Rohingya are illegal migrants, not refugees: Thai Army Chief

[simple1]

They are illegal immigrants unless they apply for asylum for reasons of persecution. That is the way it works everywhere .... The UK ... the EU ... the USA ... everywhere.

<snip>

Rohingya can only apply for asylum for reasons of persecution once they cross a border, they cannot apply for asylum / refugee status by UNHCR within Myanmar. With the Rohingya the 'illegal migrant" construct is utilised by governments to avoid providing for internationally accepted human rights.

[philw]

Finally, a chance for the "We have the solution for everything holier than thou mighty Farang!!" ... to walk the walk!

May I kindly inquire why I am not seeing a single suggestion that they are picked up and transported to ... your country of origin?

Oh my, it must be such a luxury to be far outside the range of the tiny boats out on that wide ocean.

It must be so easy to just "call and raise" .. when no one will ever ask to see YOUR cards.

Funny though, get one of you in a pub, and ask about the immigrants in your countries, and you wanna "Nuke em' all"

I do not endorse what is happening. i am not in favor of women and children suffering this way. I do not know the solution.

Oh, wait .. I DO know the solution.

Send the American, British and Australian navies to find, rescue and send these people to the USA, UK and Oz.

What's that? Not a good idea?

Do you possibly think, for even a fraction of a second, that a British Naval vessel, Merchantman, HM Coastguard or RNLI boat would refuse succor to people in distress at sea ???

You know nothing if you think that.

What are they supposed to do, determine a religion first ???

Sorry, no rescue for Muslims, Jews or Catholics, atheists only??

bangkokequity, quite a misnomer, unless something to do with boiler rooms.

[wabothai]

These disasters happen when generals are in power, particularly in Birma.

South East Asia needs to grow up a little faster before they drown in their own wash.

[recycler]

As the commercial possibilities dissapear their status changes and the Thai navy pushes them adrift to die somewhere else...

[macca3248]

Mobile Content ,we in Australia dont need anymore bludging welfare seeking illegals in this country ...

Send them back to where they came from , we dont need them bring their bad habits and islamic terror to our shores .

There is already to many of them here now .

[Robby nz]

For all those T.V armchair experts who jump blindly blaming Thailand for this, IT IS a problem that needs Burma to take responsibility for. As much as it is a human disaster and absolutely atrocious, one cannot put the blame squarely on Thailand for refusing to accept them. Thailand has already hundreds of thousand of Burmese people, some of them Rohingyas living in the Kingdom. My maid is a Burmese and she has a decent life, proper papers and a the protection. She is grateful for the Kingdom for her lifestyle that she has.

Look at Australia who has also declined to accept them and will turn them back. Why not then blame Australia also. Frankly, as sad as it is, blaming any country or nation for this, while Burma quietly sits there, shows pure ignorance...

That is a fair comment, but you need to acknowledge that Thailand started to take advantage of the situation and profited from it. Read the 2013 Reuters report. If they had at that point said, "Hey, this is wrong", that message would have gotten up to Burma and it would have stemmed the flow to some degree. All the countries involved need to pony up and solve this once and for all.

You are going to have to try to differentiate between Thailand and the few criminal Thais who have joined with the trafficking gangs to take advantage of these people.

The vast majority of the 64 million Thai people have taken no part in this and the country has in fact lost heavily from the actions of the criminals, and Thailand has recently been at the forefront of stopping the trafficking and bringing the local traffickers to justice.

It is this action that has forced the traffickers to abandon Thailand as a transit point and brought about the unfortunate but predictable consequence of boats that were on the sea at the time now stuck there.

There is no arguing that this should never have gone on so long and that officials in Thailand as well as other Asian countries have been involved and these officials need to be dealt with harshly whoever they are.

As has been correctly written the solution is not to take them all in regardless but to treat them for what they are, for instance, if what I read is correct a third or more of those on boats are from Bangladesh and they are not refugees but economic migrants and should be treated as such. Whether the Rohingya are refugees or not is a moot point but to accept them without question can only encourage others.

