Fears for migrants as S.E. Asia refuses safe haven

[webfact]

Fears for migrants as S.E. Asia refuses safe haven
AFP

BANGKOK: -- Malaysia joined Indonesia on Wednesday in vowing to turn back vessels bearing a wave of migrants, drawing warnings that the hardline policy could be a death sentence for boatloads of people at risk of starvation and disease.

As the UN's refugee agency accused regional authorities of playing with lives, more grim accounts emerged from among hundreds of ethnic Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and impoverished Bangladeshi migrants who have endured weeks of torment at sea.

Mizanur Rahman, a 14-year-old Bangladeshi boy, said he and a friend spent two agonising months crammed aboard a boat with an estimated 600 other people.

They subsisted on a single plate of rice per day, but were given nothing to eat in the final two weeks, Rahman told AFP.

Others aboard that vessel said they saw at least six people die of sickness or hunger, only to have their bodies tossed overboard, and that some passengers were beaten by gun-toting smugglers.

They spoke in the northern Indonesian region of Aceh, where survivors from the ship washed up this week after traffickers told them to "swim to shore if we wanted to stay alive," according to Rahman.

"We wanted to go to Malaysia, dreaming of a better future for our families. After everything that happened to us, I would now prefer to die here rather than go back home," Rahman said.

Migrant-rights advocates are warning that thousands more men, women and children are believed stuck at sea and at risk of abandonment by smugglers since a Thai police crackdown disrupted people-smuggling routes.

Thailand has called for a May 29 regional summit to address what it called an "unprecedented increase" in migrant arrivals.

But Malaysia -- where more than 1,100 migrants came ashore this week -- said it would turn away boats entering its waters unless they were about to sink.

"The policy has always been to escort them out of Malaysian waters after giving them the necessary provisions" including fuel, water and food, First Admiral Tan Kok Kwee of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency told AFP.

The Indonesian navy already has turned away at least one vessel packed with hundreds of abandoned migrants.


- 'Maritime ping-pong' -


Vivian Tan, Bangkok-based spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said the policy was "really worrying".

"We continue to appeal for countries in the region to share responsibility and avert a humanitarian crisis," she said.

"The first priority should be to save lives and provide humanitarian aid."

Joe Lowry, spokesman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangkok, said authorities were playing "maritime ping-pong".

"What we want is for governments to allow people to disembark so they can be treated and policy can be worked out later," he said.

Otherwise, "people are going to die in the hundreds and thousands on the sea".

The UNHCR says about 25,000 people embarked from Bay of Bengal ports in January-March, double last year's rate.

Thousands of them are feared left in the lurch by the crackdown in Thailand, which began after the discovery of dozens of dead migrants in jungle graves along its southern border earlier this month.

Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic group denied citizenship by Buddhist-majority Myanmar, flee by the thousands annually to escape discrimination and sectarian violence that has targeted them in recent years.

The IOM has called for search-and-rescue operations to find stricken migrant boats.

The inter-governmental group has also demanded a coordinated and sympathetic response by Europe as the continent grapples with its own migration crisis originating in North Africa.

A US embassy spokesman in Bangkok called Asia's refugee problem "a regional challenge that needs to be addressed regionally through a coordinated international effort."

Thai authorities said they were searching for a one-time senior provincial official in the south who they called the "mastermind" of trafficking along the Thai-Malaysian border, a key link in the chain.

Police said they had seized millions of dollars worth of assets belonging to Pajjuban Aungkachotephan -- who is known colloquially at "Ko Tong", or "Big Brother Tong."

He is believed to have fled abroad.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-05-13

[Always18]

Islam, the compassionate religion in action..................

[BigBadGeordie]

Islam, the compassionate religion in action..................

They were denied citizenship in Myanmar.....Buddhist Majority

They are denied entry to Thailand..................Buddhist Majority

[trogers]

Like the boat people of Vietnam all over again. Let's see how effective ASEAN really is.

[NeilSA1]

Islam, the compassionate religion in action..................

They were denied citizenship in Myanmar.....Buddhist Majority

They are denied entry to Thailand..................Buddhist Majority

Indonesi - Islam majority

Malaysia - Islam majority

Both countries will turn the boats away.

