Amidst social and economic instability, Thailand is accused of abusing immigrants from Myanmar, also known as Burma. Thailand’s military allegedly towed an estimated 1,000 Rohingya migrants in cramped boats out to sea and abandoning them, with about 550 thought to have drowned.
The Rohingya people are a Muslim ethnic group denied citizenship in their native Burma. Their migration to Thailand is based on the hope of finding asylum in a country known for its open immigration policies.
Thailand has denied the accusations thus far, but has handed responsibility for incoming Rohingya immigrants from the military to police, in an attempt to comply with recent concern from the U.N.
“The militaries are very independent in Southeast Asia,” said Associate Professor of Political Science George Guo. “Thailand struggles with political unrest, and is vulnerable to ethnic conflicts which they want to avoid.”
The Burmese government has gone so far as to claim that the Rohingya are not coming from Burma because they are, in fact, not citizens.
The Rohingya who have reached Thailand thus far have had elements of scarring and bruising that might stem from abuse suffered in Burma. Some argue that the Rohingya deserve status as refugees, which neither Burma nor Thailand is willing to allow.
“Political and economic nightmares since 1990 inside Myanmar (called Burma by those who oppose the current government) have forced many Burmese refugees into Thailand,” said Associate Professor of Religion Eric Mortensen. “But in recent years, under the government of Thaksin (Shinawatra) and his problematic successors, many refugees face vibrant persecution and harassment.”
Thaksin, the former prime minister of Thailand, was ousted from office in 2006 to the dismay of the civilian population. On Jan. 31, protestors took to the streets to renew the dialogue concerning the military coup that took Thaksin from office and to demand the resignation of current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
As the political turmoil in Thailand intensifies, the question of how to treat Rohingya migrants becomes more pertinent. Mortensen considers it unlikely that Thailand will provide asylum to the Rohingya that continue to arrive, despite wide coverage and deepening international concern.
“Both Thailand and Burma are extremely ethnically diverse, and the ethnic and religious politics of the region are incredibly complex,” said Mortenson. “The treatment of the Rohingya is not simply an issue explicable via attention to national politics.”
The question remains throughout this ordeal of whether this calamitous treatment of Rohingya immigrants is going to be solved. Cloud Gamble, a junior who studied abroad in Thailand last fall, witnessed the treatment of Burmese people while abroad.
“The treatment of the Burmese in Thailand is so much different than anything that I’ve ever seen,” said Gamble. “There is almost no interaction between the Thai and Burmese, even in areas bordering Burma.”
Despite the Thai government’s claim that it has begun investigating the specifics of this incident, some remain skeptical.
“The Thai military is supposedly going to investigate this incident but they’re the ones responsible for it. So, I’m not sure we’re going to ever find out what exactly happened,” said Gamble.
As more Rohingya refugees continue to surface around the Andaman Sea, the stories of those who survive shed more light on the situation.
For this ethnic minority, a large hope rests upon the intervention of the U.N. and its success in demanding their safety.