Dozens of Rohingya migrants held in southern Thailand

[Lite Beer]

Dozens of Rohingya migrants held in southern Thailand

Bangkok, Thailand | AFP

BANGKOK: -- More than 50 migrants, mostly Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar, have been held in southern Thailand after authorities acting on a tip-off stopped trucks smuggling them through the country, a local official said Monday.

Of the 53 people held, 37 are believed to be from the Rohingya minority, with the remainder from Bangladesh -- a source of increasing numbers of migrants arriving on Thai shores.


Twenty-one of the group are aged under 18 and some are as young as five, according to the chief of Takua Pa district in Phang Nga province.


"The group were from Myanmar and Bangladesh," Manit Pianthong told AFP. "They arrived on boats and were taken in three trucks into Takua Pa before dawn on Monday" for transit through to Malaysia.


"We had already set up checkpoints as we had information they would come," he added, explaining the trucks were forced onto a side road where the drivers fled, leaving the migrants behind.


The migrants have been taken to be interviewed by social workers to determine if they are victims of trafficking.


"If they are found to be victims, they will be witnesses in a human trafficking case and will be put in shelters... but if not, they will be charged with illegal entry," Manit said.


Thousands of Rohingya -- a Muslim minority group not recognised as citizens in Myanmar -- have fled deadly communal unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state since 2012. Most have headed for mainly Muslim Malaysia.


Myanmar views its population of roughly 800,000 Rohingya -- described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities -- as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship.

Rights groups say the stateless migrants often fall into the hands of people-traffickers.


They have also criticised Thailand in the past for pushing boatloads of Rohingya entering Thai waters back out to sea and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities.


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

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-01-05

[jacky54]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

[worgeordie]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

They are persecuted there,and will be mistreated and abused wherever they

end up,

regards worgeordie

[crazygreg44]

"They have also criticised Thailand in the past for pushing boatloads of Rohingya entering Thai waters back out to sea and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities"

I have personally witnessed Rohingya being arrested on the shores of the Similan islands under the most humiliating circumstances. I am german and I regret a lot having watched over a genocide , and not raise a hand to help the victims. My friend and me thought they were to get correct treatment and being transferred back to Burma. We were oh so wrong.

Instead, the Thai Navy pulled them away from the shore 300 miles, together with 200o more of their people, in a boat without motor and sail. Without food and water. All of them died a cruel death.

I do not believe ONE word the Thai government utters on behalf of Rohingya people. They ALWAYS lie, regarding these people. Trafficked or not, they can expect death from the hands of the Thai nation.

Don't call me a believer before I ain't seen but ONE Rohingya arrived safely on Malaysia shoals. I don't understand why the UN doesn ot call for a moratorium.

P.S. I wonder why Muslim states like Dubai, Qatar, The Emirates, Saudi Arabia et altera, do not move ONE finger in order to help our their muslim brotherhood. They leave it to the Thai to cull the unwanted. Yes, to CULL, not to KILL

I thought ALLAH asks you to help your muslim brothers and sisters. SHAME , BIG SHAME over them. SHAME they do not live the words of ALLAH the ALMIGHTY.

Edited January 5, 2015 by crazygreg44

[jacky54]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

They are persecuted there,and will be mistreated and abused wherever they

end up,

regards worgeordie

Then they should go to Pakistan or another Muslim country like Malaysia where I am sure they would be more welcome. Personally I don't buy the persecution excuse.

[noitom]

Thai news reports on the Rohingya plight are never to be regarded as truthful.

[SOTIRIOS]

....they pay their passage then get arrested....good racket.....

[weegee]

The question for me is...

What had they done previously to be persecuted as they call it....

There are 2 sides to every story, lets hear it from a different view for once.

What is the root cause of all this?

Did they try to force their religion on the people of Myanmar?...and got rejected?

[jacky54]

'Persecution' and 'rape' are the top two excuses for economic migrants who ruin things for the genuine cases. Woman in the UK who worked for the home office processing asylum claims told me that years ago. Acording to her 95% of them are bogus, and she ought to have known as she was originally a bogus one herself.

[DM07]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

They are persecuted there,and will be mistreated and abused wherever they

end up,

regards worgeordie

Then they should go to Pakistan or another Muslim country like Malaysia where I am sure they would be more welcome. Personally I don't buy the persecution excuse.

I honestly don't give a flying f#$% what you "buy" or not!

