Thailand will host an international meeting on Friday that is notable for several factors. It is the first time since last year's coup that the government has won significant backing for such a conference. It centres on the region's biggest crisis, the flood of Rohingya boat people and their plight. And it has managed to draw in Myanmar, the source of the flood and, in the opinion of many, the cause of it.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha initiated the idea of a multilateral meeting early last month and asked the Foreign Ministry to organise it. But getting national leaders to join such a meeting at short notice was impractical. The meeting of "senior officials" from many countries and international organisations, including United Nations agencies, on Friday is nonetheless an opportunity to address this crisis.
The meeting will allow participants to outline the positions of their countries regarding the cause and outpouring of Rohingya and Bangladeshis. But in doing so there is always the danger the meeting could collapse into rounds of finger-pointing and counter accusations. It should be hoped they can get their points and policies across without being provocative.
Officials organising the meeting and the participants are fully aware of respective national sensitivities and positions. But this should not get in the way of them making headway in tackling the refugee problem. This means they will need to continue working and to agree on any proposed solutions that have been tabled to date.
Clearly, the reasons the refugees clamber aboard shaky boats and make life-threatening journeys over the sea, or trudge perilously across land, before ending up in rough camps need to be understood. Economic hardships and oppressive policies are two key causes of the migrants risking their lives. They do so because they feel there is no hope in staying where they are.
Preventative measures to tackle the source of the exodus need to be considered. At the same time it is necessary to embark on forceful information campaigns to explain the risks — the abuse and hardships that lead to unmarked graves along the Thai-Malaysia border.
While prevention is the best and preferable way to stop the exodus, joint measures also need to be considered for early detection.
As boats leave Myanmar or Bangladesh, improved joint monitoring and maritime surveillance can help countries in the region better prepare for the arrival of the migrants. Knowing where they are and where they are heading means authorities can prevent abuse and save more lives.
But we have to admit that prevention, early detection and surveillance will not stem the tide and more migrants will land on the shores on Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Therefore, measures must be put in place to care for them.
Malaysia and Indonesia have said they will no longer push back these boat people. Thailand has said it will do its part through its policy of temporary transit areas. Aid and assistance by United Nations agencies will be necessary.
The mass graves along the Thailand-Malaysia border drive home the fact that crippling the syndicates and individuals involved in trafficking is crucial. The Prayut government is now acting on its promise of making human trafficking a national priority. There should be no let-up.
In the case of the Rohingya, better intelligence sharing or even a joint crackdown and prosecution on both sides of the border should be considered.
The meeting on Friday will consider medium and long-term issues. But the devil is in the detail. The officials might not be able to resolve everything in a day. But they can come up with a practical strategy with a specified time frame. This tragedy has plagued the region long enough.