Thai junta to send back Myanmar refugees
Iran Press TV
Mon Jul 14, 2014 2:28PM GMT
Thailand's ruling junta says it plans to send home 100,000 refugees who have been living in camps for two decades and more along the border with Myanmar.
We cannot return the refugees to their homeland now, as 'we must first verify the nationality of those in the camps," army deputy spokesman Veerachon Sukhontapatipak said on Monday.
"Once that is done we will find ways to send them back. There are around 100,000 people who have been living in the camps for many years without freedom. Thailand and Myanmar will help facilitate their smooth return," he added.
The announcement comes as non-governmental organizations have expressed concern about a lack of infrastructure in Myanmar to help returnees reconstruct their lives.
An estimated 120,000 Myanmarese refugees live in 10 camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border, according to The Border Consortium, which organizes NGO activity in the camps.
Many of the refugees have fled persecution, ethnic violence and poverty in Myanmar.
On July 11, junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to "facilitate the safe return" of tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya Muslims to their homeland.
He noted that the issue of the Rohingya Muslims had been discussed with Myanmar's Commander-in-chief of Defense Forces, General Min Aung Hlaing.
Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar account for about five percent of the country's population of nearly 60 million. They have been persecuted and faced torture, neglect, and repression since the country's independence in 1948.
The UN recognizes the Rohingya Muslims living in Myanmar's Rakhine state as one of the world's most persecuted communities.
The Myanmar government has been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups for failing to protect the Rohingya Muslims.
MR/AB
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
