Boats with migrants will be guided away: Isoc

[Lite Beer]

TRAFFICKED MIGRANTS
Boats with migrants will be guided away: Isoc
The Nation

THAILAND will guide away boats with migrants on board found outside Thai waters or accept migrants after their boats enter Thai waters and repatriate them later, while sick boat people will be treated by medical personnel, the Internal Security Operations Command announced yesterday.

Bodies found in Thai waters will be retrieved and identified, said Isoc spokesman Colonel Banphot Phoolphian, and migrants of all nationalities would be treated based on international humanitarian standards.

The spokesman said the measures were standard operating procedure, which was being practised to cope with the trafficking and illegal migrations of Rohingya and other nationalities into Thailand.

Migrant vessels found outside Thai waters will be given navigational guidance in order to prevent them getting lost and entering Thai waters, he said, adding that this procedure had been applied in the case of a large boat carrying some 300 Rohingya outside Thai waters near Koh Lipe off Satun on Thursday.

In related news, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said the authorities were considering using two islands off Ranong as temporary shelters for migrants, while the Navy was mulling using another island.

The commander of the Fourth Army Region, Lt-General Prakarn Chomyuth, who is responsible for the entire South, said two inland sites in Songkhla and Satun were also being considered.

But the leader of a Ranong-based network of civic society groups, Nit Uytekkheng, said local residents were against using any area in Ranong as temporary shelters.

'Too much pressure from the West'

He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants.

Nit said a recent study to find appropriate sites for migrant shelters in Ranong's Kapoe district was halted following strong resistance by the locals. "I am sure that no Ranong residents will accept any shelters to be built here," he said.

An area Navy commander, Vice Admiral Sayan Prasongsamrej, said Myanmar smugglers of Rohinga who boarded the boat found near Koh Lipe on Thursday had dismantled engine parts and the batteries to disable the vessel, before fleeing on another boat before the Navy detected the vessel.

He said this ship had no intentions of entering Thai waters and the migrants were provided with fuel and enough food for two days before the vessel departed at 3am yesterday morning.

The Navy later said helicopters dropped the supplies in the sea because it feared the vessel could have been damaged, or the migrants could be hurt from the heavy cargo dropping onto the vessel. The migrants swam into the sea to retrieve the supplies.

Phuket Gazette reported that more than 100 Rohingya were found on Thursday night on Koh Ree in Mu Koh Surin National Marine Park, northwest of Phuket.

The group - consisting of 89 men, 15 women and two children - was searching for food in the sea when they were spotted by local sea gypsies, who notified park officers.

"Yesterday evening, I received a report from an officer at the Mu Koh Surin National Marine Park that there was a group of people suspected to be Rohingya on Koh Ree," said Sayan, the commander of the Navy's Third Area Command.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Boats-with-migrants-will-be-guided-away-Isoc-30260226.html

-- The Nation 2015-05-16

[ExPratt]

Looks like the US are trying for something Different

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Secretary of State John Kerry called Thailand's foreign minister to discuss temporary shelter for Rohingya Muslims adrift at sea, the State Department said on Friday, as the United States seeks to support efforts to end a crisis involving thousands of stranded migrants.

"The secretary called his Thai counterpart (Thursday) night to discuss the situation of migrants in the Andaman Sea and to discuss the possibility of Thailand providing temporary shelter for them," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said at a briefing.

http://www.trust.org/item/20150515175522-p11uf/?

[Strangebrew]

Let's see Reply was NO?

[winstonc]

i bet if the offer of money was put on the table a lot of ears would be pricked up standing to attention..then we can talk....

[khunianb]

Thailand joined the International Maritime Organisation in 1973 and is bound by its obligations.

The actions taken by the Thai government to 'guide away' refugees in distress are in contravention of their obligations: http://www.imo.org/OurWork/Facilitation/IllegalMigrants/Pages/Default.aspx

But they don't really care because they can't use the Rohingya as free labour anymore given the international uproar over mass graves and human trafficking sites.

[Bluespunk]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Edited May 16, 2015 by Bluespunk

[JDGRUEN]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

[Bluespunk]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

No boats have been left at sea or pushed out of international waters. The very opposite happens.

What happens after they land is another matter, if they are economic migrants then they should be safely escorted/flown home.

Those in genuine fear for their lives, well that's another matter. They should be settled.

[Chao Lao Beach]

I bet this will help Thais fishing export to the EU

[JDGRUEN]

i am happy the Thai Government is taking some of the necessary steps -- but here is what they should be doing...

This is what must be done...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/825322-asian-nations-must-help-save-migrants-at-sea-us/page-2#entry9410553

And this...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/825322-asian-nations-must-help-save-migrants-at-sea-us/page-2#entry9410802

[JDGRUEN]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

No boats have been left at sea or pushed out of international waters. The very opposite happens.