There is also the distrust of Muslim aspect which Islam has brought on itself.

[Doc46]

Many men, women and children may die while trying to escape persecution. Thailand and other nations in se Asia should be ashamed of themselves.

Why? would you look after the space invaders when they turn up on your doorstep? Wake up ,if you let them in now you lose the country forever ,,they will take over,,just a matter of time,,

[timmyp]

NB: Why nobody comes in by land from Myanmar? Their are peoples smugglers all over Myanmar and many make it through the forests into Thailand.

I would assume it's because they are actually trying to get to Malaysia, not Thailand. They may have thought crossing through Thailand was a bad idea (as indeed it has turned out to be for those that landed in Thailand).

It may not be safe to cross through the Myanmar countryside either, considering they are a persecuted minority, and don't have travel rights in Myanmar. Sea may be their best option, which really shows you what miserable situation they're in.

[chainarong]

What claptrap , the Thai Army Chief talks ,talk about an out of touch moron, anyone escaping persecution from a country that treats them like sh!!t, is a refugee , anyone looking for a job is migrant , there is a big distinction General , Thailand's human rights record is sub par at the best of times, the Thai Army Chief helps to re-enforces this opinion, Thailand should be doing 2 things, help the Rohingya people and along with the rest of ASEAN start attacking the Burmese government or take a look at your principals and kick Burma out of ASEAN.

[Travelman868]

As callous as it seems, it would appear that all countries are in favor of giving them food, water & medicine and sufficient fuel so they can return to where they came from, be that Myanmar or Bangladesh. It was mentioned on the news that some Myanmar migrants were telling UNHCR officials they were Rohingya refugees so they would qualify for aid assistance.

And now the Phillipines has announced the same will apply should any boats arrive in it's waters.

It is the correct thing to do as letting them in would send the message that any arrivals by boat will be taken care of. This would have 100,s of thousands turn up in days. This is simply not the solution.

As shown by Thailand and other countries ... assist and help them in a humanitarian way with food, water & all the essentials.

Next step would be to go after the smugglers and kill them. This will stop further boats coming and also assist those in need now.

The fact is that most of the world's persecution is being carried out by Muslims. They say poor me, poor me but Thailand need another load of Islamist's

like a hole in the head. Yes I understand that there are women and children in these groups but the big question is :- why are the Muslim countries refusing

to accept them ??????

[gchurch259]

The problem the World over is over population in all these poor countries. These people have little or no education, no skills other than cooking or washing cloths. So all these people want to go to countries where the welfare is good and the free stuff is paid for by the working people in those counties. Africans go to Europe and bring nothing of value, Hispanics from every country south of the USA come up through Mexico and into the US for all the free stuff, they bring little or no skills other than how to multiply.

The EU created a crazy mess of worker from other countries coming to the countries that pay good. I was working an aircraft in Shannon Aerospace and a lot of them came from other countries a lot spoke little English. It is a big mess and the countries with a little money are helping countries that will not or can not help themselves, mainly Greece, Spain and to some extent Italy. But the free loaders keep coming by the boat load from Muslim Countries and then want to change Europe into the same mess they left.

[chainarong]

Mobile Content ,we in Australia dont need anymore bludging welfare seeking illegals in this country ...

Send them back to where they came from , we dont need them bring their bad habits and islamic terror to our shores .

There is already to many of them here now .

What you really are saying Macca3248 is that OZ has enough Taxi Drivers

[Suffinator]

Thailand’s Army Chief said today that Rohingya migrants fleeing persecution in Myanmar do not qualify for refugee status in Thailand, and will be treated as illegal migrants.

That Gen. Udomdet Sitabutr is the type of statement that should put you and your country to shame. Look up the word 'Humanitarian' and then after you've educated yourself maybe you might look at this a different way.

Let's just hope that the EU bans your fishing products, the FFA and ICAO refuse to provide you with airline safety certification and that the US keep you where you belong on the TIP ... at the bottom with the rest of the worlds scum. After that let's hope that the West piles on a crap load of sanctions and once that's all done we'll see whether you think the west is being inhumane.

