A REGIONAL conference in Bangkok on Friday on rising tide of boat people in Southeast Asia ended without a breakthrough to address the Rohingya Muslims crisis who are leaving Myanmar being systematically persecuted by the government making them stateless refugees. In Myanmar words, Rohingyas are however Bangladeshi nationals, it does not recognise them and has no responsibility as such, except extending humanitarian aid in their rescue from the sea. Its representatives in the Bangkok Conference have declined to talk on the issues leaving the organisers of the conference to ponder how to stop the stream of migrants at source from that country.
The major achievement of the international efforts to deal with the boat people tragedy comprising Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya Muslims, has so far come from the US offer to resettle unspecific number of Rohingya refugees, besides giving humanitarian help to their temporary settlement rescuing from the South Asian Sea. Thai Foreign Minister Thanasak Patimaprakorn said the US military would operate flights now out of Thailand to search for migrants in the sea. It has authorized such flights from Thai airfields following Washington’s request in this respect. The US has also pledged $3 million in aid when Australia pledged $4.6 million and Japan also made a similar pledge for financial help. Thailand would offer humanitarian aid short of offering shelter.
Meanwhile, Malaysia and Indonesia are sheltering boat people for at least one year rescuing them from sea where they were dying without food and drinking water. Their navy ships and fishing boats are carrying out rescue as new vessels are spotted out regularly in their off-shore waters. They have agreed to take the refugees on assurance of the International Community that they would find ways of their resettlement as thousands of people in Thai and Malaysian jungles camps are also waiting for shelter. The fact is that Bangladeshi migrants, unlike Rohingya refugees, would find no problem to return home but finding a solution for stateless Rohingyas would be a challenging task. It appears that the US is emerging in the leadership role in the efforts but this is a huge task and only a more coordinated efforts and bigger financial commitments by regional and global players can bring a peaceful end to the crisis. But as it has been said the most challenging task is to stop new migration at source from Myanmar but the non-cooperation of country’s leadership remains a big obstacle to it. The IMO figure shows over 160,000 people fled their country by sea since 2012 and the number shot up to 25,000 alone in the first three months of this year.
Meanwhile, the silence of Myanmar opposition leader and Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has come as a big disappointment to the global community prompting critics to wonder how she became a changed person from her past role as a champion of human rights to forget the cause of a minority community in her own country. Nobel Laureate Dalai Lama’s comments sounds more sarcastic as he said Suu Kyi was adorned as one of the most lauded peacemaker for democracy and human rights. But her silence is a huge disappointment to people at the moment.
