PM says Thailand will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Rohingya'

BANGKOK, 26 May 2015 (NNT) - The Prime Minister has insisted that the government will do its best to provide humanitarian assistance to the stateless Rohingya minority.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said it is important for Thailand to look at what triggered the exodus, their migration, and their destinations, since Thailand is a transit country.

Ministers responsible for national security are expected to step up their humanitarian efforts. The Prime Minister has also instructed the Royal Thai Navy to patrol Thai waters for Rohingya boats and provide them with medical care if needed.

These migrants will be sent to temporary camps in Malaysia and Indonesia, while those too sick to be moved will be treated in Thailand. All procedures will be carried out according to the law.

The Royal Thai Air Force has also been patrolling the skies since yesterday for any migrant boats at sea. General Prayut said any nation wanting to join the mission is welcomed, but they must respect Thai sovereignty and Thai law.


-- NNT 2015-05-26

Well keep this up you might get invited to mop the floors at the UN.

Gee, all this sudden humanitarianism and compassion regarding the Rohingya is so touching (NOT)

the last people who should be dealing with these victims are the military.

from the BBC:

Towards the end of last year, I was given a briefing by a senior police officer who knows a lot about the human trafficking trade. He told me of at least one huge camp, right on the border with Malaysia, where 1,000 people could be held.

Why did he not shut it down, I asked. He laughed. "You know the border is a military zone", he said. "As a police officer I can do nothing there without military approval."

He had never got that approval. Why did he not go to General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led last year's coup, and who had pledged to end trafficking? If I try that, he said, the traffickers will be told even before I see him, and they will quickly move the camp. All he could do, he said, was to observe.

So we do not have to change places with these Rohinyas as was being previous told to us?

I wonder why Thailand is a transit country? Why wouldn't these nice Muslims want to stay in the friendly nation of Thailand?