Shunned migrant boat leaves Thai waters: governor

[webfact]

Shunned migrant boat leaves Thai waters: governor
AFP

KOH LIPE, Thailand: -- A boat packed with desperate Rohingya migrants left Thai waters early Friday bound for Indonesia, authorities said, in line with the kingdom's policy of blocking entry to such vessels.

Thai officials gave food and water to hundreds of emaciated Rohingya who have been at sea on the overcrowded boat for weeks. In recent days they were abandoned by their traffickers, who also disabled the engine before fleeing.

"We fixed the engine and the boat left last night after 3am," Satun provincial governor, Dejrat Limsiri, told AFP, in line with Thailand's policy of "helping on" such vessels.

"We gave them ready-to-eat meals. They are now out of Thailand territory... they will try to go to Indonesia as it seems they cannot get to Malaysia," he said.

"They are heading along the route to Aceh," he added, referring to the Indonesian province where another migrant boat landed on the weekend.

The boat that had been in Thai waters, with around 300 people on board including many young children, was found drifting on Thursday. Its bedraggled passengers were visibly emaciated and pleaded for help.

In dramatic scenes later in the day, a Thai navy helicopter dropped food packages into the water, prompting several men to dive into the sea to retrieve them -- some eating raw instant noodles as they swam back.

Around ten people had died on the boat during the last few days, passengers told reporters who drew up alongside.

The Satun governor said authorities had helped the migrants on towards their intended destination further south, but denied pushing the boat out of Thai waters.

"They want to go to Malaysia but they cannot go now. They do not want to come to Thailand as they know they will face legal action... and will be sent back to Myanmar," he said.

The UN's refugee agency has led calls for a coordinated search and rescue effort for some 8,000 migrants believed to be trapped on boats in the Andaman Sea since a Thai crackdown prompted traffickers to flee, leaving their human cargo without food and water.

But regional nations have so far resisted a comprehensive search effort.

Instead Malaysia and Indonesia have vowed to bar boats bearing desperate migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh after nearly 2,000 people were rescued or swum to shore earlier this week.

The stateless Muslim Rohingya are unwanted in Myanmar, where they face persecution and are treated as foreign migrants rather than a Myanmar ethnic group.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-05-15

[Praematura]

They were "shunned" and "helped on" onto Indonesia because they wanted to avoid "facing legal action." I have to say it sounds better than told to <deleted> off and towed back into the open sea.[emoji41]

[DM07]

Thank Go...Buddha!

Out of sight, out of mind!

Where is the vomit- smiley, when you need it?

[sawadee1947]

no respect for refugees, no respect for life anyway, but you are proud to be soooo good. <deleted> you

[alocacoc]

Buddhism as it finest.

[Local Drunk]

I'm not a big fan of Jonathan Head... but there was a particularly gut retching article on the BBC this morning that summed up the attitude towards the Rohingya plight. Refugee Ping Pong between Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Give them a few more days of water to survive and then send them on their way: with no where to go.

Edited May 15, 2015 by Local Drunk

[Local Drunk]

"They want to go to Malaysia but they cannot go now. They do not want to come to Thailand as they know they will face legal action... and will be sent back to Myanmar," he said.

I doubt very seriously that they sad that. Was the Governor there? Did he speak to them? Did he actually ask these staving dehydrated people on the boat this question? This is seriously <deleted> up.

[Jingthing]

Genocide warning.

Is this region (and world) going to act in time to stop this.

Based on history ... not likely.

In March 2015, staff of the SIMON-SKJODT CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE traveled to Burma, also called Myanmar, to investigate the threats facing the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group that has been subject to dehumanization through rampant hate speech, the denial of citizenship, and restrictions on freedom of movement, in addition to a host of other human rights violations that put this population at grave risk of additional mass atrocities and even genocide.

http://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20150505-Burma-Report.pdf

[simple1]

Genocide warning.

Is this region (and world) going to act in time to stop this.

Based on history ... not likely.

In March 2015, staff of the SIMON-SKJODT CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE traveled to Burma, also called Myanmar, to investigate the threats facing the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group that has been subject to dehumanization through rampant hate speech, the denial of citizenship, and restrictions on freedom of movement, in addition to a host of other human rights violations that put this population at grave risk of additional mass atrocities and even genocide.

http://www.ushmm.org/m/pdfs/20150505-Burma-Report.pdf

Not just Muslims, but also Christians, I find it amazing that even though Christians are persecuted, it's a fact many people don't care about Muslims, no or very little action being taken by the international community on the ethnic cleansing polices of the Myanmar government.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1540121/Burma-orders-Christians-to-be-wiped-out.html

[i claudius]

Pity the EU did not send all the immigrant boats away as well,sorry if I sound as if I am to the right of Attila the HUn but ,once you open the doors the floods come in

[oneday]

"...in line with the kingdom's policy of blocking entry to such vessels..."

