Hundreds of Rohingya found at Thai 'smuggling' camp

[Lite Beer]

Hundreds of Rohingya found at Thai 'smuggling' camp

BANGKOK, January 27, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand has detained more than 500 Muslim Rohingya refugees, including women and children, who were discovered in a raid on a suspected people-trafficking camp, police said Monday.

Thousands of Rohingya, described by the United Nations as among the world's most persecuted minorities, have fled sectarian violence in western Myanmar in rickety boats since 2012, mostly believed to be heading for Malaysia.

Rights groups say they often fall into the hands of unscrupulous people-traffickers.

Thailand said last year it was investigating allegations that some army officials in the kingdom were involved in the trafficking of Rohingya.

About 530 Rohingya, including one five-year-old, were found on Sunday at a rubber farm in southern Thailand near the border with Malaysia, Police Colonel Kan Tammakasem told AFP from Songkhla province.

"They were hungry and some of them are sick," he said, adding that the Rohingya had hoped to travel to Malaysia.

Three Thai men guarding the camp were arrested for sheltering illegal immigrants.

The Rohingya men have been taken to detention centres and the women and children to local shelters, according to Chatchawal Suksomjit, deputy commissioner general of the Royal Thai Police.

Rights groups have criticised the detention of hundreds of Rohingya in overcrowded and insanitary facilities in Thailand while the government waits -- so far unsuccessfully -- for a "third country" to offer to take them.

Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.

They face travel restrictions, forced labour and limited access to healthcare and education.

The United Nations last week called on Myanmar to investigate reports that dozens of men, women and children were killed in attacks on Rohingya with the alleged involvement of police in strife-torn Rakhine state.

Myanmar, whose sweeping political reforms have been overshadowed by religious bloodshed, has strongly denied civilians were killed in that incident.

Several outbreaks of inter-communal violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine since 2012 have left scores of people dead and about 140,000 people displaced, mainly from the Rohingya minority.

Rakhine has been left almost completely segregated on religious and communal grounds by the unrest, with many thousands of Muslims living in squalid camps nearly two years after being displaced.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-01-27

[englishoak]

The Rohingya men have been taken to detention centres and the women and children to local shelters.

Lets hope the Royal Thai Navy dont find out where or get their hands on them and start trafficking them, they woundnt ever do that though... would they ?

Thailand’s navy has filed criminal defamation charges against a news website that published stories alleging Thai military involvement in the trafficking of Burma’s ethnic Rohingya boatpeople, an editor said.

The English-language Phuketwan site posted a story carrying excerpts from a report by the Reutersnews agency alleging that members of the Thai military were involved in trafficking captured Rohingya illegal immigrants.

Alan Morison, Phuketwan’s editor, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had been summoned along with a Thai reporter on Wednesday to a police station in Phuket to formally acknowledge the charges.

The lawsuit filed by a captain on behalf of the Thai navy charges that the website violated Thailand’s 2007 Computer Crime Act, which bars the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security or that causes panic.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling on the Thai government to withdraw the case, saying it could have “a choking effect on all investigative reporting in Thailand.”

[clockman]

Last year, they were investigating. The usual story. in this country. No body is accountable. Except the pawns.

[ChrisY1]

The Rohingya men have been taken to detention centres and the women and children to local shelters.

Lets hope the Royal Thai Navy dont find out where or get their hands on them and start trafficking them, they woundnt ever do that though... would they ?

Thailand’s navy has filed criminal defamation charges against a news website that published stories alleging Thai military involvement in the trafficking of Burma’s ethnic Rohingya boatpeople, an editor said.

The English-language Phuketwan site posted a story carrying excerpts from a report by the Reutersnews agency alleging that members of the Thai military were involved in trafficking captured Rohingya illegal immigrants.

Alan Morison, Phuketwan’s editor, told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had been summoned along with a Thai reporter on Wednesday to a police station in Phuket to formally acknowledge the charges.

The lawsuit filed by a captain on behalf of the Thai navy charges that the website violated Thailand’s 2007 Computer Crime Act, which bars the circulation of material deemed detrimental to national security or that causes panic.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement calling on the Thai government to withdraw the case, saying it could have “a choking effect on all investigative reporting in Thailand.”

I think the RTN know all about them.....I also think that the Rohingya would be able to identify some Thai officials.....no chance of that tho'.

[Jimjim1968]

This report is far more important than a lot of the other stories around today. It's a terrifying crime to be occuring here at such high circles.

[LarryBird]

Cynicism aside, it's a damn shame the way some people live in this world.

[el jefe]

This wouldn't happen if the situation in Myanmar was better. The govt is doing a great job at talking and convincing the world to invest in Myanmar. But in reality, nothing has changed and it is still one of the world's most repressive regimes.

[LarryBird]

Where's the outrage? Where are the protesters? Want to stop corruption, want to stand up for justice, start here.

[curious0one]

conveniently swept under the carpet, why doesn't Muslim Bangladesh allow them in, obviously it must be worse or perceived as far worse for them there than in Thailand. then there is the Muslim nations of the middle east who import vast quantities of foreign workers but not wanting these Rohingya. you must ask why? well of course if any of these obvious things were to happen then there would be no money for the bottom feeders who deal in misery eg. the various UN refugee associated agencies and their supported hangers on, just to start.

