Thailand to Investigate Rohingya Refugee Abuse Claims

Thailand to Investigate Rohingya Refugee Abuse Claims
By Ron Corben Bangkok 19 January 2009

Thailand has promised to investigate allegations government troops had set adrift hundreds of Muslim Rohingya boat people on the high seas. Many of the illegal immigrants may have drowned. The call by Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva came during a meeting with human-rights groups.

Picture taken late 2008 shows of a group of refugees on the Thai island of Koh Sai Baed guarded by the Thai army

Mr. Abhisit promised the investigations would get underway after reports Thai security forces had abused hundreds of ethnic Rohingya who had landed in Thailand and who later forced them back into the open seas.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Mr. Abhisit had called on government agencies to provide a report on the circumstances surrounding the Rohingya boat people. He said the government’s policy was aimed at setting a balance between humanitarian concerns and the country’s security needs.

“The policy of course is to make sure that the issue of illegal migration is to be based on two principles – one is of course is the individual’s status and rights and the other one of course is national security and the rights of the Thai people,” he said. “The policy, of course, is aiming to balance the two.”

Panitan said those officials who had breached the guidelines “would be dealt with accordingly.”

Earlier, Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said it would also launch an investigation into the reports and reassess the overall situation of illegal immigrants.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told the media Monday the government took the allegations of abuses against the Rohingya boat people “seriously” and planned to meet the ambassadors from Bangladesh, India, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Human rights groups said more than 500 Rohingya boat people and Bangladeshi migrants landed in Thailand in December and were later forced back into the open seas. They say most are still missing.

Survivors, hundreds of which were rescued by Indian authorities, complained they had been set adrift with only a few days supply of food and water. Those who survived were all severely dehydrated.

The Thai navy has denied the allegations it pushed the boat people back into the seas, saying the allegations “had no substance.”

Somchai Homla-or, chair of the Campaign Committee for Human Rights, attended Monday’s meeting. He welcomed the government’s response as previous governments had failed to address the human rights issues of Rohingya.

“The issue of Rohingya and what we have heard they are treated badly for years, especially by the past government,” he said. “We hope that this issue will be solved by this government as some of the other human rights violations.”

Sally Thompson, a director with the Thailand-Burma Border Consortium, an agency working with Burmese refugees, said the boat loads of Rohingya were often linked to human trafficking gangs operating out of Bangladesh.

“We’ve been seeing this pattern now for about three years, where this time of the year we’ve been aware that there are boat loads of people making their way down to Malaysia and that some of them have ended up in Southern Thailand around Ranong, Phang Na and Phuket,” she said.

Refugee workers say Rohingya mostly travel to Malaysia to find work. Among Malaysia’s 36,000 refugees registered with the United High Commission for Refugees, more than 12,000 were members of Burma’s Rohingya Muslim minority.

Refugee Admissions Program for East Asia

Refugee Admissions Program for East Asia

 

Population, Refugees, and Migration

Fact Sheet

February 6, 2009

 

Background

Since 1975, more than 1.3 million refugees from Asia have been resettled in the United States, either from first asylum countries or through in-country processing. More than 900,000 were Vietnamese, but the U.S. has also resettled significant numbers of Highland and Lowland Lao and Khmer.

While the U.S. continues to resettle eligible Vietnamese and Lao refugees in small numbers, processing of refugees from Burma has increased dramatically in recent years. In Thailand, more than 145,000 refugees from Burma, mostly ethnic minorities, are recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and live in nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. In addition, there are some 43,000 persons of concern, mostly Burmese, registered with UNHCR in Malaysia. As Thailand and Malaysia have agreed to significant third country resettlement for these refugees, the U.S. is working closely with UNHCR, non-governmental organizations and regional governments to facilitate this process.

An Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) in Bangkok prepares refugee cases throughout the region (except for Vietnam) for adjudication by the Department of Homeland Security/U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) and coordinates post-adjudication processing and cultural orientation. Transportation to the U.S. is arranged by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In Vietnam, case preparation and post-adjudication processing is coordinated by the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City.

