Yesterday we told you that 78 more Rohingya illegal aliens have been apprehended in Thailand. Sixty-six have been sent to jail (the other 12 are minors).
RANONG, Jan 28 – 66 illegal Rohingya migrants sent before a Thai judge in this gateway to Myanmar on Wednesday were fined 1,000 baht each (nearly US$30), and when none were able to produce the funds, the judge sentenced them each to five days imprisonment.
The wrangling is well underway between on one side the UNHCR and human rights groups who say the Rohingya Muslims are persecuted and thus should be given asylum, and the Thai government which maintains they are economic migrants and thus illegal aliens subject to deportation.
The migrants represent the latest influx of Rohingya who have been entering Thailand illegally amid accusations that the Thai military have mistreated them. Human rights groups fear that repatriation could lead to further difficulties.
“There is no reasonable ground to believe that these illegal migrants fled from their country of origin for well-founded fear of being persecuted,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Thailand faces an “enormous burden” because of 3 million illegal migrants currently in the country, the statement said.
Note: the emphasis above is not mine, it is in the original story.