Arakan News Agency
Things are better, but it’s time thailand tackled the trafficking and boat people problem with sincerity
Things appear to be moving in the right direction with regard to the plight of the Rohingya boat people.
But it took Thailand some time before the government came to this juncture. Indeed, it was somewhat embarrassing to see Thailand dragging its feet even after Malaysia and Indonesia made sharp U-turns on their policies on the Rohingya boat people.
At first, everybody was pushing them back. Food, water and fuel were given to the migrants before they were pushed back into international waters where uncertainties awaited.
Embarrassed by the publicity, Thai officials along the Andaman coast obstructed the work of local and international media by ordering local boat owners not rent their services to foreign and local reporters for fear their reports would tarnish the country’s reputation.
But they don’t seem to understand that pushing people back to sea – especially people fleeing persecution – was utterly unacceptable by today’s norms.
For the sake of Thailand and for the sake of humanity, this is something that has to be exposed.
With decades of experience working with refugees from neighbouring countries, we would think that our government officials would be among the world’s leading experts on this issue.
So in this respect, it is fair to ask why did they behave like a bunch of young and inexperience officials? Were they afraid of upsetting the
generals, perhaps?
But when you have a leader who likes to shoot from the hip, it’s difficult to be too assertive.
Last Thursday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha stated: “Anyone who supports this idea of accepting boat people, please contribute Bt1 a day or take them to your home.” He also said that people who disagreed with him should change places with the Rohingya.
These were the words of a leader of a country. ‘Embarrassment’ is an understatement, indeed.
In its capacity as the chair of Asean, Malaysia recently held a high-level meeting with Indonesia and announced a plan to provide refuge to the Rohingya, about 8,000 of whom had been floating on the high seas for weeks and months until the region’s governments changed their positions.
Missing from the meeting in Kuala Lumpur meeting was Thailand. Our flag was there but nobody was sitting at the table for the subsequent media conference.
Former foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan was on the money when he said that Thailand should use the Rohingya crisis to its advantage and rid itself of the human trafficking stigma.
It’s easier said than done, of course, especially when so many government officials benefit from the trade.
From the people who man the border and get paid to turn a blind eye, to the jailers who resell the victims back to the traffickers, to the security units on the ground whose outposts are often a stone’s throw from the illegal camps housing migrant captives until their families pay their debts, this is a very comprehensive arrangement. Real political will is needed to penetrate this ring and bring an end to this stigma that has tarnish Thailand’s international standing.
Bangkok is hosting a high-level meeting on the issue next Friday and Myanmar has finally accepted the invitation. It’s not too late to come up with a more meaningful position, one that shows Thailand cares and means business when it comes to its commitment to international norms and practices in relation to refugees fleeing persecution.
Moreover, the US Trafficking in Persons Report will come out in a matter of weeks and the verdict is still out as to whether the European Union will give us a red card over allegations of illegal fishing and human rights violations on the high seas.
But we still have time to act. Arresting a few people and boasting about how many shady officials you transfer is not enough. The world needs to know what Bangkok’s future position on this humanitarian crisis is.
We can blame Thai society’s racist attitude for influencing our policy on the Rohingya. But surely there are some officials out there who know, deep in their heart, what the right course of action is.
They should know that whatever action we take now will define us as a nation for generations to come.
Source : nationmultimedia