[Loles]

A bit too much news about Thai human trafickking.

But off course it's impossible (also).

[noitom]

Muslims around the world should protest this treatment of muslim Rohingya by Myanmar and the traffickers in Thailand. It's a disgrace.

[surangw]

Muslims around the world should protest this treatment of muslim Rohingya by Myanmar and the traffickers in Thailand. It's a disgrace.

Muslims around the world are split up into many "clans" and don't give a hang about any others outside their own group.

[simple1]

conveniently swept under the carpet, why doesn't Muslim Bangladesh allow them in, obviously it must be worse or perceived as far worse for them there than in Thailand. then there is the Muslim nations of the middle east who import vast quantities of foreign workers but not wanting these Rohingya. you must ask why? well of course if any of these obvious things were to happen then there would be no money for the bottom feeders who deal in misery eg. the various UN refugee associated agencies and their supported hangers on, just to start.

The Rohingya had their citizenship revoked in 1982 by the then Burmese government so they are stateless. As far as I am aware no government will permit stateless persons entry to their country. If Rohingya manage to get through a border often held in detention camps for years without any hope (as is currently the case in Thailand) or trafficked as illegal workers on very low pay, with no access to healthcare or education.

Thousands of Rohingya have been held in Bangladeshi detention camps, some up to 20+ years.The Bangladeshi government, for political reasons, recently revoked the citizenship of the Rohingya who were orginally from Bangaldesh, who have worked and lived in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s (estimated 600k persons). The Saudi government is now in the process of trying to deport them, some already held in Saudi prisons.

Edited January 28, 2014 by simple1

[DiamondKing]

Muslims around the world should protest this treatment of muslim Rohingya by Myanmar and the traffickers in Thailand. It's a disgrace.

Really

They are too busy protesting important stuff like cartoons and the west

[RigPig]

"Three Thai men guarding the camp were arrested for sheltering illegal immigrants."

WHAT ??? Sheltering illegal immigrant !!! Sounds like they were protecting them not trafficking them ! Why were they not charged with human trafficking?

UNBELIEVABLE !!!

[nakhonandy]

Muslims around the world should protest this treatment of muslim Rohingya by Myanmar and the traffickers in Thailand. It's a disgrace.

What like Bangladeshi muslims? Who declared them stateless also.

Unfortunately the bulk of the Middle East are too concerned about funding other issues than this sort of thing.

It has been happening for years, sad but true.

[pipkins]

I've not seen any follow up on who was arrested the first time round.

really is getting murky down that end of the country and the timing as well.

For the Police to be going in this week, they must think there is some policical gain.... or maybe I am coup obsessed.

[boomerangutang]

I was friends with some Burmese illegal-immigrants who were hiding out near my town in northern Thailand. They were living in a crappy little shack with no bathroom. I don't know if they were Rohinga or just Burmese. It was a mother (my g.f), a grandmother, a 9 yr old girl and baby boy. The mom tried to give the boy away. The little girl was dressed and head shaved to look like a boy. Reason: they didn't want her to get raped like so many young girls are. After I split up with the mom, she chose to sneak down to Malaysia to work, because she was the only wage earner. She told me that crossing the border was awful. Many unscrupulous there are trying to take advantage, via forced sex and/or thievery and/or selling people.

Here's another scenario: An attractive young woman is hanging out by the side of the street. A well attired businessman approaches her to make an offer of money-for-sex. Before they get a few words exchanged, the closest local (could be a taxi driver or merchant, or passer by) quickly intercedes himself/herself in the scenario and acts as self-appointed agent for the girl - to make money, of course.

[boomerangutang]

Yet another indication of gross overpopulation.

Wherever humans go, they multiply and destroy environment. Even when primitive man crossed the Bering strait in to what is now Alaska (and further down). Within a short time, most of the large fauna became extinct. Wooly rhino, saber tooth cat, giant sloth, mastodon, Flat-faced bear, mammoth, and more. The same pattern has been going on every since, in every place people go, except Antarctica.

[simple1]

I've not seen any follow up on who was arrested the first time round.

really is getting murky down that end of the country and the timing as well.

For the Police to be going in this week, they must think there is some policical gain.... or maybe I am coup obsessed.

No idea why you would be trying to connect the dots for a political gain/coup, the vast majority of Thais could not care less about the Rohingya.

From looking at the name of the arresting officer it appears he is Thai Muslim. Perhaps more to the point is the US State Department threat to downgrade Thailand later this year when some sanctions may or not kick in. Actually enacting sanctions depends on whether the US President puts more importance on the US relationship with Thailand than human trafficking issues.

You may wish to think about why none of the arrested, very small numbers given the level of human trafficking, during 2013 for human trafficking have been convicted.

"Nine people have been arrested in Thailand in relation to Rohingya-smuggling in 2013, including two government officials, according to police data. None of the arrests has led to convictions. Thailand prosecuted 27 people for trafficking in 2012, down from 67 the previous year, according to the 2013 TIP Report by the U.S. State Department."

Some more info at:

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/What-the-slavery-report-didnt-mention-on-Thailand-30209057.html

Edited January 29, 2014 by simple1