[Travelman868]

They are illegal immigrants unless they apply for asylum for reasons of persecution. That is the way it works everywhere .... The UK ... the EU ... the USA ... everywhere.

Though I sympathize with their plight, I understand the reluctance of a non Muslim country to bring in Muslim immigrants. The behavior of Muslim minorities in the Philippines, Bali, Europe, the USA, the UK, Australia (need I go on?) lean towards violence and extremism inside the host country.

The social contract we make if we are an expat or immigrant is to abide by the laws of the land and respect the social and cultural norms of the host country. Not all Muslims, but fundamentalist Muslims believe Islam and Sharia supersede the laws and social norms of the country they choose to live in. Furthermore, this is encouraged and funded by Islamist in other Islamic countries.

Exactly the good General is a brave man who is putting the rights & interests of his countrymen first before those of unwanted illegal immigrants.

Muslims belong in Muslim countries and should be forwarded to Malaysia & Indonesia.

Lets hope your warped logic isn't applied to all faiths and non faiths.

Why are they warped ideas ?? It is a fact that the Muslims ask for help and after receiving it they then cause trouble. When they burn our flags and bibles that is ok if someone burns a Koran the whole Muslim world is in uproar.

Everything and I mean everything has to be done to accommodate them but they put Islam first and their host country second. Name more than one Christian country that does not allow freedom of worship. Now make a list of Muslim countries !!!!!!!

[LannaGuy]

As an Ex-Pat, if you dont like Thailands policy your free to hope on a boat and leave.

wish there was HOPE on those boats and wish there was compassion in your heart but alas there is NEITHER

[billphillips]

I see the term "boat people" popping up around the world frequently now. I can understand the Thai statement in the OP.

"Boat people" now seems the fashionable way to avoid the wait, cost and hassle of applying for a visa. Iv always found it rather strange that illegals often have a specific destination in mind. Surely someone seeking asylum or refugee status would be very content with anywhere except home, and the persecution they were suffering. Not so ... Look at all the camps set up in France, people from far away countries seeking an illegal route into the UK via the channel tunnel or similar. Why aren't they happy with France? They are already there and well away from the persecution that they claim.

I personally feel that on this occasion and on this subject; Australia is dealing with the situation correctly. Other countries should learn from the wisdom of the Aussie actions.

[JoeLing]

Many men, women and children may die while trying to escape persecution. Thailand and other nations in se Asia should be ashamed of themselves.

then why dont they go to a muslim islamic country ( malaysia ) and not a buddist country, all you liberalist fools are aware that wherever muslims go they spread only hatred and try to impliment their laws and ways on other cultures , when they have the majority we will all be done. these people started the trouble in burma and created the trouble for themselves , good on the burmese bhuddist people for not tolerating it ( wish we were same in europe ) .

Biggest nonsense I read so far from someone who obviously hasn't much idea of history.

The Rohingas where in Rakinen state well before the Burmese invaded and colonialised

them nearly a 1000 years ago and Burmese Buddhists settled there.

Suppose, first the colonial powers went to all the countries who were "inferior" to them,

Christianize and civilize them in order to steal their resources, then send the whole country

back in to the middle ages, making everyone believe, it has nothing to do with us.

[samuibeachcomber]

There is no answer to this almost world wide problem.Yes humanity says they must be let in and taken care of,this would be the christian,buddhist thing to do.But at a price that destabilises the local population?and makes matters worse.Its a fact world wide that when a country has too many aliens within its borders the social fabric of that country can break down.

The logical answer would be to return migrants fleeing from terror or economic meltdown and sort out the govt. of the country they are fleeing from.

And what's the "social fabric" of Thailand anyway?

Alcohol, prostitution, drugs, rape, cold blooded murder, racism, hypocrisy, ravage, rage, corruption, tyranny, coups ...?

Certainly enough reason to hold on to it and defend it with another bullet.

I wait for Thailand to fall into genocide mode and then we will remeber, once again. Before that, we will remember what to do when the next disaster strucks them and they come crying and begging. We will just turn our heads! Trust this!