Maybe inform yourself about the situation in Myanmar, before you are posting your inhumane, non- emphatic BS!

Thank you!

[jacky54]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

They are persecuted there,and will be mistreated and abused wherever they

end up,

regards worgeordie

Then they should go to Pakistan or another Muslim country like Malaysia where I am sure they would be more welcome. Personally I don't buy the persecution excuse.

I honestly don't give a flying f#$% what you "buy" or not!

Maybe inform yourself about the situation in Myanmar, before you are posting your inhumane, non- emphatic BS!

Thank you!

Ho ho the voice of the soppy liberal left that has been responsible for letting millions of these 'poor souls' into Europe. Do enlighten us about the 'repression' in Mayamar, you must be such an expert i'm sure you will not have to google it

[ultimate weapon]

"They have also criticised Thailand in the past for pushing boatloads of Rohingya entering Thai waters back out to sea and for holding migrants in overcrowded facilities"

I have personally witnessed Rohingya being arrested on the shores of the Similan islands under the most humiliating circumstances. I am german and I regret a lot having watched over a genocide , and not raise a hand to help the victims. My friend and me thought they were to get correct treatment and being transferred back to Burma. We were oh so wrong.

Instead, the Thai Navy pulled them away from the shore 300 miles, together with 200o more of their people, in a boat without motor and sail. Without food and water. All of them died a cruel death.

I do not believe ONE word the Thai government utters on behalf of Rohingya people. They ALWAYS lie, regarding these people. Trafficked or not, they can expect death from the hands of the Thai nation.

Don't call me a believer before I ain't seen but ONE Rohingya arrived safely on Malaysia shoals. I don't understand why the UN doesn ot call for a moratorium.

P.S. I wonder why Muslim states like Dubai, Qatar, The Emirates, Saudi Arabia et altera, do not move ONE finger in order to help our their muslim brotherhood. They leave it to the Thai to cull the unwanted. Yes, to CULL, not to KILL

I thought ALLAH asks you to help your muslim brothers and sisters. SHAME , BIG SHAME over them. SHAME they do not live the words of ALLAH the ALMIGHTY.

Do you know many indian muslims like pakistanis suffer as slaves in the middle east. What does having the same religion have to do with anything?

[crazygreg44]

"P.S. I wonder why Muslim states like Dubai, Qatar, The Emirates, Saudi Arabia et altera, do not move ONE finger in order to help our their muslim brotherhood. They leave it to the Thai to cull the unwanted. Yes, to CULL, not to KILL

I thought ALLAH asks you to help your muslim brothers and sisters. SHAME , BIG SHAME over them. SHAME they do not live the words of ALLAH the ALMIGHTY.

Do you know many indian muslims like pakistanis suffer as slaves in the middle east. What does having the same religion have to do with anything?

maybe because their Quran demands muslims to help each other ?

The slavery issue in the Middle East States makes it an even stronger cause for more shame, but only shame over them.

[jacky54]

maybe because their Quran demands muslims to help each other ?

Actually they have been killing each other for centuries

[rickirs]

"they will be witnesses in a human trafficking case and will be put in shelters"

Whereafter 60 days they will mysteriously disappear to the relief and perhaps benefit of the authorities.

[DM07]

@jacky54 (or should that read 45?)

Ho,ho the voice of the paranoid nationalist, borderline fascist, growing up in the safety of a rich developed country in the west, with relative freedom of ...everything basically, who doesn't care for anything but his own well- being.

I am "such an expert", but you are obviously not.

So google it yourself and make an effort for once in your life, to understand and feel empathy, for people, not as well off as you are!

[cookee68]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

They are persecuted there,and will be mistreated and abused wherever they

end up,

regards worgeordie

Then they should go to Pakistan or another Muslim country like Malaysia where I am sure they would be more welcome. Personally I don't buy the persecution excuse.

Or me, there is always a place for them with ISIS, who are looking for stupid uneducated Muslims, to do their work and to convert to their Muslim way of life,

[DM07]

send them back or it will be hundreds next time

They are persecuted there,and will be mistreated and abused wherever they

end up,

regards worgeordie

Then they should go to Pakistan or another Muslim country like Malaysia where I am sure they would be more welcome. Personally I don't buy the persecution excuse.

Or me, there is always a place for them with ISIS, who are looking for stupid uneducated Muslims, to do their work and to convert to their Muslim way of life,

Wow! This thread could be a new low in ignorance, hatred, misinformation and and lack of empathy!

Amazing!