Rohinga claim to have been sent back to sea

Deja vu in Thailand it seems as a report from New Delhi claims that at least “91 ethnic Rohingya refugees allegedly pushed out to sea in a barge by Thailand were rescued by Indian police near the Andaman and Nicobar islands…”. Yes, it seems like a tragic re-run of the racist and inhumane activities of the Abhisit Vejjajiva government just a couple of years ago.

The report state that the “refugees, who were starving and dehydrated after being ‘abandoned’ on the high seas for nearly a fortnight, were hospitalized…”. That’s according to a senior police officer George Lalu. It is added that the “Rohingyas, who hailed from Bangladesh, were trying to enter Malaysia illegally via Thailand with the help of agents but were caught by Thai authorities.”

According to Lalu, these people were detained for 5 days then “they were set adrift in high seas on an engine-less wooden barge with hardly any rations and water…”.

The report adds that the “plight of the Rohingyas received international attention in December 2008 when the Thai military was accused of towing hundreds of Rohingya refugees out to sea in engineless boats to prevent them from entering the kingdom in search of work. Thailand’s military regards the Rohingyas as a security threat, fearing they would join the separatist movement in Muslim-majority southern Thailand.”

This Thai government has a very long list of “security threats.” It has been remarkably consistent on its inhumane and arguably illegal treatment of refugees and illegal migrants.