By YENI
Thai government officials are in full damage-control mode in response to international media reports that the country’s navy has been towing Rohingya refugees out to sea—an action that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of asylum seekers from Burma and Bangladesh.
The reports suggest that the Thai Navy abandoned more than 1,000 Rohingya boat people in international waters in December after first detaining them on an island off the west coast of Thailand. Regional media and officials in India, where some of the stranded refugees have been rescued, reported that more than 500 people died as a result of being set adrift in overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels.
The number of Rohingya refugees appearing in Thai waters or on the country’s shores has been increasing steadily in recent years. According to official figures, 1,225 arrived in Thailand in 2005-2006. The number rose to 2,763 in 2006-2007 and 4,886 in 2007-2008. From November 26 to December 25 of last year, 659 Rohingya were arrested in eight separate incidents. Although Thai officials have denied all wrongdoing, no one clearly knows where those boat people end up.
Since the early 1990s, a rising tide of Rohingya refugees has been fleeing Burma and Bangladesh for political and economic reasons towards countries like Thailand and Malaysia. They prefer to leave from November to April, when the seas are at their calmest. Many have already succeeded in resettling in Malaysia.
According to researchers, Rohingya in Burma are subjected to various forms of harassment and abuse, including extortion and arbitrary taxation, land confiscation, forced eviction, destruction of their homes, and even restrictions on marriage. Rohingya in Bangladesh do not fare much better. They are exploited by local employers, who pay them less than $1 a day to perform backbreaking labor. Experts say that the number of boat people may increase this year due to the impact of the global economic downturn on the one of the poorest regions of Asia.
On the positive side, Thailand’s government appears to be taking the issue seriously. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva met with human rights officials on Monday to discuss the allegations. Suthep Thaugsuban, the deputy prime minister overseeing national security, has assigned Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to look into the Rohingya cruelty claims.
Suthep’s response to the problem has not been too reassuring, however. Speaking to reporters, he said, “I myself believe the [naval] officers did not do such a thing because Thai people have generosity and kindness.”
Although Thailand has earned a reputation for its nam jai (generosity) towards foreigners, Bangkok will need to do more than reassure the rest of the world that Thais are fundamentally decent people. A credible investigation must uncover the facts surrounding this case, and measures must be taken to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
As a further measure, Thailand can also offer its support to the Indian Navy, which has been busy responding to this tragedy on the high seas.
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