Update Jan. 17th: The story is growing like a cancer.
While I was out today, I happened to notice a TV tuned to CNN with a trailer that said something like ‘Thailand denies whipping refugees on beach.’ Here is the story CNN has reported today on the alleged mistreatment by the Thai military of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladesh arriving illegally in Thailand.
This is what a representative of Refugees International told CNN:
“The Thai government is taking highly vulnerable people and risking their lives for political gain,” says Refugee International’s Sean Garcia says.
“It should be engaging the Burmese government on improving conditions at home for the Rohingya if it wants to stem these flows.
I don’t get it, Mr. Garcia, what political gain is Thailand getting out of this? And, what the heck is “engaging the Burmese government”. I hate it when these yakkers tell other people (or countries) to start “engaging!” Engaging how? More talking?
And, I noticed too that CNN never mentions that the Thai government is afraid this latest huge influx of Rohingya men (they have not brought women and children) have actually come to Thailand to join the Islamic insurgency in the south of that country. Oh no, it’s all about the immigrants, never about a country protecting its sovereignty or the safety of its citizens.
I don’t mean to suggest that Thailand shouldn’t treat the Rohingya humanely, they should. Detain them, treat them well, and deport them back to where they came from. But, I can just see it coming….actually I hear the drumbeats.
The US will have to airlift them to a town near you, just as the Maltese boat people are being brought to America or the Iraqis by the tens of thousands.
For more on the Rohingya, see our category here, including all of our recent posts on the Rohingya boat men.