Turn back migrants: M’sia PM
(AP) CHA-AM (Thailand) – MALAYSIA'S prime minister has called for Myanmar's Muslim boat people to be pushed back if they attempt to land on any Southeast Asian shores in search of asylum, The Bangkok Post said on Friday.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also took swipes at Myanmar and Thailand on the issue of the Rohingya refugees, which has escalated into a major problem for the region and one of concern internationally.
Thousands of the stateless Rohingya have fled Myanmar as well as refugee camps in Bangladesh in recent years, but their plight was only highlighted recently when hundreds were believed to have drowned after being pushed out to sea by the Thai military.
Mr Badawi was scheduled to arrive at this beach-side resort on Friday for the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-nation bloc with includes Myanmar. The Rohingya issue is expected to be discussed on the sidelines of the three-day conference but is not part of the official agenda.
Thailand has called for a special regional conference on the refugees, who often attempt to land in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
'We feel that they are being pushed onto us instead of Thailand accommodating them somehow,' Mr Badawi said who also criticized Myanmar's military regime.
It was unclear from the interview how Mr Bawadi reconciled his call for Thailand to accommodate the refugees while at the same time saying that they should be pushed back from Southeast Asian shores.
The Rohingyas, an ethnic minority not recognized by Myanmar's government, number about 800,000 in that country. Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Middle East.
The prime minister said he would be pleased to see international organizations helping to solve the problem. 'They (the organizations) are very concerned and at times they are critical of actions taken by governments,' he said.
Human rights groups have been highly critical of Thailand for allegedly abusing groups of Rohingya refugees whose rickety boats reached its shores and then towing them out to sea without adequate provisions or fuel for their craft. Thailand has denied the allegations.