This country gets sicker by the hour. Their home grown cancer is far to advanced.

almost sounds like the UK.....A COUP COMING TO DOWNING STREET SOON

[DDbkh]

Bangladesh receives billions of dollars annually in aid from well meaning, predominantly Christian western countries. This money rarely goes to improve the lot of the millions of oppressed people living in squalor in that country. TV readers should know that corruption in Thailand is child's play compared to the cold blooded corruption in Bangla and most countries that are oppressed by the same 'religion'. None of these countries lift a finger to look after their own. Unfortunately, as in the UK, most of these economic migrants are not prepared to adopt the ways of their new country and even demand that their religion and laws be taken up by that country.

Thailand has been fighting against Islamic dissidents in the south for years and has lost thousands of people, it can ill afford to accept thousands of new Islamic people who will refuse to fit in to the Thai culture. It has enough problems dealing with the economic migrants from other SEA countries.

The world should demand that Bangladesh and Burma (Libya and others) provide for their own people or lose the vast amount of aid that is given and immediately shipped to Switzerland every year.

[eggers]

The Army Chief,Gen. Udomdet Sitabutr, is correct; the boat people are illegal immigrants. Whilst it is disturbing to see to see people suffering, it is at their own behest & responses by countries, such as Thailand, providing basic requirements to enable the people to return from where they come is the correct action. Whilst it's harsh, it may be the only way to stop the illegal trafficking & have people apply thru the proper channels for refugee status.

Plus, countries such as Myanmar & Bangladesh need to take responsibility for the unfair treatment of these minority groups, not simply "wash their hands" of responsibility....UN needs to show some "balls" & apply pressure on these countries + US if it wants to meddle once more!!

[lildragon]

Some of the attitudes on here are disgusting. Boats full of human beings are drifting out at sea desperate and hungry and some of the attitude is "so what, they are Muslims they deserve it" you do know it is the Rohingya that are victims of brutal prejudice in Burma right? Think before you Start spitting your ignorant, racist bile. And Yes I would take them into the uk where despite similar attitudes multi-culturism works.

[micmichd]

Finally, a chance for the "We have the solution for everything holier than thou mighty Farang!!" ... to walk the walk!

May I kindly inquire why I am not seeing a single suggestion that they are picked up and transported to ... your country of origin?

Oh my, it must be such a luxury to be far outside the range of the tiny boats out on that wide ocean.

It must be so easy to just "call and raise" .. when no one will ever ask to see YOUR cards.

Funny though, get one of you in a pub, and ask about the immigrants in your countries, and you wanna "Nuke em' all"

I do not endorse what is happening. i am not in favor of women and children suffering this way. I do not know the solution.

Oh, wait .. I DO know the solution.

Send the American, British and Australian navies to find, rescue and send these people to the USA, UK and Oz.

What's that? Not a good idea?

Good idea. The West started all this.

[oneday]

What's in a word...the difference between compassionate treatment and reckless disregard for life.

Now that the government has clearly defined their terms, they can sleep better at night.

[samuibeachcomber]

As an Ex-Pat, if you dont like Thailands policy your free to hope on a boat and leave.

wish there was HOPE on those boats and wish there was compassion in your heart but alas there is NEITHER

Yes but if say 10 refugees came knocking on your door would you be prepared to look after them for ever?I dont think so ,but that's what people are asking countries to do.It's a mess with no answer and a lot of all this has to do with islam(the religion itself) and the disruption and hatred to people's lives.,IT'S A CANCER THAT IS SPREADING FAST.

[dragonfly94]

Some of the attitudes on here are disgusting. Boats full of human beings are drifting out at sea desperate and hungry and some of the attitude is "so what, they are Muslims they deserve it" you do know it is the Rohingya that are victims of brutal prejudice in Burma right? Think before you Start spitting your ignorant, racist bile. And Yes I would take them into the uk where despite similar attitudes multi-culturism works.

