PM Prayut gives ten-day deadline to find migrant camps

[smutcakes]

10 days.

As the ones running this horror, why not just arrest and question the regional army, navy, police and senior govt. officials and ask them?

They already know all there is to know about this.

Damn right they do...shouldn't take 10 days. Only a few phone calls will be needed.. But then again no one can lose face over this so 10 days to do a runner or kill them selves is good enough... Watch over the next month how many more apparent suicides there are. Oh don't forget the amount of upcoming transfers to active posts.

Shame on you Thailand. Shame on you

You are absolutely right.All the information is already known by local military, security and government officials.Prayuth's response if reported correctly is either dishonest or stupid - or more likely both.He now has to take action.Nobody suggests he is at fault but he is now for better or worse in charge.Thailand's last vestiges of honour lie in his hands.

You can bet your last dollar that the money from this lucrative trade is not confined to the local army, police, officials etc, I am sure it makes its way back to BKK as well.

[MZurf]

Not many years ago Myanma was known as a Military Dictatorship (it still is) with all sorts of human rights abuses, it's tourist industry was small if existent at all travel guides recommended bypassing Myanmar, the country was an international Pariah.

Why is Thailand not seen in the same light and treated the same as Myanmar was.

Think about it. The answer is fairly obvious to all but those who wish to continually claim control by a non elected criminal was somehow democratic.

And here I thought that this kind of talk about the current leadership is illegal!

[ourmanflint]

I'm guessing they wont need more than a couple of days to dig out all the hundreds of reports on where these camps are. After all they have all been known about for years now it seems and people have reported them to the RTP, but then swept quietly away to the room downstairs.

Glad to see this is making the BBC news site now along with other reports from camps in Phang nga

[heybruce]

The army has been in the south patrolling the border in force for years. The navy has been implicated...."falsely accused" of participating in people smuggling by Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/us-myanmar-exodus-specialreport-idUSBRE96G02520130717. It is inconceivable that this has been going on without the local military commanders knowing about it.

Here's Prayth's chance to show he's serious about reform wherever it's needed. Will he take it?

[dcutman]

The army has been in the south patrolling the border in force for years. The navy has been implicated...."falsely accused" of participating in people smuggling by Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/17/us-myanmar-exodus-specialreport-idUSBRE96G02520130717. It is inconceivable that this has been going on without the local military commanders knowing about it.

Here's Prayth's chance to show he's serious about reform wherever it's needed. Will he take it?

Gong back a couple months (to Indonesia) the same opportunity presented itself (disturbing enough).

How many arrest were made? How many people are in jail?

To be fair, in the last 15 years, how many officials have been arrested in this disgusting trade?

Edited May 7, 2015 by dcutman

[waxon]

Questioning of a group of four military officers was underway after villagers filed a police complaint accusing them of holding some Rohingya people for money.

The four officers had been assigned to investigate trafficking in the Padang Besar border town of Songkhla.

Well, that seems to be a problem... They probably all had a laugh about being assigned to investigate themselves!

10 day deadline??? In other words, clear this situation up in ten days with whatever you can cobble together, hide and falsify so we can show we are doing something.

[SABloke]

So that means in 2 weeks they'll not bother looking for anymore ?

10 days is so unfair, how about a 6 month extension ?

10 days is plenty when you're packing 44(speaking Thai). This a ''new'' phenomenon, remember. 6 months, however, is too short a time(When you're speaking European)...even with 44. It's all about who you know....scrap that...It's about WHO knows YOU.

[PaullyW]

Not many years ago Myanma was known as a Military Dictatorship (it still is) with all sorts of human rights abuses, it's tourist industry was small if existent at all travel guides recommended bypassing Myanmar, the country was an international Pariah.

Why is Thailand not seen in the same light and treated the same as Myanmar was.

I think most foreigners find Thai women to be more attractive, and most people would agree that Buddhism has less of a negative stigma.

Done.

[Plutojames88]

There would be hundreds of bodies disposed of , both at sea and land as the attempt to meet EU deadline means disposing of crews.

The urgency is not a sudden shock or horror reminisce of death camps in Europe"" we didn't know""

The officials of course did and systematically took a cut.

The world is learning of a grim dark side -

Their were hints back with those British murders and the rebuff then "" that a Thai could not do this""

Now days we know they not only can but its business.

A business with links.

This urgencty is only because the money made over in Europe is far greater selling fish products.

Once it's clear the Thais won't meet the deadline the trafficking will return and the fish sold elsewhere .

While repercussions on Europeans there retired or holidaying will manifest in one way or another

Edited May 7, 2015 by Plutojames88

[jerojero]

Hundreds of thousands rai area to search, all to be done in 10 days. Work those miracles boys!