What happens after they land is another matter, if they are economic migrants then they should be safely escorted/flown home.

Those in genuine fear for their lives, well that's another matter. They should be settled.

They should all be towed home - the one they came from .. in the boat they came it after medical treatment, food and water, etc.

[Bluespunk]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

No boats have been left at sea or pushed out of international waters. The very opposite happens.

What happens after they land is another matter, if they are economic migrants then they should be safely escorted/flown home.

Those in genuine fear for their lives, well that's another matter. They should be settled.

They should all be towed home - the one they came from .. in the boat they came it after medical treatment, food and water, etc.

Only if they are purely economic migrants. Those fleeing persecution, violence and possible death cannot simply be returned to these things.

[JDGRUEN]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

No boats have been left at sea or pushed out of international waters. The very opposite happens.

What happens after they land is another matter, if they are economic migrants then they should be safely escorted/flown home.

Those in genuine fear for their lives, well that's another matter. They should be settled.

Boats of Libyan 'refugees' have sunk off the coast of Africa in recent weeks drowning hundreds -- no Ships of EU countries out there off the coast of Africa doing anything to prevent that... when they easily could ...

Edited May 16, 2015 by JDGRUEN

[Bluespunk]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

No boats have been left at sea or pushed out of international waters. The very opposite happens.

What happens after they land is another matter, if they are economic migrants then they should be safely escorted/flown home.

Those in genuine fear for their lives, well that's another matter. They should be settled.

Boats of Libyan 'refugees' have sunk off the coast of Africa in recent weeks drowning hundreds -- no Ships of EU countries out there off the coast of Africa doing anything to prevent that... when they easily could ...

They weren't there, yes that is tragic.

However they would have helped and taken the migrants ashore if they could have been there.

That they were not there was not a deliberate or intentional action.

It is crass to suggest anything else.

[dcutman]

Bodies found in Thai waters will be retrieved and identified, said Isoc spokesman Colonel Banphot Phoolphian, and migrants of all nationalities would be treated based on international humanitarian standards.

I wonder what his reaction would be if several hundred decomposing bodies washed up on Thailand's tourist beaches around the end of this month? I am sure the international press would fully report how Thailand complies with international humanitarian standards.

Edited May 16, 2015 by dcutman

[maidee]

human rights?

maybe next centaury in thailand

[dcutman]

Survivors of a boat that sank off the east coast of Sumatra island -- among roughly 900 people rescued off Indonesia on Friday -- described a violent struggle between Bangladeshis and Rohingya for scarce food and space.

"They were killing each other, throwing people overboard," said Sunarya, police chief of the city of Langsa near where they were rescued.

The jam-packed boat had put to sea two months ago, and with supplies running low, its Thai captain would shoot dead migrants who asked for food, said Muhammad Amin, a Rohingya.

The captain and crew abandoned ship earlier this week, and as the boat was turned away first by Indonesia and then Malaysia, the Rohingya won a violent struggle for remaining supplies, said Bangladeshi survivor Muhammad Koyes.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-us-raises-pressure-as-more-grim-asian-migrant-tales-emerge-2015-5#ixzz3aHeMEzkE

[ExPratt]

Malaysian vessels intercept migrant boat after Thais release it- Thai Navy

KOH LIPE, Thailand, May 16 (Reuters) - Malaysian vessels have intercepted a boat full of migrants after the Thai navy towed it out of Thailand's waters in the Andaman Sea, a Thai naval officer said on Saturday.

The boat was the same vessel the Thai navy towed back out to sea a day earlier, the officer aboard a patrol boat told Reuters. He declined to give his name.

The migrants told the Thai navy on Saturday they wanted to go to Malaysia, he said. The Thai navy had supplied the boat with food and fuel and fixed its engine before towing it out of Thai waters, he added.

Thousands of migrants are adrift in Southeast Asian waters, abandoned by people smugglers in the Andaman Sea following a Thai crackdown on human trafficking.

(Reporting by Aubrey Belford and Kaweewit Kaewjinda; Writing by Simon Webb)

http://www.trust.org/item/20150516071231-3gkzx/?

[Mudcrab]

Can we please stop calling these people migrants?

A migrant is someone who moves legally from one country to another country.

These people are illegal immigrants who want to short circuit the system that is in place to help genuine refugees to resettle in another country.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

Don't get me wrong I do feel sorry for the many people who live in poverty in many countries, but they do not qualify as refugees.

Over time they and their country folk will have the opportunity to better themselves economically as did the peasants in Europe after they separated religion from politics.

Simply jumping on a boat is not the way to do it.