I find the attitude of the bleeding heart liberals disgusting. If these scumbags turned up at the Thai border and claimed to be 'refugees' they would soon be told to clear off, so they wallow about in boats hoping people will have 'compassion' for them, believe their lies about persecution and look after them and their many offspring. The boats should be given food an water and towed back out to sea. These people were not forced onto the boats, are not escaping a war and will only cause a headache in a Buddhist country just like they did where they come from.They have no right to enter Thailand legally so they are playing the asylum card like so many others, luckily the Thais are not as stupid as the west so far. Multi multiculturalism has not work in the UK it has been a divisive disaster, ask the 1500 children raped and tortured in Rotheram what they think about the socialist multi cultural dream

Edited May 20, 2015 by dragonfly94

[Travelman868]

Finally, a chance for the "We have the solution for everything holier than thou mighty Farang!!" ... to walk the walk!

May I kindly inquire why I am not seeing a single suggestion that they are picked up and transported to ... your country of origin?

Oh my, it must be such a luxury to be far outside the range of the tiny boats out on that wide ocean.

It must be so easy to just "call and raise" .. when no one will ever ask to see YOUR cards.

Funny though, get one of you in a pub, and ask about the immigrants in your countries, and you wanna "Nuke em' all"

I do not endorse what is happening. i am not in favor of women and children suffering this way. I do not know the solution.

Oh, wait .. I DO know the solution.

Send the American, British and Australian navies to find, rescue and send these people to the USA, UK and Oz.

What's that? Not a good idea?

no not a good idea..we got enough already thanks..got plenty going to the uk already poncing off us taxpayers but thanks for asking ..

Europe has it's own problems with boats. Every day they come from Muslim countries in Africa to Non Muslim Europe, I wonder why???

Have a look at the recent history of the Rokingya Muslims, they don't want to be part of Myanmar they want an independent state. They are like the Muslims in South Thailand "Peace but only on their terms"

[JoeLing]

Where dose it all ends? you have those tens of thousands who migrated or tried to migrate to Australia

over the last 10 years, you have the hundred of thousands north African who swarm over Italy

and countries near by, and now this Rohinga problems that are really the responsibilities of the

Burmese government,

if the world will leave the gates open, all of Africa and many third world countries will want to migrate

to a rich, first world countries.. where dose it stop or end???

You have tens of thousands, even millions who migrated or tried to migrate to Australia,

America, Africa and Asia over the last 600 years in order to colonialize and exploit those

"inferior" countries, stealing their resources and enslaving people for our benefit.

Where does it stop? Where does it end? Ask the Red Indians, the Aboriginals, the

black Africans or all other minorities who have been swallowed up by the so caring

Christian "First World".

Ohhh, sorry, suppose many of those minorities can't answer your question, as with our

help and blessing, many of them have been eliminated already.

[bazza40]

Interesting that Malaysia and Indonesia - both predominantly Muslim countries - also refuse entry to a persecuted Muslim minority.

[samuibeachcomber]

Some of the attitudes on here are disgusting. Boats full of human beings are drifting out at sea desperate and hungry and some of the attitude is "so what, they are Muslims they deserve it" you do know it is the Rohingya that are victims of brutal prejudice in Burma right? Think before you Start spitting your ignorant, racist bile. And Yes I would take them into the uk where despite similar attitudes multi-culturism works.

You are joking? multi culturalism works in the uk? maybe in the countryside,but in the cities.?and like i said before,you take in 10 yourself,feed them take care of them,they will stay forever and i dont think you could do this forever.that's what countries are being asked to do.Thailand is a buddhist country,it is already taking care of people from myanmar,it gives visas,work permits to cambodians laotions,burmese etc.It has a civil war in the south.does thailand want,need more strife.It's up to the myanmar govt. and bangladesh govts. to fix their own problem!

[Franko666]

Many men, women and children may die while trying to escape persecution. Thailand and other nations in se Asia should be ashamed of themselves.

Don't think so, the military have seen what happens in Europe and elsewhere when these Islamics decide to go where they want for a better life or perhaps to cause further mayhem. My view, they either go back and be good citizens (good luck) or let some other local Islamic country take 'em in (good luck again).