained, while trying to cross Thailand into Malaysia. Rohingya families have been split up, with women and children sent to government-run shelters separate from the men, who are placed in immigration detention centres.


-- The Nation 2013-06-14

[Thai at Heart]

Seems times must be very tough in Brussels

[Curt1591]

Let the party begin ....

[weegee]

Sorry, Australia is already full.....

[kotsak]

I bet some luxury cars have been booked already..

[rubl]

2,000 Rohingya, 200,000 euro. That's 100 euro pp (or THB 4000). Will not go far, but better than nothing.

[OzMick]

2,000 Rohingya, 200,000 euro. That's 100 euro pp (or THB 4000). Will not go far, but better than nothing.

less "tax".

[soi41]

"The funding decission was made after ECHOS experts visited the camps in May"

Wonder how much the experts trip did cost ??

200k Euro, they should be ashamed of themselves!

[jalansanitwong]

Amazing isnt it. At the start of the week we have the announcement of a RollsRoyce showrooom opening in Bangkok.

At weeks end cash strapped Europe announces aid to ..who? Third world Thailand government obviously cant afford to spend money on aid..

[MaxLee]

EU to provide 200,000 euro to assist Rohingya refugees in Thailand

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The European Union is committing 200,000 euro to provide humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees being detained in Thailand, the EU Delegation to Thailand announced Friday.

-- The Nation 2013-06-14

Pheu Thai says, thank you, for the 200,000 Euro, put it under the table in brown envelops, and reply: Have a nice day, EU

[winstonc]

eu 200,000,then other regions should match that ammount,,doubt it,,,,,

[rubl]

The negative waves here are truly amazing.

The OP says "International Organization for Migration (IOM) will take charge of the aid" and "project will be monitored by the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), which maintains a regional office in Bangkok."

Surely that will guarantee that all money will be spent on aid and the process of aiding?

[Thaiwine]

why detain them?

the 4k bht each pays for a bus ticket to Malaysia

problem sorted.

[hellodolly]

"The project will be monitored by the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), which maintains a regional office in Bangkok"

Well from that far off they will probably be as able to monitor the distribution of commonities as well as the Thai government controls the Terrorists in the southern three provinces.

In all humanitarian respects there is no way that Thailand can not supply them with rice to eat. The living conditions of the men from what I have heard are similar only not quite as good as the ones in jail.

[Scott]

A nonsense post has been deleted. Please stay on the topic.

[lee b]

I thought the EU had no money????

[LuukKoeyKorat]

After 10 years here I still can't stop shaking my head . A country as advanced as TH cannot find the political will or drive or measure of humility to help out persecuted stateless people from your soon-to-be AEC buddy. Because the Kingdom's 'not rich enough'. But instead have to rely on the EU for a bit of (meagre) assistance..and while you're at it, please take all 2,000 to Europe. Meanwhile, more pressing matters between both couuntries concerning white elephants.....

[bigbamboo]

To put the EU's donation into perspective 200k Euros is less than the Muslim owners of PSG and Manchester City pay many of their football players every week.

So much for the Muslim brotherhood.

[Salapoo]

Has the scam of the Thai authorities selling them to Malaysian people smugglers for millions of baht been stopped then? or just temporarily delayed in order to see what the EU hands out?

[Eesat]

Should cover a couple of grey import,partially-assembled-and-running-on-LPG Lamborghinis for the next Govt officials in line!

[surangw]

how many sticky fingers will is pass through before it gets to where it is needed?

[chooka]

By the time everyone scoops their little bit cream off the top for the new Merc etc there may be 20baht left for the project.

[weegee]

The negative waves here are truly amazing.

The OP says "International Organization for Migration (IOM) will take charge of the aid" and "project will be monitored by the EU's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), which maintains a regional office in Bangkok."

Surely that will guarantee that all money will be spent on aid and the process of aiding?

In your Dreams...

[kimamey]

I thought the EU had no money????

What gave you that idea?

[mikebell]

2,000 Rohingya, 200,000 euro. That's 100 euro pp (or THB 4000). Will not go far, but better than nothing.

They'll never see a baht of it. Sending charity money to Thailand is like flushing it down the toilet.

[sirchai]

"Men and boys are being held in separate facilities from their families and they live in constant fear of being repatriated. We therefore urge the government to work together with international agencies in finding durable solutions for these refugees."

I seriously doubt that some posters before even know who these people are, under which circumstances they grow up, etc....

Isn't it great that the EU 'donates' money for people who're really suffering? You can't choose were you were born, do you?-

[simple1]

why detain them?

the 4k bht each pays for a bus ticket to Malaysia

problem sorted.

Lets say that they did make across the border into Malaysia. Next hurdle would be stay out of the hands of human traffickers who would sell them off, at the best very low paid workers with zero human rights.

Malaysia already has 2 million illegal migrants from Indonesia, so don't believe the Rohingya would be welcomed with open arms. Another slight problem, the Burmese government recinded their citizenship in the 1980s so no ID for legally crossing borders. Also Malaysia hasn't signed the UN Convention on Refugees. That means that those who arrive in Malaysia are, as far as the government is concerned, illegal migrants.

[OzMick]

Instead of donating paltry sums, I would be much happier if the EU, Thailand and Malaysia, independently and through the UN, took action to stop the persecution of these people by Myanmar and returned them whence they came.

[sirchai]

Instead of donating paltry sums, I would be much happier if the EU, Thailand and Malaysia, independently and through the UN, took action to stop the persecution of these people by Myanmar and returned them whence they came.

Where do you 'return" stateless people to?-

[Scott]

Instead of donating paltry sums, I would be much happier if the EU, Thailand and Malaysia, independently and through the UN, took action to stop the persecution of these people by Myanmar and returned them whence they came.

Where do you 'return" stateless people to?-

Unfortunately, Thailand has a history of returning them to the sea .