I suspect many of the so called Rohingyas on the boats are really Bangladeshi...why is it there is such a high proportion of young single men on these boats?

They want to flee persecution but are quite happy to leave their wives and children back home to suffer.

Come on, some one is having a laugh at our expense.

And it needs to be stopped both in SEA and Europe.

[dcutman]

Can we please stop calling these people migrants?

A migrant is someone who moves legally from one country to another country.

These people are illegal immigrants who want to short circuit the system that is in place to help genuine refugees to resettle in another country.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

Don't get me wrong I do feel sorry for the many people who live in poverty in many countries, but they do not qualify as refugees.

Over time they and their country folk will have the opportunity to better themselves economically as did the peasants in Europe after they separated religion from politics.

Simply jumping on a boat is not the way to do it.

I suspect many of the so called Rohingyas on the boats are really Bangladeshi...why is it there is such a high proportion of young single men on these boats?

They want to flee persecution but are quite happy to leave their wives and children back home to suffer.

Come on, some one is having a laugh at our expense.

And it needs to be stopped both in SEA and Europe.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

You mean pushing back out to see to die a slow death from dehydration, or killing each other for what ever supplies are remaining. that kind of discouragement?

[Mudcrab]

Can we please stop calling these people migrants?

A migrant is someone who moves legally from one country to another country.

These people are illegal immigrants who want to short circuit the system that is in place to help genuine refugees to resettle in another country.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

Don't get me wrong I do feel sorry for the many people who live in poverty in many countries, but they do not qualify as refugees.

Over time they and their country folk will have the opportunity to better themselves economically as did the peasants in Europe after they separated religion from politics.

Simply jumping on a boat is not the way to do it.

I suspect many of the so called Rohingyas on the boats are really Bangladeshi...why is it there is such a high proportion of young single men on these boats?

They want to flee persecution but are quite happy to leave their wives and children back home to suffer.

Come on, some one is having a laugh at our expense.

And it needs to be stopped both in SEA and Europe.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

You mean pushing back out to see to die a slow death from dehydration, or killing each other for what ever supplies are remaining. that kind of discouragement?

Not exactly but this is the sort of comment I expect from people who are full of the "let them come" syndrome until it happens in their own backyard and then the reality is different.

Bit like the well to do Greenies who espouse the benefits of solar power and cover their roofs ever so smugly in PV panels but have a stand by generator for night time power while the rest of the true believers freeze in the dark..

One solution is to turn the boats back from whence they came at the earliest opportunity close to the point of departure or close to the nearest point of the country from where they departed. Little chance of starvation, drowning or dying of thirst then.

The world needs to stop allowing this uncontrolled self selection of countries for residence to continue or perhaps WW3 might be closer than we think.

Whether we agree or not each country has its own culture and they have the right to maintain that culture without bending to other peoples beliefs. They also have the right to determine who enters their country and under what circumstances they enter.

The touchy feely PC approach is good in theory and makes the twittering classes feel warm and comfortable.

The reality is somewhat different.

Italy is finding out right now.....apparently Sweden is a lost cause and is basically a Muslim country or will be within a generation.

By the way my doctor is a Muslim and a very good doctor and nice man to boot.

But all he does is recommend what medicine I should put down my throat, unlike other Muslims who desire to ram their ideology down my throat and expect me to bow to their primitive beliefs and laws.

[dcutman]

Can we please stop calling these people migrants?

A migrant is someone who moves legally from one country to another country.

These people are illegal immigrants who want to short circuit the system that is in place to help genuine refugees to resettle in another country.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

Don't get me wrong I do feel sorry for the many people who live in poverty in many countries, but they do not qualify as refugees.

Over time they and their country folk will have the opportunity to better themselves economically as did the peasants in Europe after they separated religion from politics.

Simply jumping on a boat is not the way to do it.

I suspect many of the so called Rohingyas on the boats are really Bangladeshi...why is it there is such a high proportion of young single men on these boats?

They want to flee persecution but are quite happy to leave their wives and children back home to suffer.

Come on, some one is having a laugh at our expense.

And it needs to be stopped both in SEA and Europe.

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

You mean pushing back out to see to die a slow death from dehydration, or killing each other for what ever supplies are remaining. that kind of discouragement?

Not exactly but this is the sort of comment I expect from people who are full of the "let them come" syndrome until it happens in their own backyard and then the reality is different.

Bit like the well to do Greenies who espouse the benefits of solar power and cover their roofs ever so smugly in PV panels but have a stand by generator for night time power while the rest of the true believers freeze in the dark..

One solution is to turn the boats back from whence they came at the earliest opportunity close to the point of departure or close to the nearest point of the country from where they departed. Little chance of starvation, drowning or dying of thirst then.

The world needs to stop allowing this uncontrolled self selection of countries for residence to continue or perhaps WW3 might be closer than we think.

