A human rights activist has called on the Thai government to pressure Myanmar to put an end to violence against people in Myanmar, saying this would help solve Rohingya refugee problems in Thailand.
Siwawong Suktawee, who represents the Coalition for the Rights of Refugees and Stateless Persons (CRSP), said on Friday that if the Myanmar government stops using force against people, including the Muslim Rohingya from Rakhine state, they would not flee to other countries.
Mr Siwawong also called on the Thai government to set up a "pushing out" policy focused on repatriating refugees to their home country or sending them on to third countries.
He made his call at a seminar held yesterday at the Thai Journalists Association on Samsen Road in Dusit district to discuss the Rohingya refugee problem and the 2016 situation report on international migration.
The session was attended by representatives from migrant working groups and human rights activists who got together to come up with ideas to solve the problems of stateless people, migrant workers and refugees including the Rohingya in Thailand. It was held to mark International Migrants Day tomorrow.
Waves of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh and Malaysia after suffering discrimination and attacks in Myanmar. They usually transit through Thailand.
Mr Siwawong demanded the Thai government work with other Asean countries to put pressure on Myanmar to stop using all forms of violence against anyone in its country.
He also called on the Thai government to support Asean member countries' activities in solving the Rohingya refugee problems and not to interfere with Myanmar's internal affairs.
The human rights activist also urged the Thai government to cooperate with Asean member countries to set up a mechanism to deal seriously with the problems concerning the Rohingya.
The mechanism should include allocating a budget for activities that helps solve the problems; organising countries in which Rohingya refugees can stay until they reach a third country, and urging Asean member countries to work together to take care of Rohingya refugees.
On legal measures, Mr Siwawong called on governments to stop the practice of no time limits on immigration detention, saying they should be freed under certain conditions after being detained for illegally entering the country.
Conditions should be in place for releasing refugees on bail or bond, he added.
As for Rohingya refugees who are detained by authorities, Mr Siwawong urged governments to allow non-profit organisations to get involved in the process of refugee releases by offering to stand as guarantors for a detained refugee.
If Rohingya want to enter a country legally, the government should approve humanitarian visa applications which they can apply for before entering the country, allowing them to remain until they move on to a third country, he said.
In emergency cases for Rohingya who are not be able to apply for a visa before entering the country, the government should allow them to do so when they arrive in the country, he added.
Adisorn Kerdmongkol, a representative from the Migrant Working Group, said the Thai government still had no effective measures to solve the Rohingya migrant problem apart from arresting and detaining them.
He said he wanted to see the government seriously address the problem as it is now becoming an international issue.
At the seminar, the Migrant Working Group also urged the Thai government to improve protections for migrant workers in Thailand and their family members.
The group called on the government to speed up a migrant nationality verification process and cut down on procedures that would help prevent them from being exploited by employment brokers.
They also demanded the government develop a mechanism to improve protections for migrant workers in the country and make an amendment to the Labour Relations Act allowing migrant workers to set up labour unions.