I hope you are proud of yourselves Thailand. You have certainly condemned many people (old people, women and CHILDREN!!!) to a horrible death.

[bheard]

These guys don't take to foreign ideas when it doesn't them, but in this case they have borrowed the Stop the Boats idea unashamedly from . . . Australia!

(And yes, I'm an Australian).

[quandow]

Imagine if you were a visitor from another planet watching this unfold . . .

[NickJ]

So what should they do? Whats the plan?Let them land. Send word that Thailand is the new meal ticket destination......They need to work on not letting any of those boats leave Bangladesh or Burma in the first place......

[MobileContent]

I think the immigrants are more happy to be on the boat now then being in detention with a find of 6000 Baht.

Lets face it. If I come on a boat to Thailand without a visa or stamp in my passport I am going either to jail or face face deportation and got to buy a ticket.

I am sure the army or navy told them, if we let you in now you will face the courts and go for detention.

[weegee]

Those boats were heading to Aust via Indonesia for sure and now they found out via the grape vine, That aint happening....

They wont get the big money handouts like their relations before them.....who told them to come, all is well in Australia, they can get up to an average of $1000 per week spent on them while real Australians pay more taxes to achieve this, and get nothing in return...

They are without a Nation and Refugees...therefore they are offered a change for freedom and life as normal...IN NEW GUINEA...Being refugees, thats a good choice, to belong to somewhere. They dont have the right to DEMAND where they go....do they?

Whats happened to these Religion Of Peace run countries....Not saying or doing much are they?

[klauskunkel]

"They are heading along the route to Aceh,"

where they will be prosecuted for violating the new Sharia laws on gender separation (got to have a boat for males and another for females)

[simple1]

<snip>

Send word that Thailand is the new meal ticket destination......

[Docno]

This is a terrible situation that should not be happening in this day and age, and there needs to be some sort of coordinated solution (ASEAN, etc) working back at the source. [i'm not hopeful of this, though].

That said, Thailand does deserve some credit for its openness to refugees in the past. There have been many refugee camps on Thai soil (Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Myanmar) there continue to be in the north. I have been inside one such camp near Mae Hong Song, where there are teenagers who were born in the camp. But the Rohingya, I believe, are seen more as economic migrants than war refugees (they were already fleeing Myanmar before the social unrest and killings that took place a couple of years ago), and being Muslim doesn't help their cause (they are seen as possible recruits for the southern Thai insurgency and a better cultural fit to Malaysia and Indonesia). Thailand's actions are unsupportable in this instance, but let us not forget what they've done for other refugee groups.

The situation is more complex than is often painted in the media: the modern Rohingya are also weighed down by the actions of their forefathers. They were originally brought into Myanmar from India (now Bangladesh) by the British (BBC History Magazine did a piece on this last year). This is why they were not given Myanmar (Burmese) citizenship at Independence. During WWII, the Rohingya were armed by the British to help in the fight against the Japanese, but they instead turned their guns on the Rakhine Buddhists: 20,000 were murdered in a single month. After the war, they agitated and fought to have 'their' territory in Burma annexed into East Pakistan, and there is still apparently an armed Mujahideen movement in parts of Rakhine State.

Of course, this has nothing to do with innocent women and children starving on boats out at sea. It's just to make the point that there is a larger context and history to all this that is often not discussed. It doesn't lead to solutions, but it's always better to know more rather than less.

[timmyp]

Is there anyone on board that can drive the boat??

[steven100]

These guys don't take to foreign ideas when it doesn't them, but in this case they have borrowed the Stop the Boats idea unashamedly from . . . Australia!

(And yes, I'm an Australian).

I am glad they stopped the boats. Australia has done the right thing and it is a good idea.

[plachon]

So what should they do? Whats the plan?Let them land. Send word that Thailand is the new meal ticket destination......They need to work on not letting any of those boats leave Bangladesh or Burma in the first place......

How about showing some starving, dehydrated, abandoned, trafficked, tricked, cheated and now dying people some compassion. Is that too much to ask a relatively wealthy nation with plenty of resources to help these people, never mind its international humanitarian commitments according to various treaties it has signed, even before considering the ethical and moral argument to help them?

And I think you'd find that Thailand's governement has been pretty remiss on not working hard enough on stopping those people and boats leaving their homelands in the first place, by joining a wider coalition of countries in concentrating massive amounts of resources on fighting a mythological "war on terror", designed to keep people in the West in fear, which has also stoked a ridicuous level of Islamophobia in transitioning countries like Burma (as well as the US), that has all been a factor in why these poor people have been forced on to those boats to be abandoned at sea. It is a form of genocide that many governments are complicit in, but Thailand is quite patently up to its neck in. I am quite appalled at the cruel fate of the Rohingya, abandoned by even the UN it seems. Quite sickening and avoidable.

