Thai government mulls opening refugee camps for Rohingya people

[webfact]

Thai Government Mulls Opening Refugee Camps for Rohingya
By Khaosod English

BANGKOK — Thai junta chairman Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha said the government is "in talks" about potentially opening refugee camps for Rohingya refugees who have fled ethnic persecution from Myanmar.

"We are discussing it," Gen. Prayuth said, "because in order to do anything, we have to consider many aspects, such as national security, because our main goal is to take care of Thai people. But human rights cannot be denied either."

The commander of the Royal Thai Police, Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumpangmuang, suggested setting up the camps yesterday in response to the nearly 300 refugees that have been rescued by police in southern Thailand over the past twelve days. The refugees appeared to have been abandoned by their smugglers after word spread of Thai police’s crackdown on trafficking operations in the region.

Tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingyas have fled western Myanmar since 2012 to escape ethnic and religious persecution by radical Buddhists. Around 300,000 stateless Rohingya are also estimated to live in destitute refugee camps in bordering Bangladesh. Many refugees have paid smugglers to ferry them to other countries, such as Muslim-friendly Malaysia, only to be exploited by traffickers who hold them for ransom or sell them into slavery.

In the past, Rohingyas intercepted by Thai authorities have been tried in court on charges of illegal entry and deported. Since neither Myanmar nor Bangladesh authorities recognize Rohingyas as citizens, many refugees have languished in temporary shelters as authorities struggle to solve the legal limbo.

Pol.Gen. Somyot's remark yesterday was the first time a high-ranking Thai official has suggested an alternative policy for dealing with the influx of Rohingya migrants.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1431426350


-- Khaosod English 2015-05-12

[dcutman]

"We are discussing it," Gen. Prayuth said, "because in order to do anything, we have to consider many aspects, such as national security, because our main goal is to take care of Thai people.

Not as much to do about national security, as taking care of Thai people.

Because the only Thai people that need protection are police, military, and political figures neck deep in this shiit, have truckloads of money and high up friends.

[Kaalle]

Let them build their own sheds and then get them started on construction projects for the very important thai people.

[falangjim]

Put 'pancake man' from Koh Tao in one of these camps.

[berybert]

Put them in camps and dig them up in 5 years time.

And this is the man running the country. Disgrace.

[manarak]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

[simple1]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

When will people finally understand the support by Muslim majority governments of a worldwide Muslim brotherhood, irrespective of nationality, tribal affiliation, sect etc is a myth. The myth especially applies in the case of the Rohingya who are made stateless by the Bangladeshi government.

[webfact]

LLEGAL MIGRANTS
Shelters may be set up: PM
The Nation



PM Prayut says international assistance is needed to deal with the issue

BANGKOK: -- THE GOVERNMENT is considering setting up temporary shelters to house Rohingya and other illegal migrants pending their repatriation or resettlement, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.

The issue is being discussed by government legal experts as many factors need to be considered, he said. "The proposed temporary shelters and their operations would have many consequences, including those affecting our national security."

The PM spoke after chairing yesterday's Cabinet meeting, which discussed the issue.

The authorities must take care of Thai people's welfare while protecting the rights of migrants who might be violated if they are in Thailand illegally, he explained.

The Rohingya trafficking issue will not be handled solely by Thailand. Discussion with neighbouring or relevant countries and international organisations are needed to decide jointly on what would be done. Otherwise, Thailand would be left to |shoulder the burden alone, while the number of migrants keeps rising, he said.

The Thai police are coordinating with Malaysian counterparts to hunt down a former Satun-based local politician accused of running the entire Rohingya trafficking, following rumours that he had fled the country, deputy police chief General Aek Angsananont said yesterday.

A seizure of assets worth around Bt10 million belonging to Pajjuban Angchotephan, an alias for Ko Tong, is also underway by the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), he said. The board of AMLO's executives later decided to seize assets belonging to many other people suspected of running the Rohingya trafficking, totalling 189 items worth around Bt75 million.

An inspection of 19 unmarked graves on Ko Tong's personal island of Koh Raed Yai off Satun province is also underway. Satun governor Dejrat Simsiri, who took part in yesterday's inspection of the island, said later that the bodies in the graves were Thai, after their identities had been confirmed by relatives.