The U.S. remains concerned about the plight of North Korean refugees. The North Korean Human Rights Act calls on the Administration to facilitate the submission of applications of North Koreans seeking protection as refugees. Since 2006, the U.S. government has worked closely with UNHCR, governments in the region, and NGOs to offer U.S. resettlement interviews to North Koreans whenever possible and appropriate.

FY 2009 Admissions Program

The FY 2009 ceiling for refugee arrivals from East Asia is 19,000. The U.S. expects to admit up to 18,000 ethnic minority refugees from Burma living in Malaysia and Thailand, including over 10,000 refugees from Burma living in camps along the Thai/Burma border.

The Humanitarian Resettlement (HR) Initiative in Vietnam stopped accepting applications through June 25, 2008 from Vietnamese citizens who might have been eligible under three categories of the former Orderly Departure Program (ODP). This program is limited to those Vietnamese who were eligible for an ODP program but who, through no fault of their own, were unable to apply or who were unable to complete the application process before the Orderly Departure Program (ODP) closed on September 30, 1994. The U.S. anticipates resettling about 1,000 individuals via the HR Initiative and some 100 individuals as P3 beneficiaries. It is expected that HR processing will be largely completed by September 30, 2009.

An Appeal Letter over the Plights of Rohingya Refugees Boat People in Thailand and Indonesia.

 2^nd February 2009

Dear Chief Editor,

Press Statement……….

An Appeal Letter over the Plights of Rohingya Refugees Boat People

in Thailand and Indonesia.

 

We, Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) are very much concerned over on going situation of Burmese refugees, especially for people who flee for fear of persecutions and facing again various violations in country of refuge. In particular, recently arrived Burmese Rohingya boat people refugees who were released by Thai authority into the sea to death.

We are very much concerned over Thai authority mistreatment over separately arrival of 1,000 Rohingya Burmese refugee boat people. They were detained in horrific condition for two to four weeks before the Thai authority release them into international water at mid-night without engines and foods. Boat people therefore, flowed separately into Andaman-India, Aceh province of Indonesia and some back to Burma. Hundred of dead bodies were recovered by Indian coast guard, about 500 were feared dead. Whereas, some claimed as Bangladeshi due to fear of forced deportation to Burma.

The Rohingya boat people who reached into Thailand and Indonesia were deem as economic migrants and therefore treated as undocumented migrants. We condemn the act of both countries who denied access for the UNHCR to the boat people. We feel very sad as the ASEAN countries are silent about the mistreatment of the boat people by Thai authority. This clearly shows that the ASEAN countries are reluctant to tarnish the image of its member states. While there is lack of transparent approach on vulnerable boat people, genuine reasons of leaving the country will be left behind. Finally, their claim as refugee was delayed on both countries’ reluctant to deal with UNHCR and they will be repatriated and prosecuted by the military junta. By doing this both countries are considered as committing genocide indirectly towards Rohingya boat people. The Thai government had violated International Laws, its democratic rules, and generosity and kindness of Thai people. Instead of protecting the vulnerable boat people, the Thai government sentenced them under the Immigration Act which resulted in force deportation to Burma.

The military junta had expressed that Rohingya had no historical connection with Myanmar. The junta official said “there is no so-called Rohingya ethnic minority group in our history before or after our independence”. He further added “it is totally unacceptable to say Rohingyas are from Myanmar’. (New Straits Times, January 30, 2009). This is a total lie by the military junta as the Rohingya exist in Arakan State as early as 7^th Century A.D. Rohingyas has long history in Arakan State of Burma but the military junta refused to accept the fact. This made Rohingya as stateless and facing continuous abuses and prosecutions from the regime.

There are about 230 000 Rohingya seeking protection in Bangladesh though Rohingya are not welcome by the Bangladesh government. This is a result of the persecutions towards ethnic Rohingya by the military junta. They are also not safe as many of them had forcefully repatriated by the Bangladesh government and face prosecutions by the junta. Thousands of Rohingya refugees in detentions for more than a decade are under way for repatriation. The harsh treatment by the Bangladesh government forced them to find a safe place and started leaving the country across the sea by boat.