[weegee]

This is a terrible situation that should not be happening in this day and age, and there needs to be some sort of coordinated solution (ASEAN, etc) working back at the source. [i'm not hopeful of this, though].

That said, Thailand does deserve some credit for its openness to refugees in the past. There have been many refugee camps on Thai soil (Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Myanmar) there continue to be in the north. I have been inside one such camp near Mae Hong Song, where there are teenagers who were born in the camp. But the Rohingya, I believe, are seen more as economic migrants than war refugees (they were already fleeing Myanmar before the social unrest and killings that took place a couple of years ago), and being Muslim doesn't help their cause (they are seen as possible recruits for the southern Thai insurgency and a better cultural fit to Malaysia and Indonesia). Thailand's actions are unsupportable in this instance, but let us not forget what they've done for other refugee groups.

The situation is more complex than is often painted in the media: the modern Rohingya are also weighed down by the actions of their forefathers. They were originally brought into Myanmar from India (now Bangladesh) by the British (BBC History Magazine did a piece on this last year). This is why they were not given Myanmar (Burmese) citizenship at Independence. During WWII, the Rohingya were armed by the British to help in the fight against the Japanese, but they instead turned their guns on the Rakhine Buddhists: 20,000 were murdered in a single month. After the war, they agitated and fought to have 'their' territory in Burma annexed into East Pakistan, and there is still apparently an armed Mujahideen movement in parts of Rakhine State.

Of course, this has nothing to do with innocent women and children starving on boats out at sea. It's just to make the point that there is a larger context and history to all this that is often not discussed. It doesn't lead to solutions, but it's always better to know more rather than less.

Thank you....Now people insisting that these people are in need, can know the whole story of why they are treated like this......

You reap what you sow...

[emilymat]

I wonder, indeed I hope, that some monitoring of this boat will take place - maybe from the air by the press.

My reason is that now it is gone and forgotten, none of us will know - certainly from the Thai press - whether or not it reaches Indonesia or just sinks.

Terrible situation.

[weegee]

I wonder, indeed I hope, that some monitoring of this boat will take place - maybe from the air by the press.

My reason is that now it is gone and forgotten, none of us will know - certainly from the Thai press - whether or not it reaches Indonesia or just sinks.

Terrible situation.

They will be alright....when they get to wherever they going, they will instill their culture and barbarianism on the people that help them...Just like they did in Burma.

[plachon]

I wonder, indeed I hope, that some monitoring of this boat will take place - maybe from the air by the press.

My reason is that now it is gone and forgotten, none of us will know - certainly from the Thai press - whether or not it reaches Indonesia or just sinks.

Terrible situation.

They will be alright....when they get to wherever they going, they will instill their culture and barbarianism on the people that help them...Just like they did in Burma.

There's ignorant and then there's downright pig ignorant. You, sir, fit in the latter category.

[Bluespunk]

I wonder, indeed I hope, that some monitoring of this boat will take place - maybe from the air by the press.

My reason is that now it is gone and forgotten, none of us will know - certainly from the Thai press - whether or not it reaches Indonesia or just sinks.

Terrible situation.

They will be alright....when they get to wherever they going, they will instill their culture and barbarianism on the people that help them...Just like they did in Burma.

What utter nonsense you do spew.

[weegee]

get real....read the whole story and what it's all about.......Disappointed in you guys that post decent replies....This time you are WRONG....

Why Do you think no one wants to be involved?????

[weegee]

I wonder, indeed I hope, that some monitoring of this boat will take place - maybe from the air by the press.

My reason is that now it is gone and forgotten, none of us will know - certainly from the Thai press - whether or not it reaches Indonesia or just sinks.

Terrible situation.

They will be alright....when they get to wherever they going, they will instill their culture and barbarianism on the people that help them...Just like they did in Burma.

What utter nonsense you do spew.

Usaully you post good comments....I have worked with Burmese people for many years and took an interest in what they were saying....

Be they right or wrong...They had something to say. Please start to investigate what really is the reason no country wants them...before you critiize everyone who doesnt agree with you.....GET INFORMED on everything....Then you're comments will be taken into account but maybe not agreed with.....

[wwest5829]

For all refugees, Southesat ASIs, N. Korea, U.S. Immigration, as well as Europe, you deal with the issues within those countries or you deal with those fleeing conditions where they would rather chance dying than remain for an almost certain death. If there is but a chance....who would not take it?