A United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Tak issued a statement explaining that there were no longer any Rohingya in local shelters, dismissing reports that 98 Rohingya fighters fleeing from Myanmar troops had entered Thailand and sheltered in Mae Sot. There were 282 Rohingya residing in three local shelters five years ago - but they had all been resettled in third countries, he said.

Raid on 15 locations

Police yesterday raided 15 locations in Satun and seized a number of assets including two cars and a handgun belonging to Pajjuban. Police also found three Mercedes vehicles, a 28-room hotel, and two boats. The AMLO is finding out whether they had all been bought lawfully by Pajjuban.

A senior police commander, Pol Maj-General Paween Phongsirin, said police were obtaining another warrant for a key suspect, in addition to 51 others, including Pajjuban, wanted under the warrants. He said police were focusing on protecting a number of witnesses and Rohingya victims who volunteered useful information leading to issuing the warrants.

Another senior investigator, Pol Mal-General Phutthichart Ekkachant, said seven detention camps were found, with 213 Rohingya and other migrants identified as illegal entrants - and another 63 victims of human trafficking. He said 33 bodies found, 21 of them men and another 5 women. The sex of seven other bodies could not yet be identified.

DPA reported that more than 8,000 migrants were adrift off the coasts of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, an IOM official said on Tuesday, posing a potential humanitarian crisis for the region's governments.

"Thailand has effectively stopped smuggling through its borders," said Jeffrey Labovitz, the International Organisation for Migration's chief of mission in Thailand.

"As a result we think that there are [more than 8,000] people stranded off-shore" in the region, mostly refugees and economic migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, he said.

Rights groups say migrants are sometimes held indefinitely. Labovitz called for the Thai, Myanmar and Malaysian governments to find a solution to get them off the boats and provide assistance.

Economic migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar often made their way through Thailand seeking opportunities in Malaysia and Indonesia. They are frequently targeted for exploitation by human traffickers.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Shelters-may-be-set-up-PM-30259947.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-13

[Scott]

This is a very sad situation for one of the most persecuted groups on the planet.

It is going to take a huge amount of effort and arm twisting to find a solution for these people. They are largely not wanted by resettlement countries, but they certainly do not deserve the horrible, inhumane and brutal treatment dealt to them with the complicity of the Thai authorities.

Turing a blind eye to this problem will not make it go away.

[khunsiam]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

the separatists want to restore their sultanate that's colonized

Edited May 12, 2015 by khunsiam

[Yunla]

This tragic situation is a snapshot of a much larger global problem, with the only long-term solution being comprehensive human and worker rights for all persons in the source nations, beyond that all we will see are the consequences of this collision of oppressive source systems and unchecked mercenarism destination systems, consequences which inevitably result in slavery or other tragic effects. Since it is very hard to deal with the oppression in the source nations externally, the destination nations are left with this dilemma of dealing with transit exploitation in the most humane way possible, which is an unworkable long-term model for any nation, and even more so against a backdrop of unchecked greed which is 'the only game in town' across much of the modern world. It is a tragic mess, a real collision of failed ideas, and impossible to fix without a sober rethinking of those causal ideas, not just trying to patch up the terrible effects. It is such an enormous task, and the will to face it is so often completely lacking, it will possibly be the main slowly-unfolding global crisis of this century.

[JAG]

I suppose keeping them in one large camp would result in significant "economies of scale" for the business .

[NongKhaiKid]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

When will people finally understand the support by Muslim majority governments of a worldwide Muslim brotherhood, irrespective of nationality, tribal affiliation, sect etc is a myth. The myth especially applies in the case of the Rohingya who are made stateless by the Bangladeshi government.

I haven't heard any updates since yesterday when it was reported the Indonesian navy had turned 2 boat loads of Rohingya and Bangladeshis away from the biggest Muslim nation in the world.

Look at the outrage when Australia tries to do the same.

[simple1]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

When will people finally understand the support by Muslim majority governments of a worldwide Muslim brotherhood, irrespective of nationality, tribal affiliation, sect etc is a myth. The myth especially applies in the case of the Rohingya who are made stateless by the Bangladeshi government.

I haven't heard any updates since yesterday when it was reported the Indonesian navy had turned 2 boat loads of Rohingya and Bangladeshis away from the biggest Muslim nation in the world.

Look at the outrage when Australia tries to do the same.

