Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha insists Thailand has fulfilled its obligations on illegal migrant issues under United Nations' covenants so the country will not provide permanent shelters for boat people.
Speaking during his weekly TV show on Friday night, Gen Prayut said no more permanent shelters will be built because Thailand already has nine shelters in eight provinces that house 140,000 migrants.
"We used to shelter as many as 400,000 to 500,000 migrants. After some 20 years, 140,000 still remain. We are already meeting our obligations to the UN," the prime minister said.
He also said the Thai government has been providing education and hospital services to people of neighbouring countries who reside along the border. This is the country's responsibility under humanitarian pacts agreed with the international community.
"We cannot easily accept more responsibilities. In addressing the problem, we start with humanitarian aid. Then, as dictated by UN rules, we ask the migrants about their intentions — what they want to do and where they want to go."
"If they come into Thai territory then Thai law applies. They will have to be sheltered in holding areas and legal proceedings will be carried out according to the law. These are not refugee shelters, they are holding areas. Please understand this is stipulated by Thai law," he said.
Gen Prayut said things will get out of hand if the influx of illegal migrants continues. For the regional conference on Friday on boat people issues, Thailand will report the problem of the remaining migrants in shelters, as well as those being detained for illegal entry — these include the migrants found drifting at sea and people from other countries.
"We will be making expansions to the holding areas in order to afford the migrants better living conditions," he said.
Col Suthipong Chongpakdi, deputy director of the Ranong office of the Internal Security Operations Command, said intelligence reports suggest that more than 2,000 Rohingya migrants may travel by boat into Thai waters near the province between Friday and June 3.
Authorities have been instructed to monitor the migrant's movements, and prevent them from landing, Col Suthipong said, though they will provide them with humanitarian assistance, food, drinking water, medicines and fuel supplies so they can continue on to their destinations.
Meanwhile, Myanmar's military commander-in-chief said some "boat people" landing in Malaysia and Indonesia this month are likely pretending to be Rohingya to receive UN aid and that many had fled Bangladesh.
Snr Gen Min Aung Hlaing hinted that "most victims are expected to assume themselves to be Rohingya from Myanmar in the hope of receiving assistance from the UNHCR" during a meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, the state-backed Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported.
