Opinion: Shouldering the burden of Asia’s persecuted

[webfact]

Opinion: Shouldering the burden of Asia’s persecuted
The Phuket News


The burden of helping Asia's afflicted should not fall on the shoulders of one nation alone. Photo: EU/ECHO/Pierre Prakash

PHUKET: -- Thailand has come in for a deal of criticism after it declined to join Malaysia and Indonesia in setting up camps for Rohingya refugees.

The morally indignant huffed and puffed that it was Thailand’s humanitarian duty to take the refugees.

But Thailand has stuck to its guns, arguing that first, it has no room to take the refugees (debatable) and that, second, the Rohingya don’t want to come to Thailand. They want to go to Malaysia or Indonesia, Muslim countries.

Critics should look at Thailand’s track record on refugees to see that the country cannot possibly be accused of being uncharitable.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Thailand played host to hundreds of thousands of Cambodian refugees fleeing the murderous terror of the Khmer Rouge regime.

It was decades before people in those camps were found homes in other countries or decided that, with the final defeat of the Khmer Rouge, they felt safe going home again.

Not all of the history of those camps was happy – Thailand did push many refugees back across the border to very uncertain futures.

But the sheer number of refugees put a huge strain on Thailand. So much so that in 1980 the ongoing refugee crisis at the time was perceived as one of the reasons that Gen Kriangsak Chamanand resigned as prime minister.

The last camp finally closed in 1999, 24 years after the first opened.

In the early 1980s, Thailand also experienced a flood of more than 32,000 Laotians across the border. Some were fleeing persecution, but others were economic migrants or draft dodgers. Again, Thailand had to look after them.

In the northwest of the country decades-long fighting has resulted in thousands fleeing over the border into Thailand. A whole generation of Karens has been born and grown up in Thailand.

In 2013, the UNHCR reported that Thailand was still housing nearly 82,000 of them.

Thailand has done its part in looking after refugees from neighbouring countries – more so than Indonesia or Malaysia have ever had to.

If those countries are now willing to take the Rohingyas, and the Rohingyas themselves would rather go to those countries, and Thailand is willing to help them on their way, this seems like an equitable sharing of the burden caused by Myanmar’s still odious regime.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/opinion-shouldering-the-burden-of-asia-persecuted-52561.php


-- Phuket News 2015-06-01

[Always18]

Well, that self-righteous B.S. really is rich coming, as it does, from those who seem to have facilitated this vile trade all along and without whose connivance it might never have occurred!

[Oziex1]

The original demand from the charitable was not about where to put them it was about no allowing them to die at sea.

The Thais and others just dithered and went on the defensive, we don't want them here. It was not until the embarrassment brought about by international media coverage pushed these countries into action.

They may be doing the right thing now however their initial lack of action was deplorable and they are rightly condemned for it.

The media waffle from this region is all about face saving, blame and denial.

I hope the UN and other capable agencies are working on a long term solution to repatriate these refugees as I don't trust the governments of the region to have the will to take this seriously,

[lungbing]

It's amazing that the news media also show photos of a woman and child. Then you see a longer range view of the boat and it's packed with young men without a woman in sight.