http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8f/entry-3284.html
In December 2008 and January and February 2009 hundreds of Rohingya—a stateless Muslim ethnic group who are persecuted in Myanmar — were rescued in Indian and Indonesian waters. They were found hungry and thirsty. Some were covered with welts. They said they were detained and beaten before being set adrift with few supplies by Thai security forces. Rights groups fear scores may have perished.
A photograph apparently showing the Thai army towing refugees out to sea were published in the media. Similar images were shown by CNN. The United Nations, human rights groups and several countries expressed concern for the migrants' welfare. Thai authorities initially denied wrongdoing, insisting they only repatriated illegal migrants.
Reuters reported: “Rickety wooden boats crowded with hundreds of Rohingya have reached Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in the last two months, the latest in an annual trickle of people fleeing by sea in search of better lives.
The Thai army admitted towing hundreds far out to sea before abandoning them, but insisted they had food and water and denied reports the boats' engines were sabotaged. Of 1,000 Rohingya given such treatment since early December, 550 are thought to have drowned. Although most Rohingya are heading for Malaysia, where a sizeable diaspora lives, 1,000 Thais in the southern province of Ranong protested against the migrants, saying they would not allow any sort of temporary refugee shelter. [Source: Reuters, February 4, 2012*]
“In addition to the Rohingyas living in Myanmar, 230,000 Rohingya live a precarious, stateless existence in Bangladesh, having fled decades of abuse and harassment at the hands of Myanmar's Buddhist military rulers, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A popular migration route has been by boat from Bangladesh or Myanmar to Thailand then overland to Malaysia. As of late January 2009, nearly 650 Rohingyas had been rescued in the territorial waters of India and Indonesia. In February 2009 there was evidence of the Thai army towing a boatload of 190 Rohingya refugees out to sea.
A group of refugees rescued by Indonesian authorities also in February 2009 told harrowing stories of being captured and beaten by the Thai military, and then abandoned at open sea. *
The Economist reported: “Located in a poor neighbourhood, Thailand is cautious about giving refugees a generous welcome. Doing so, it worries, might draw millions more across its borders, especially from Myanmar... But there is no excuse for the astoundingly callous way Thailand has treated around 1,000 refugees from the Rohingyas, a Muslim minority group from Myanmar: beating them and casting them adrift on the seas without adequate supplies. Around 650 survivors have washed up in Indonesia and India in recent weeks; hundreds more may have drowned. In late January 2009, Thailand was still dodging questions from the United Nations' refugee agency about a further 126 Rohingyas whom the UN believes Thailand recently had in its custody but who may also have been dumped at sea. [Source: The Economist, January 29, 2009**]
“
The army, the source of so much other trouble in Thailand, is to blame. The Rohingya operation was overseen by ISOC, an army unit formed to fight communist insurgents during the cold war, whose powers were restored by
the military-backed government that ran the country for 15 months after the 2006 coup. The army's denials have been undercut by photographs obtained by CNN, showing soldiers towing rickety boats full of Rohingyas out to sea and cutting them loose.” **
“Upon closer scrutiny, it is a real blessing in disguise that the Rohinya problem blew up in the face of the
Abhisit-led government. First of all, given his professed high moral ground, Abhisit will definitely act on issues related to human rights and freedom of expression sooner than later. Secondly, the rohingya refugees also exposed the Thai government's limit, or for that matter what the countries at the receiving end can do on a human tragedy of this scale that they have not created. Thirdly, their plight will enable the public and global communities to understand the problem's root cause and solve it at the source. Finally, it's hoped this travesty would prompt all stakeholders to cooperate and provide more assistance, especially the UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations. ==
ROHINGYA IN THAILAND: PERSECUTED, SOLD TO HUMAN TRAFFICKERS AND ABANDONED AT SEA
In December 2008 and January and February 2009 hundreds of Rohingya—a stateless Muslim ethnic group who are persecuted in Myanmar — were rescued in Indian and Indonesian waters. They were found hungry and thirsty. Some were covered with welts. They said they were detained and beaten before being set adrift with few supplies by Thai security forces. Rights groups fear scores may have perished. A photograph apparently showing the Thai army towing refugees out to sea were published in the media. Similar images were shown by CNN. The United Nations, human rights groups and several countries expressed concern for the migrants' welfare. Thai authorities initially denied wrongdoing, insisting they only repatriated illegal migrants.
Reuters reported: “Rickety wooden boats crowded with hundreds of Rohingya have reached Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in the last two months, the latest in an annual trickle of people fleeing by sea in search of better lives. The Thai army admitted towing hundreds far out to sea before abandoning them, but insisted they had food and water and denied reports the boats' engines were sabotaged. Of 1,000 Rohingya given such treatment since early December, 550 are thought to have drowned. Although most Rohingya are heading for Malaysia, where a sizeable diaspora lives, 1,000 Thais in the southern province of Ranong protested against the migrants, saying they would not allow any sort of temporary refugee shelter. [Source: Reuters, February 4, 2012*]
“In addition to the Rohingyas living in Myanmar, 230,000 Rohingya live a precarious, stateless existence in Bangladesh, having fled decades of abuse and harassment at the hands of Myanmar's Buddhist military rulers, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). A popular migration route has been by boat from Bangladesh or Myanmar to Thailand then overland to Malaysia. As of late January 2009, nearly 650 Rohingyas had been rescued in the territorial waters of India and Indonesia. In February 2009 there was evidence of the Thai army towing a boatload of 190 Rohingya refugees out to sea. A group of refugees rescued by Indonesian authorities also in February 2009 told harrowing stories of being captured and beaten by the Thai military, and then abandoned at open sea. *
The Economist reported: “Located in a poor neighbourhood, Thailand is cautious about giving refugees a generous welcome. Doing so, it worries, might draw millions more across its borders, especially from Myanmar... But there is no excuse for the astoundingly callous way Thailand has treated around 1,000 refugees from the Rohingyas, a Muslim minority group from Myanmar: beating them and casting them adrift on the seas without adequate supplies. Around 650 survivors have washed up in Indonesia and India in recent weeks; hundreds more may have drowned. In late January 2009, Thailand was still dodging questions from the United Nations' refugee agency about a further 126 Rohingyas whom the UN believes Thailand recently had in its custody but who may also have been dumped at sea. [Source: The Economist, January 29, 2009**]
“The army, the source of so much other trouble in Thailand, is to blame. The Rohingya operation was overseen by ISOC, an army unit formed to fight communist insurgents during the cold war, whose powers were restored by the military-backed government that ran the country for 15 months after the 2006 coup. The army's denials have been undercut by photographs obtained by CNN, showing soldiers towing rickety boats full of Rohingyas out to sea and cutting them loose.” **
“Upon closer scrutiny, it is a real blessing in disguise that the Rohinya problem blew up in the face of the Abhisit-led government. First of all, given his professed high moral ground, Abhisit will definitely act on issues related to human rights and freedom of expression sooner than later. Secondly, the rohingya refugees also exposed the Thai government's limit, or for that matter what the countries at the receiving end can do on a human tragedy of this scale that they have not created. Thirdly, their plight will enable the public and global communities to understand the problem's root cause and solve it at the source. Finally, it's hoped this travesty would prompt all stakeholders to cooperate and provide more assistance, especially the UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations. ==