350 Rohingya rejected | Bangkok Post: news

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MIGRATION

350 Rohingya found in Ranong, Phuket

Published: 30 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

Nearly 350 illegal Rohingya migrants were found crammed inside two vessels entering Thai waters in southern Ranong and Phuket provinces on Tuesday.

In Ranong, a boat carrying about 140 Rohingya migrants was spotted floating about 5.5 kilometres off Phayam island in Muang district about 8.30am by a naval patrol boat.

Naval officers provided the illegal migrants with food and water, a source said. Humanitarian assistance was also provided to help them on the way to their destination.

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dao
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Discussion 7 : 30 Jan 2013 at 11.277
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Thailand has sent out a message that these disadvantaged people have a better chance of making it south now with food and rest along the way provided by Thailand .Instead of encouraging people to keep rolling the dice in tiny boats why not ask Burma and Bangladesh to deal wit the problem which is of their own making .
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hillfarang
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Discussion 6 : 30 Jan 2013 at 09.126
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If Thailand accomodates these immigrants, watch the number of these leaky boats increase greatly!

Housing them in "temporary" facilities is NOT the solution.
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sirron
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Discussion 5 : 30 Jan 2013 at 08.295
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Other than the obvious religious difference and no prior association with the USA, I'm beginning to see the similarity of this Rohingya exodus with the Vietnamese boat people exodus in the 1970s. Seems like their destination is Maylasia and Indonesia. Bangladesh and Myanmar don't want them, but that's where they are coming from. To avoid the dangerous boat departures, let Maylasia, Indonesia and other rich Islamic countries fund a program to go to the Bangladesh/Myanmar border and set up an "Orderly Departure Program". The Rohingya, who want to leave, register, have an interview, security check and go safely to whichever country accepts them.
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mitrapaap
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Discussion 4 : 30 Jan 2013 at 06.484
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D2: Yes, it might be Myanmar who should resolve its problem, but in the meantime the Rohingas are people like you and me and they should not be sent to the sea just because governments don't do their job.
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mitrapaap
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Discussion 3 : 30 Jan 2013 at 06.473
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"Humanitarian assistance was also provided to help them on the way to their destination."

To their destination? What was that destination? And how will they reach that destination with a boat like that? Is a Nation of 60 million people not able to provide temporary shelter to a few thousand who flee their country? Certain European countries have an immigrant rate of up to almost 25%! And Thailand sends them on the way to 'their destination'. What a shame.
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boons
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Discussion 2 : 30 Jan 2013 at 04.522
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D1: Are you under the impression that Myanmar doesn't have 100's of similar islands? This is a Burmese problem and they are conveniently looking the other way and hoping Thailand solves it for them. The answer needs to be a firm "No". If Burma wants to pretend to be a modernizing, emerging market nation they need to show us all by taking care of their own problems.
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nitnoi
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Discussion 1 : 30 Jan 2013 at 03.421
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I camped out one night at Racha Island just to get little experience. this island got the tourists came on the boat for swimming and lunch, the people work there just for tour company. There are quite a few commodo dragons( Hia or Taguad) on that island. Let them camp there eventually they will claim as their own. Why not ? the island is wasted no one live there.Thai tourism might find job for them to entertain tourists. Unless they are so d...n lazy look for hands out only not work.
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