But, SPDC government has good gains with Bangladesh. Thus, Bangladesh dared to commit against humanity, international laws, instead of its Islamic obligations. Bangladesh had succeeded in repatriating thousands of Rohingya refugees without mechanism to protect them widely in 1992, and it continues secretly.

Another 15 000 Rohingya are seeking protection from the Malaysian government for the past 3 decades. Malaysia is not a signatory country to the Refugee Convention 1951 and has no legislation for refugees protection, therefore, refugees are considered as undocumented migrants and facing deportation. MERHROM continuously appealing to the Malaysian government to protect Burmese refugees until relocate to a signatory country. While the UNHCR has started Resettlement for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, we hope the UNHCR will accelerate the same to the Rohingya refugees in Malaysia. The equal treatment has to be accorded to all refugees without distinction as refugees face similar situation and for some ethnic group like stateless Rohingya are even worst.

Well known to the world that we Rohingyas are the worst victim of human rights violations and defecto stateless group in Burma which forced us to flee into neighboring countries.

 

The Rohingya situation became worst in late 1960 by promotion of Buddhism as the state religion by U Nu government. It had continuously taken place in regard of capitalism and to create tension between Rakhines and Rohingyas, and constituted Rakhine state from Arakan division through restoration of Rakine territory.

 

Rohingyas were widely affected by;

1. Na Ga Min Operation in 1978 under U Nu government (Revolutionary Govt.)

2. Pyi Ta Yar Operation in 1991 under Saw Maung government (State Law and Order Restoration Council).

3. Na Sa Ka Operation since 1992 under State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Both Na Ga Min and Pyi Ta Yar operations made about 500,000 Rohingyas to flee into neighboring countries particularly in Bangladesh.

The military junta has perpetrated severe human rights violations against ethnic Rohingya including;

1. Destruction of homes, settlements, villages, mosques and religious schools

2. Denial of Citizenship by 1982 Citizen Law and rejected from ethnic groups

3. Severe restriction of movement

4. Restriction on the right to marry and form a family

5. Confiscation of land and property

6. Denied education

7. Force labor

8. Raped and Sexual violence

9. Arbitrary killings and arrests

10. Tortures, extortions and taxations

11. Muslim settlements were being substituted by new settlers.

 

The report published by the Altsean Burma entitle “Rohingya and Muslims in Arakan State: Slow-Burning Genocide” has clearly reveals gross human rights violations towards ethnic Rohingya. The recent report published by the Refugee International and Christian Solidarity Worldwide reveals the same. Unfortunately, the world leaders and the United Nations are not doing enough to address the plight of Rohingya refugees in Arakan and in exile. The ignorance of the world leaders and the United Nations over the worsening situation in Burma only increase the death of Burmese people under the rules of military regime.

While the military continues its ethnic cleansing and persecution towards Rohingyas, many are fleeing continuously into unexpected region like Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia. Thus, they required to meet international protection in country of refuge. They cannot be considered as illegal. Their genuine reasons for leaving the country must be recognized.

We observed that Refugees Agency-UNHCR is weak in protecting refugees from where persecution and crimes took place. Therefore, MERHROM would like to draw kind attention over unfortunate boat people refugees. The UNHCR with its mandate have to play more active role to identify and protect refugees and increase dialogue with source and host country of refugees to stop criminalizing and deportation of refugees in accordance to the International Standards.

We appeal to the ASEAN countries to protect Burmese refugees particularly Rohingyas due to its stateless status and their vulnerability. ASEAN countries must refer all refugees who reached at their land to the UNHCR for their protection.

We appeal to the world leaders especially to the leaders of the Resettlement countries to accept stateless Rohingya refugees in the Resettlement program as many of them are facing human rights violations in the host countries and denied Resettlement to the third country.

Yours sincerely,

Habibur Rahman

Secretary General, (MERHROM)

Tel: 012-2595185

E-mail: rights4rohingya@yahoo.co.uk

Blog: http://www.merhrom.worppress.com