Whether we agree or not each country has its own culture and they have the right to maintain that culture without bending to other peoples beliefs. They also have the right to determine who enters their country and under what circumstances they enter.

The touchy feely PC approach is good in theory and makes the twittering classes feel warm and comfortable.

The reality is somewhat different.

Italy is finding out right now.....apparently Sweden is a lost cause and is basically a Muslim country or will be within a generation.

By the way my doctor is a Muslim and a very good doctor and nice man to boot.

But all he does is recommend what medicine I should put down my throat, unlike other Muslims who desire to ram their ideology down my throat and expect me to bow to their primitive beliefs and laws.

Sorry but you original comment and reaction is knee jerk, and many other TVF members have been the same. Thai's, Malaysians and others have been profiting hugely by exploiting these very people for decades. In fact many industries in Thailand or Malaysia would be non existent without these people or illegal immigrants from Burma, Cambodia and Laos.

[Thongkorn]

Thailand depends on Migrants, Take a look around who is building the sky train < who are building most of Thailand infrastructure, not the lazy Thai men

[ace]

i bet if the offer of money was put on the table a lot of ears would be pricked up standing to attention..then we can talk....http

Yeh expect negotiations have begun. They'd make more than they did selling them to their families for sure. Then when everyone's forgotten about it (couple of months) well....

[somjintana]

Try to cross the boarder from Mexico to the US and see how you go America is now better than any other country like Europe, Australia all you peple who live here in LOS love to nock everything if you don't like it here go home

[dageurreotype]

Boats with migrants will be guided away

Pushed back out to sea. No one cares. So enough with the faux concern. Next week they'll be history. Fact.

[dageurreotype]

Basically queue jumpers who need to be discouraged by whatever means necessary.

You mean pushing back out to see to die a slow death from dehydration, or killing each other for what ever supplies are remaining. that kind of discouragement?

Ah well. Maybe word'll get back to their homeland and they'll stop chancing their collective arms and maybe one or several among them will stop attempting to abandon their fellow men and women and stand up for their bloody selves. As the rest of us in The West did instead of lumping ourselves on other nations. How about that for an idea?

[djjamie]

Sounds like they are adopting Australia's boat people processes by turning the boats back.

If it gets worse then maybe Thailand can reach an agreement to have processing and relocation of illegal immigrants sent to PNG..

[mango66]

"He also criticised Western countries for what he described as unfairly pressuring Thailand to take better care of the Rohingya and other boat people while they were themselves reluctant to permanently house these migrants."

There is a difference between treating people well, not allowing them to remain at sea in dangerous circumstances, in not ignoring basic humanitarian conditions and housing refugees. The West consistently takes migrants ashore and treats them with basic humanity. This does not mean they are going to allow them to settle.

Besides have any Rohingya expressed a desire to settle in the West?

Not totally true -- the EU has been dragging its feet -- to say the least to help Italy ... don't take my word for it ... check it out ... It is called Western hypocrisy...

No boats have been left at sea or pushed out of international waters. The very opposite happens.

What happens after they land is another matter, if they are economic migrants then they should be safely escorted/flown home.

Those in genuine fear for their lives, well that's another matter. They should be settled.

Boats of Libyan 'refugees' have sunk off the coast of Africa in recent weeks drowning hundreds -- no Ships of EU countries out there off the coast of Africa doing anything to prevent that... when they easily could ...

THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF EU BOATS out in the middle sea, but they can not catch all refugee boats befoe they sink;

But if they cartch a bot, they bring the refugees on land for help and support,

But Thai Boats help them fo reach the open stormy sea !

When they bring then food, they drop it in the sea !!!!

!! They drop the food in the sea !! not to damage the boat ,

have you ever read such an BS ???

[simple1]

Sounds like they are adopting Australia's boat people processes by turning the boats back.

If it gets worse then maybe Thailand can reach an agreement to have processing and relocation of illegal immigrants sent to PNG..

Australia worked closely with the Indonesian authorities, although they were reluctant to do so, to ensure the safety on any boats that were 'turned back" So far as I'm aware there were no reports of boats being turned back that resulted in the death of passengers. Myanmar has a policy not to accept returnees and has gone on the public record basically saying they couldn't give a f#%k about world opinion or the Rohingya.

Someone has described the boat people as 'queue jumping', perhaps they can explain what queue the Rohingya resident in Myanmar can lawfully join as to get accepted for processing for resettlement in a foreign country, refugees must be located in a third party country, not IDPs. There are currently about 14.5 million refugees worldwide, UN efforts, other than voluntary repatriation, result in about 100k+ refugees p.a. being resettled, so hell of a long queue!

Edited May 16, 2015 by simple1