The anniversary of the first international conference on migrant "boat people" is approaching.
There was a timely reminder last week by a non-government organisation about the tragedy and unintended consequences of that Bangkok meeting. The Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean last May addressed the emergency of the day. Thailand agreed, reluctantly, to allow stranded and desperate Rohingya boat people to land. Predictably, Thailand its and neighbours are now left to deal with the fallout.
The situation is tragic. Hundreds of Rohingya who fled Myanmar and Bangladesh last year languish in prison-like conditions. Most are housed in detention facilities -- a somewhat fancy name for small camps with rudimentary room and board that is generally worse than an actual prison. Most of the camps have no place for exercise. All the men, women and children are forbidden any contact with local communities.
The problem is obvious. There is no known solution. Thai authorities have no intention of ever letting the illegal migrants assimilate into Thai society. Malaysia and Indonesia have occasionally allowed some Rohingya to take outside jobs. For pragmatic reasons, none of the three countries wants to be seen to be making better living conditions for the boat people. That could encourage many more to set out to sea, multiplying the problems.
All of this was presented last week by the NGOs Fortify Rights and Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) as a Thai problem. This is misleading and, worse, unlikely to lead to a righteous solution. The Bangkok meeting last year was an emergency affair. The Thai government organised it in an effort to deal with the very real problem of several thousand imperilled Rohingya stranded in the Indian Ocean on unsafe vessels, with few or often no provisions, even water.
At the meeting, there were two imperative topics. The first, and most urgent, was what to do about the stranded boat people. The second was what to do with them later on. In retrospect the meeting dealt with the emergency. Malaysia, Indonesia and especially Thailand agreed to allow the Rohingya to come ashore.
After that, these three countries and the other 18 represented at the meeting were supposed to deal with the actual fate of the rescued migrants.
That did not happen, and has not happened. Virtually alone among the participants, US delegates pledged that the United States would accept some migrants.
As it turned out this meant less than a dozen Rohingya were accepted for resettlement in the US. Europeans and other Asian countries that voiced concern about the Rohingya boat people have gone silent over the Rohingya migrants locked away in small camps and holding areas.
This is unacceptable because of the burden on Thailand. This country must house, feed and take care of all the basic needs of the Rohingya. It is far more unacceptable on the political and humanitarian level. Hundreds of unfortunate people face, literally, life sentences in harsh and extremely restrictive conditions. Promises from abroad have proven totally empty.
Fortify Rights director Amy Smith says the treatment of the Rohingya is inhumane, undignified and shameful. She is not wrong. But just like the delegates to last year's Bangkok meeting, she is taking a short-sighted view.
Thailand has once again drawn the short straw. It must both care for refugees and take the criticism about their fate. The care is minimal and without hope because resettlement promises have almost all come to naught. Until the UN or responsible NGOs come up with realistic plans to care for and resettle large numbers of Myanmar refugees, the Rohingya tragedy will continue.