[billd766]

Number one...you can't put a hard deadline like that on an undertaking such as this, but you can order that all effort be put into these camps being found as quickly as possible. Try overflights with thermal-imagining at night when the surroundings are cooler...just a thought.

Number two...why wasn't something like this ordered a long, long time ago...because there was no incentive and they could care less about people they look upon as less than human.

This would be a good time to use the blimp with GPS, thermal imaging, Hi Res cameras and a ground force from another region in permanent contact. Keeping all the local police, border police and military from the area would be a step in the right direction.

Commercial drones and possibly satellite tracking could help if it would be available.

[Sealbash]

Not many years ago Myanma was known as a Military Dictatorship (it still is) with all sorts of human rights abuses, it's tourist industry was small if existent at all travel guides recommended bypassing Myanmar, the country was an international Pariah.

Why is Thailand not seen in the same light and treated the same as Myanmar was.

I think most foreigners find Thai women to be more attractive, and most people would agree that Buddhism has less of a negative stigma.

Done.

Myanmar is not a Buddhist country? Perhaps an extreme lack of infrastructure in Myanmar has something to do with lack of tourists?

[T_Dog]

Here is a BBC story on some of the findings and actions planned. Sadly, this story could be from today, but it is from SEVEN years ago.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7437016.stm

[simonuk]

It's said by many that the army are as corrupt as the police and that you don't rise to the upper levels without being complicit in corruption. Every top level player in the police or army has dirty fingers and skeletons in his closet. Fear of being exposed by your equally corrupt peers is why poachers rarely turn gamekeeper. They re all dirty all know too much about each other.

[jayboy]

It's said by many that the army are as corrupt as the police and that you don't rise to the upper levels without being complicit in corruption. Every top level player in the police or army has dirty fingers and skeletons in his closet. Fear of being exposed by your equally corrupt peers is why poachers rarely turn gamekeeper. They re all dirty all know too much about each other.

You are right it it suits the purpose of some to remain quiet about the massive corruption in the army.To be fair the disease is found in the army's senior officer corps rather than the rank and file whereas in the police it is prevalent among all ranks.

[ExPratt]

This will fake a bit more than 10 days I would say

8000 People stranded on Boats waiting to land in Thailand

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32686328

Thousands' of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants stranded at sea

• 8 hours ago
• From the sectionAsia

Rescued migrants were suffering from exhaustion

Thousands of refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar are stranded at sea close to Thailand, according to an international migration agency.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) told the BBC a Thai crackdown on recent arrivals meant many smugglers were now reluctant to land.

As many as 8,000 people are believed to be stuck on boats, the IOM said.

In the past two days more than 2,000 have arrived in Malaysia or Indonesia after being rescued or swimming ashore.

Jeff Labovitz, head of mission for IOM Asia Pacific, told the BBC that the discovery last week of dozens of human remains in abandoned camps in the south of Thailand had prompted a police crackdown and therefore people smugglers were holding their boats at sea.

Bangladeshi migrants, and ethnic Rohingyas who face persecution in Myanmar, are normally brought by people smugglers to Thailand where they are effectively held ransom until they can raise money for their onward journey to Malaysia and beyond.

[NongKhaiKid]

The BBC headline report is talking ' crackdown ' without explaining it's because of international pressure.

Thankfully Jonathan Head is explaining the finer points including all the complicity in Thailand involving officials, police and allegedly the Thai Navy in a ' very profitable ' business. He used the word allegedly in respect of the navy no doubt mindful of how easily defamation lawsuits are thrown around here.

[ExPratt]

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The BBC headline report is talking ' crackdown ' without explaining it's because of international pressure.

Thankfully Jonathan Head is explaining the finer points including all the complicity in Thailand involving officials, police and allegedly the Thai Navy in a ' very profitable ' business. He used the word allegedly in respect of the navy no doubt mindful of how easily defamation lawsuits are thrown around here.

I think one of the points that is interesting is theses people cant land because of the discovery of the camps , so if they hadn't been discovered they would be landed in Thailand , how many of these boats landed in the past. Not seen a news item for this on TVF have you ?

Edited May 11, 2015 by ExPratt

[Colabamumbai]

This problem has been going on since the 1970's. Why all the interest now? U.S. pressure?

[toybits]

I feel like setting an artificial 10-day deadline is counter productive - especially if there are more to be found after the deadline has been passed. Are they trying to use the deadline to spur his underlings into action or is it saying "After 10 Days, there are no more migrant camps to be Found. So Shut the F#$% Up!"