Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – The debate continues over the humanitarian conditions of the Burman refugees of Rohingya ethnic origins. They are an ethnic minority and followers of the Muslim religion, who suffer persecution in the Rangoon regime. The Rohingya do all they can to flee the country and venture out into the open sea in their boats with the hope of reaching Thailand. The government in Bangkok, in many cases however, does not grant asylum to the refugees. Many of these boats filled with refugees who are turned away by Thailand's maritime authorities, end up on the Andaman Islands or in Indonesia, after having gone days without food or water. According to several survivors, many boats are shipwrecked.
The refugees that survive are detained as illegal immigrants. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) asked the Thai government for permission to visit the 126 Rohingya boat people currently detained in southern Thailand. The UNHCR intends to verify whether or not there are people among them in need of international protection.
The fate of the Rohingya is a regional problem, says the UNHCR, which hopes to open talks with the authorities in the area, in order to find the proper manner of resolving the deeper causes that lead the Rohingya to risk their lives in these journeys. Thailand has called for an International Conference on the drama of the Asian “boat people.” A spokesman from the Foreign Affairs Minister in Bangkok said that the idea came about following a meeting of members of the Thai government with representatives from India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Myanmar.
According to the official statistics, between 2005-2006, 1,225 refugees came to Thailand; the following year, 2,763. Between 2007-2008, there were 4,886, with a continuous growth pattern. From November 26 to December 25, 2008 there were 8 registered cases of forced detainment, involving 659 refugees.
Amnesty International and other international NGOs are showing a great interest in the difficult situations of these refugees.
The Rohingya minority in Myanmar numbers about 800,000. Over 250,000 have left the country due to the violence. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 28/1/2009)