Difference is Australia is a signatory to the relevant UN Conventions so gets flack for not complying. Australia's turn back operational matters are now subject to official secrecy provisions. However, back in January this year Australia confirmed 15 boats carrying 429 asylum seekers had been turned back.

Immigration minister announces Operation Sovereign Border figures as commander says some turn backs were done without Indonesian cooperation.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jan/28/australia-confirms-15-boats-carrying-429-asylum-seekers-have-been-turned-back

[soalbundy]

I thought that they had already found a lot of camps

[manarak]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

When will people finally understand the support by Muslim majority governments of a worldwide Muslim brotherhood, irrespective of nationality, tribal affiliation, sect etc is a myth. The myth especially applies in the case of the Rohingya who are made stateless by the Bangladeshi government.

What other countries are doing is irrelevant to the national security concern in Thailand.

If there is a worldwide Muslim brotherhood or not is also irrelevant to the the fact that Muslim countries are better suited to accommodate Rohingya - that these countries don't want to welcome them is a totally different issue.

[mango66]

open official camps, so that gvt people can in future collecting without panishment !!

without to share with the private sector !! 555555555

[simple1]

The General rightly is concerned about national security, Rohingya can become a real problem in South Thailand. It is so obvious.

I don't think it is Thailand's role to look after Rohingya, given that there are a number of Muslim neighbor countries that seem much better suited than Thailand's south where Muslim separatists want to create their own sultanate. I'm sure it is an easy thing to promise the Rohingya that there will also be a place for them in the future sultanate...

Closing Thailand's borders to Rohingya is the right thing to do - maybe Thailand could look into creating some no-man's lands on the border and provide some basic supply and services there.

When will people finally understand the support by Muslim majority governments of a worldwide Muslim brotherhood, irrespective of nationality, tribal affiliation, sect etc is a myth. The myth especially applies in the case of the Rohingya who are made stateless by the Bangladeshi government.

What other countries are doing is irrelevant to the national security concern in Thailand.

If there is a worldwide Muslim brotherhood or not is also irrelevant to the the fact that Muslim countries are better suited to accommodate Rohingya - that these countries don't want to welcome them is a totally different issue.

IMO you're misinformed on both of your positions. The points you raised do have negative consequences for Thailand.

With the ongoing refusal by Myanmar to improving the conditions / treatment of Rohingya & other ethnic minorities the outbound flow will continue.

[Praematura]

The true nature of the problem is dear leader has these people in custody that supposedly they rescued from camps in the south. Burma doesn't want them back and Indonesia/Malaysia don't want them.

Purely from a logistical stand point they have to put them in a camp until they find a country that wants them. What's the alternative? Driving them up to Lao or Cambodian border and ask them to cross unnoticed?

[gemguy]

Hmmmm...In the long run you can more or less understand the governments concerns.

Regardless of their dismal performance in the last 10 years dealing with this problem you can surmise they would not want a large influx of Muslims residing in the south because of the Muslim separatists movement in the southern provinces.

Without a doubt having all the more Muslims joining in amongst all the existing disgruntled Muslims already living in those southern Provinces you could easily envision all the more separatist based problems evolving.

I personally believe the Thai Government has to work closely with the Burmese Government and try to resolve issues on that side of the border first and foremost to relieve the Thai border area from all the Muslim refugees fleeing from Burma.

There is a degree of persecution with out a doubt ( More than we may ever really understand ) .....however many of the People come because there is more opportunity here in Thailand....or so they hear about and or believe.

But when they do come over to this side they find out it is not what they believed it to be....especially if they get caught up in the horrors of human trafficking.

Even if they do not become victims of human trafficking their lives on the Thai side are far from what they were hoping for while very few make any substantial amount of money....but more than they would make in Burma.

If the Thai government does set up refugee camps run by the military and run with a higher degree of accountability then the Muslims could slowly be integrated into Thailand and be employed throughout the country...in theory.

If the camps were to be run like a large employment agency, with the people available to be employed and placed were requested by any number of employers throughout the country then the temporary refugee camps would serve a useful purpose...rather than just let the people languish there in a vacuum waiting for the Thai authorities to send them back to nothing and a big part of the reason they came over to the Thai side in the first.

Besides fleeing the conditions back in Burma they come here looking for work, first and foremost....so put them to work when and where they can be useful.

Cheers