EDITORIAL
Saving face while casting migrants adrift
The Nation

Friday's 'special meeting' of regional countries and other states did nothing to address the root causes of the Rohingyas' plight

BANGKOK: -- Though few observers expected last week's "special meeting" of Asean to yield a breakthrough on the Southeast Asian migrant crisis, we were dismayed that the senior government officials and experts who gathered in Bangkok offered no means to tackle the root cause of the problem.

The Thai hosts said the meeting was conducted in a "constructive" manner, with no country singled out for causing the massive flow of migrants. However, it is far from constructive to ban debate on the reasons why people are fleeing their homes in Myanmar by the thousands every month.

In fact the meeting was designed as an exercise in saving face, and as such was neither constructive nor necessary. The world has long known that the Rohingya migrants come from Myanmar, a country purporting to be undergoing democratic reform and reconciliation after decades of military rule. Also well publicised is that the stateless Muslim Rohingya are fleeing political, social, cultural and religious persecution at the hands of the majority Buddhist population, as well as government policies. The ethnic tension flared into communal violence in 2012 that saw 140,000 residents, mainly Rohingya, abandon their homes. As long as such tension exists, the exodus will continue.

Myanmar authorities regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bengal and refuse to grant them citizenship.

While delegates at Friday's meeting in Bangkok danced round the question of who was to blame, officials from Bangladesh and Myanmar were happy to point the finger at people-traffickers for flooding the region with migrants.

Clearly trafficking in human beings is a problem in Southeast Asia, but state authorities cannot be permitted to pretend that catching the traffickers would bring an end to the mass migration. The trafficking is being fed by a deeper demand that is rooted in the living conditions of Rohingya in Myanmar. In addition, crooked state officials in our region have been identified as part of the problem.

The fact is that the unwilling victims of traffickers are few in comparison to those who willingly leave their homes in search of a better life elsewhere in the region.

Many officials at the meeting seemed to realise that, unless the causes were addressed at their root, the migrant problem would not be solved.

However, the official summary of the meeting allocated just one of its 13 paragraphs to those causes, with a vague pledge to address "factors in the areas of origin including, among others, capacity-building of local communities, providing economic incentives that create more jobs".

What was missing was any commitment to enhancing the Rohingyas' sense of security and belonging, protecting them against violent persecution and giving them adequate access to basic rights and services, such as housing, education and healthcare.

These are the core issues that need to be addressed if we want to fix this migrant crisis, but no one at the meeting had the courage to raise them with the Myanmar delegates.

Thai officials at the meeting repeatedly said it was good to have Myanmar "on board" after the country had threatened to boycott the session. But most observers were left questioning whether Myanmar's participation had any positive impact at all on the gathering's outcome.

It seems the "special meeting on irregular migration in the Indian Ocean" might have eased some of the international pressure building on Thailand and her neighbours, but it did nothing to alleviate the plight of the Rohingya and other migrants.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Saving-face-while-casting-migrants-adrift-30261393.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-02

Yep that's Thainess for you, they really don't give a duck.

So to cap it all this meeting was a complete and utter waste of time.

So to cap it all this meeting was a complete and utter waste of time.

YEP.

That's Thailand for ya. Can't find any real Truth here or accountability.... perhaps beyond redemption.

I've said it a hundred times, "saving face" is the worst character or cultural trait of all Asian nations that embody this trait. It holds them back from being honest and open people who can stand up to their mistakes so they can find solutions and move forward to a better society.

Excellent editorial that is clear and to the point. How do we deal with the 'face' issue?

isn't there a muslim country in the world with a shortage of people ?

maybe they can all go to syria and fight for ISIS ?

I've said it a hundred times, "saving face" is the worst character or cultural trait of all Asian nations that embody this trait. It holds them back from being honest and open people who can stand up to their mistakes so they can find solutions and move forward to a better society.

I have always felt, with the guys I work with, it is not the mistakes they make but how they react to them and learn from them. That is when you know someone is worth teaching and trying to keep around.

Illegal immigration must be stopped.

The Nation ha been showing a disturbing trend toward insightful journalism. Quick, someone tell Herr General !

All about saving face, everything is window dressing.

So to cap it all this meeting was a complete and utter waste of time.

No, no.......not like that really ...just a good meeting allowing all of them to practice their ready made excuses and learn how well they can avoid any culpability or responsibility or complicity on their part...and have a few laughs while the whole lot of them are not taking the matters at all seriously...because it is not their fault or problem really......not at all...... right?

Cheers

But at least a descent article that in itself doesn't pull any punches. Surprising clear and well written.

If " Egg on your face" were a reality at that meeting, Thai officials looked like OMELETS FOR 50 !

Finger pointing was the sport of the day with nothing resolved. They are waiting for the usual

Western & European help with an exclusively Asian problem & these 2 groups, like saps, will do it !