[Pakaty]

After so many years of trafficking and profiting off the suffering of Rohingya refugees, Thailand should be morally obliged to take these people in. I would like to think most Thais would agree. They can be a kind and generous people. This situation was caused by a years long industry created by Burma and some morally corrupt sub-humans mostly in southern Thailand. Politicians, military, police and civilian have all been involved. And now that Thailand has shut this industry down its inconceivable that the Rohingya refugees that are mid-journey will be allowed to be lost and die at sea. This is a truly deplorable act of ethnic cleansing that the Burmese started but to Thailand's shame perpetuated. What would be even more shameful would be to not act immediately and bring these people to safety.

I realize there are Bangladeshi out there too but they are relatively new in the mix. This started with the Rohingya.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Pakaty

[Scott]

I believe that the general feeling in Myanmar is that the Rohingyas are ethnically the same as the Bangladeshis. Those whom they believe are actually from Bangladesh are identified by nationality. Those from Myanmar, where the gov't doesn't recognize most of them as being citizens, are considered by ethnicity, which is Rohingya.

It gets very confusing.

[soalbundy]

Send them to the UK, they will let anyone in

[KarenBravo]

The root problem is Myanmar.

The silence from Aung San Suu Kyi is deafening.

Edited May 14, 2015 by KarenBravo

[simple1]

I believe that the general feeling in Myanmar is that the Rohingyas are ethnically the same as the Bangladeshis. Those whom they believe are actually from Bangladesh are identified by nationality. Those from Myanmar, where the gov't doesn't recognize most of them as being citizens, are considered by ethnicity, which is Rohingya.

It gets very confusing.

Myanmar is conducting a national census. Rohingya ethnicity is not available on registration documentation, they must register as Bangladeshi. The registration policy means Myanmar identifies them as illegal migrants and subject to arbitrary detention. Myanmar government policy concerning treatment of Rohingya has already been identified as a slow drift to genocide.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/09/myanmar-confirms-controversial-rohingya-plan-2014930193550936131.html

There is minimal engagement by the international community with the Myanmar government on the Rohingya issue.

[Scott]

The root problem is Myanmar.

The silence from Aung San Suu Kyi is deafening.

I don't know what her official position is, but I know the situation was brought to her attention a very long time ago. I don't remember what was actually said, but IIRC, she said they are not Burmese.

You will be hard pressed to find anyone in Myanmar that considers them to be indigenous.

[KarenBravo]

The root problem is Myanmar.

The silence from Aung San Suu Kyi is deafening.

I don't know what her official position is, but I know the situation was brought to her attention a very long time ago. I don't remember what was actually said, but IIRC, she said they are not Burmese.

You will be hard pressed to find anyone in Myanmar that considers them to be indigenous.

All a big smoke-screen that hides the real reason they are not considered as Burmese.

Myanmar is stuck between India and China and the native Burmese reflect this.

Their looks go from full Indian to full Chinese with the majority a mix between the two.

Many Indians were brought to Burma during the days of the British Raj to do manual labour and administration.

These Indians that are concentrated in Yangon have no problems with the authorities as they are either Buddhist, or Hindu.

The problem with the Rohingya is they follow the wrong religion.

[Expat1]

Good for them. Why should they turn their countries into a dumping ground for refugees? If the Americans and European press has convinced their respective foolish nations to allow that and those nations agree then that is up to them. One notices that the UK, Denmark, et al have recently refused anymore such intake. Send them home. If you want to help fine. In the case for Rohingya and Myanmar go there and talk, threaten or act but expecting the surrounding Asian countries to blindly take them is just plain wrong.

[Oziex1]

Good for them. Why should they turn their countries into a dumping ground for refugees? If the Americans and European press has convinced their respective foolish nations to allow that and those nations agree then that is up to them. One notices that the UK, Denmark, et al have recently refused anymore such intake. Send them home. If you want to help fine. In the case for Rohingya and Myanmar go there and talk, threaten or act but expecting the surrounding Asian countries to blindly take them is just plain wrong.

Well your the compassionate one aren't you. These people are being exploited and killed by greedy barbarians.

This is a major humanitarian crisis and requires immediate action by the surrounding countries, who by their inaction have clearly announced to the world that if we can't profit from them then fck them!

Will the West intervene and help??

[KarenBravo]

What is puzzling, is why don't the Rohingya head to Bangladesh, or even India?

Is it because of economic reasons?

If I was fleeing for my life............

[Time Traveller]

What is puzzling, is why don't the Rohingya head to Bangladesh, or even India?

