37 Rohinyas and Bangladeshis face repatriation

SONGKHLA: -- A total of 37 Rohingya and Bangladeshi people who entered the country illegally will be repatriated back to their countries, according to local authorities in Songkhla.

They are among a hundred of Rohinya migrants who were abandoned and rescued by Thai authorities from jungles in the Khao Kaew mountain in Tambon Padang Besar of Sadao district of Songkhla province.

Authorities have carefully screened them and considered them illegal immigrants as they entered the country illegally and not victims of human trafficking.

They were all charged for illegal entry in the court after being detained in crowded detention rooms for two days.

The court later convicted them of illegal entry and ordered them to be repatriated.

All the 37 illegal immigrants were yesterday sent to Sadao Immigration Office from where they would be repatriated to their home countries.

The remaining 63 migrants were identified by police investigation as victims of human trafficking and would be sent to the provincial social development and human security office’s care centre.

One of the illegal immigrants, a 25 year-old Bangladeshi identified himself as Arid said they were very poor and wanted to find a job in Malaysia.

A broker promised to take them to Malaysia but they were abandoned in the middle of their trip.

He said they could not contact anyone after being left in the jungle.

The young man said if he could not go to Malaysia, he would go back to Bangladesh.

“We want to go to Malaysia if it is possible. But if it is not possible to go to Malaysia, then we want to go back to Bangladesh,”the illegal immigrant told reporter in English.

But another illegal immigrant identified as Muhammad Hashim said he fled his home in Myanmar’s Rakine state in a hope to find a job in Malaysia.

He said he had paid a broker to arrange him to the country.

The man said he hoped other country would accept to take him, if he could not go to Malaysia. He said he did not want to go back to Myanmar.

The convicted 37 Rohingya and Bangladeshi people will be held at the Sadao Immigration Office where Thai officials will work on how to repatriate them back to their country of origin.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/37-rohinyas-and-bangladeshis-face-repatriation


-- Thai PBS 2015-05-15

Fair enough with regards to illegal immigration, but these will be very desperate people.

I do feel sorry for the people that are victims of human trafficking though as that is another matter.

Repatriated to where exactly? It's not as though they are recognized as citizens of any country?

Repatriated to where exactly? It's not as though they are recognized as citizens of any country?

The Bangladeshis will go back to Bangladesh...presumably the Rohingyas will go back to Myanmar.

Interesting how the Bangladesh people are happy to get on a boat with the Rohingya people when there is a possibility of going to a "rich" country. Wolf in sheep's clothing comes to mind.

What is the home country of a stateless?

Why are they not recognized as political refugees? Haven't they suffered enough?

Repatriated to where exactly? It's not as though they are recognized as citizens of any country?

The Bangladeshis will go back to Bangladesh...presumably the Rohingyas will go back to Myanmar.

Don't those countries have to accept them first? The Rohingyas aren't recognized as Myanmar nationals, so I can't see them being accepted (one of the major factors in this mess). Myanmar says they're all Bangldeshi. Well, except for the ones who have birth records of a parent or grandparent being born in Burma before 1948, but I doubt anyone in this refugee group falls in that category.

Australia pays to send em to PNG. Thailand or whomever has unwanted refugees could do the same.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australia-signs-deal-to-send-boat-people-to-papua-new-guinea-8721292.html

Well nothing lost then, just returned back home and next time they will try another route, and another country