I am not wading into Thailand’s political mess, it is too complicated. However, I would be remiss in keeping our Rohingya Reports category up to date without mentioning that the Rohingya boat MEN (I refuse to say boat people implying women and children were included) controversy is morfing into a major test of the prime minister (or so his critics contend).
Here is an editorial from the Bangkok Post today:
The proposal from the Foreign Ministry for a meeting of regional nations to find a permanent solution to the dilemma presented by Rohingya boat people is definitely a step in the right direction, but it will do little to dim the perception that Thailand has a lot to hide in its handling of the situation thus far. This is critical as new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva strives to restore the credibility of the rule of law in Thailand following the closure of Bangkok’s two airports late last year by People’s Alliance for Democracy protesters.
Mr Abhisit is in the unenviable position of trying to defend the policy of turning away Rohingya boat people while at the same time assuring that they have been handled according to international human rights standards. The problem with this is that evidence keeps mounting that this has not always been the case, and, as well, that perhaps no one outside the nation’s security forces, not even the prime minister, has a clear picture of what exactly is going on.
Read on. Think about it: many of the problems facing the stability of a large number of countries of the world is illegal immigration.
This editorial ends with cheering Obama’s first week and tells the people of Thailand what wonderful things he has accomplished so far. Here are the last lines:
Mr Obama is expected to lift restrictions on federal funding for stem cell research as well. In all these areas, a change of direction was badly needed. The world waits for Mr Obama’s next moves.
By tacking this on to the end of the Rohingya editorial it sounded like they would soon be bringing Obama in on the Rohingya situation. Come to think of it, maybe that isn’t so far-fetched. Watch for the push from the refugee resettlement lobbyists and federal refugee contractors to bring these Rohingya Muslim boat men here!
Watch too, for the battle of terminology. Governments in the region are calling these Rohingya and Bangladeshi boat men “economic migrants” which is a completely different thing than a “refugee” escaping persecution. The first is just a fancy term for illegal alien, the latter can ask the UN for refugee status and a ticket to the first world.