Thai editorial: A regional crisis with roots in Myanmar

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EDITORIAL
A regional crisis with roots in Myanmar
The Nation

Thailand must act urgently to combat the trafficking of people along its coastline, but only Nay Pyi Taw has the power to end refugees' misery

BANGKOK: -- As many as 8,000 Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis seeking better lives elsewhere are stranded in boats in the Andaman Ocean and Malacca Straits.

Worse, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are refusing to take them in, and are instead pushing them back to the ocean, where starvation and possibly death await.

In 2009 Thailand came under close scrutiny for towing out to sea a boat carrying 300 Rohingya seeking to land on our shores. About 100 were later rescued at sea; the rest remain unaccounted for.

To this day the governments of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia feel no shame in maintaining such cold-hearted policies.

In 2009 Thai officials were keen to dismiss the boats packed with Rohingya as a one-off occurrence, but in fact that was only the start of a major wave of human trafficking in which Thailand's southernmost provinces have become transit points.

After the discovery in the far South of scores of shallow graves containing the remains of suspected migrants - some of which are just stone's throw away from military and police outposts - the region's governments are belatedly coming together to seek solutions.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is finally pushing for Myanmar to engage in talks with Thailand and Malaysia over this problem. The roots of this crisis lie in the persecution of the Rohingya, which began with their being stripped of citizenship by Burma in the early 1980s.

It is not yet clear whether Thailand or other regional governments have the courage to tell Myanmar's quasi-military rulers that their policy is hurting neighbouring countries.

In the meantime Thailand is mulling temporary camps for Rohingya and other illegal migrants. The idea is long overdue and could do much to curb the scourge of people-trafficking. Better yet, Thailand should invite the United Nations refugee agency and international NGOs to assist in running the shelters to ensure transparency and accountability.

The alternative for Thailand and its neighbours is to carry on with business as usual, in which case the problem will only get worse. As things stand, Thailand's reputation on human trafficking is already at low ebb.

While Thai authorities prefer to view the Rohingya as illegal aliens, the international community sees them as a stateless people vulnerable to near-slavery in certain business sectors such as the Thai fishing industry.

Rohingya are traded from Myanmar and shipped by boat to the Thai shore, then moved to scores of secret holding centres scattered in woods along the Malaysian border. There they wait to cross into Malaysia, where they have been promised work and better lives.

Each stage of their transit costs more money, and if they can't make the payments, they get sold to toil on fishing trawlers. Female victims have recounted being sold to brothels.

Sadly, Thai authorities have played a role in this heartless cycle. After making arrests in response to news reports or pressure from rights groups, corrupt officials have reportedly sold "rescued" migrants back to the traffickers.

Some observers suggest we crack down on these migrants by charging them with illegal entry, but any such legal means ignore the humanitarian nature of this problem, which is rooted in Myanmar's refusal to grant citizenship to the Muslim Rohingya - despite their having lived in the country for generations.

Moreover, Thailand's immigration detention facilities have capacity for a relatively small number of people and would be overwhelmed by the thousands of refugees now on the move.

We could forcibly repatriate these migrants back to Myanmar, but that would be a gross violation of international norms.

Though it might upset those Thais who hold xenophobic attitudes towards the migrants, setting up camps and permitting outside help is morally the right thing to do. It's also the most practical option to stem the damage being done to the country's reputation.

But temporary shelters can only be a stopgap measure. Myanmar's leadership must be made to realise that the actions it takes now in dealing with the Rohingya will define how the world perceives our countries for years to come.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/A-regional-crisis-with-roots-in-Myanmar-30260159.html


-- The Nation 2015-05-15

[Lupatria]

Aren't there tribal minorities in Thailand too, who were refused citizenship?

[trogers]

Aren't there tribal minorities in Thailand too, who were refused citizenship?

There are, but no boat people.

[alant]

Aren't there tribal minorities in Thailand too, who were refused citizenship?

you may be right

[alant]

the only way to stop this is at the source I feel. Taking the people on simply says to the traffickers it is OK. It may be refusal of entry could save more lives than allowing them to land. An alternative is to ship them back to their point of departure and charge the authorities at the point of departure but the message must get through that you wont get to your destination if you pay money to these evil crooks.

[simple1]

Aren't there tribal minorities in Thailand too, who were refused citizenship?

Estimated in the hundreds of thousands who are stateless

[sawadee1947]

this is only one side of the coin: particularly Thailand, but also Malaysia and Indonesia have to decide which way they want to go. Either please their people or banned from US and EU for trafficking, also cut off from exporting sea food to EU and not included in Free Trade Contracts between US and ASEA.

[Oziex1]

Thailand's reputation is often referred to in articles like this.

What sort of a reputation do they actually have? A good reputation, I think not!

[micmichd]

Thailand's reputation might not be the best in the world, but reputations are not always based on facts.

Thailand has granted many immigrants a permit to stay and work here, much more than most European countries ever did.

[ThaiUser]

Thailand's reputation might not be the best in the world, but reputations are not always based on facts.

Thailand has granted many immigrants a permit to stay and work here, much more than most European countries ever did.

The US is the country with the largest intake of immigrants followed by Germany. When I looked into immigration figures I was surprised to find that around the capital Berlin in Germany about 40.000 Vietnamese have settled a reminder of the boat people that fled Vietnam.

[ThaiUser]

Thanks Scott

I didn't know that the 40.000 Vietnamese have been a legacy of the old East German state and came actually from North Vietnam. Thanks for putting me right on that.

[Beng]

Good article.

[cloudhopper]

"We could forcibly repatriate these migrants back to Myanmar, but that would be a gross violation of international norms."

Is taht so? I thought deportation was routine for illegal immigrants everywhere in the world.

[simple1]

"We could forcibly repatriate these migrants back to Myanmar, but that would be a gross violation of international norms."

Is taht so? I thought deportation was routine for illegal immigrants everywhere in the world.

Although Thailand has not signed / ratified the UN Convention, I assume the writer is referring to the principle of refoulement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-refoulement

Edited May 16, 2015 by simple1

[cloudhopper]

"We could forcibly repatriate these migrants back to Myanmar, but that would be a gross violation of international norms."

Is taht so? I thought deportation was routine for illegal immigrants everywhere in the world.

Although Thailand has not signed / ratified the UN Convention, I assume the writer is referring to the principle of refoulement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-refoulement

Thanks I had never heard that term. From the link -

Thailand's forcible repatriation of 45,000 Cambodian refugees at Prasat Preah Vihear on June 12, 1979 is considered to be a classic example of refoulement.^[3] The refugees were forced at gunpoint across the border and down a steep slope into a minefield. Those who refused were shot by Thai soldiers. Approximately 3,000 refugees died