Is it because of economic reasons?

If I was fleeing for my life............

Most of them probably are. But, have you ever been to Bangladesh?

[KarenBravo]

What is puzzling, is why don't the Rohingya head to Bangladesh, or even India?

Is it because of economic reasons?

If I was fleeing for my life............

Most of them probably are. But, have you ever been to Bangladesh?

Yes. Admittedly not as nice as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, but, the Rohingya must know that they are being turned back from these countries.

If I was running for my life I would go anywhere that was safe. Bangladesh is just up the coast and they speak the same language.

The media are saying that this is all about fleeing persecution, which I believe,but, can't help wondering if there are many economic migrants, too.

One is a genuine refugee and the other is illegal immigration.

Very tricky situation.

Edited May 14, 2015 by KarenBravo

[ABCer]

A very broad spectrum of opinions, emotions and considerations.

With respect to each and every one above, I wouldn't rush to name and shame the Muslim or Buddhist countries for lack of compassion.

Could it be fear of a distinctly different Muslim group? A group that today is a victim and tomorrow may become a hostile active force?

Just a thought... No need to throw stones yet... Just a thought.

Looking around in ME or SEA does provide certain examples...

[Pakaty]

I believe that the general feeling in Myanmar is that the Rohingyas are ethnically the same as the Bangladeshis. Those whom they believe are actually from Bangladesh are identified by nationality. Those from Myanmar, where the gov't doesn't recognize most of them as being citizens, are considered by ethnicity, which is Rohingya.

It gets very confusing.

That is true. But they have lived in Burma peacefully for hundreds and some families up to possibly a thousand years. They had been integrated into the society for so long and now this. It comes from the Junta's mentality. Bangladesh wan not even a country when these people migrated to Burma so they can't be Bangladeshi. The Rohingya are not the only ethnic group that has been persecuted by the Junta.

Edited May 14, 2015 by Pakaty

[Pakaty]

The root problem is Myanmar.

The silence from Aung San Suu Kyi is deafening.

I don't know what her official position is, but I know the situation was brought to her attention a very long time ago. I don't remember what was actually said, but IIRC, she said they are not Burmese.

You will be hard pressed to find anyone in Myanmar that considers them to be indigenous.

She won't even discuss the issue.

[otherstuff1957]

25,000 refugees this year? This is just a foretaste of what will come at some point in the not-to-distant future. In addition to being one of the poorest and most crowded countries in Asia, Bangladesh is a very low-lying country that is frequently hit by typhoons. In 1970, Typhoon Bhola killed between 300 & 500,000 people in Bangladesh. If an equivalent typhoon hit today, with the increased mobility and willingness to migrate that people now have, we would probably see millions of people on the move. With their land and livelihoods washed away, there would be nothing to keep them there.

I predict that this will happen, probably within the next decade. How many million Bangladeshis/Rohingyas will Thailand/Malaysia/Indonesia take in then?

Religion just complicates matters. Because of the actions of a violent minority of extremists, no-one really trusts the Muslims or wants them to immigrate to their country. Even though they Rohingyas have been peaceful neighbors with the Buddhists in Burma, everyone fears that they could become radicalized after moving to a new homeland.

[simple1]

What is puzzling, is why don't the Rohingya head to Bangladesh, or even India?

Is it because of economic reasons?

If I was fleeing for my life............

Bangladeshi governments have held Rohingya in refugee camps for decades. Except for 30k that are assisted by UNHCR, the other 200k or so live is terrible conditions. Both groups currently have no hope of being accepted into Bangladsh society. Bangladesh & Burma rescinded Rohingya citizenship in 1982.

There are an estimated 5k+ Rohingya refugees in India, but most experience a tough time.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/01/rohingya-exiles-struggle-survive-india-201416143243337187.html

I guess that most want to get to Malaysia or Indonesia under the delusion they will be welcomed in a Muslim majority country.

[ggt]

How can any community...that has any conscious at all...turn their backs on their fellow man in need this way...

The Muslim community needs to suck-it-up and help their fellowman...

A <deleted> disgrace to Muslims...and all human beings who believe in humane treatment for all people...

[Berkshire]

What is puzzling, is why don't the Rohingya head to Bangladesh, or even India?

Is it because of economic reasons?

If I was fleeing for my life............

I asked the exact same question on another thread. The answer was that Bangladesh doesn't want them either. Truly stateless peoples.