End moves to push back boat people

The US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called upon the governments of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to end their frequent moves of pushing back boats with Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants and asylum seekers as it puts thousands of lives at further risk.
The global rights body in its latest statement issued on Thursday also urged the three governments to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to the victims and bring them ashore.
Citing a report of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), it said as many as 8,000 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis were believed to be stranded aboard boats in the Andaman Sea and the Malacca Strait without adequate food, water or sanitation.   
On May 10, more than 2,000 people landed in Langkawi, Malaysia and Aceh, Indonesia, it said, adding that after weeks at sea, they had  been suffering from serious health ailments from cramped and unsanitary conditions on board smugglers' boats.
HRW Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson in the statement blamed the Myanmar government for the crisis caused by their continued persecution of the Rohingya people.
"Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia have made things much worse with cold-hearted policies to push back this new wave of boat people that puts thousands of lives at risk," he said.
The statement said Indonesian authorities admitted to have pushed back one boat on May 11 and directed it to Malaysia after providing food and water to those on board.
In Malaysia, Deputy Home Affairs Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar publicly stated that the government would turn back boats and deport those who land ashore.
Senior Thai officials said the government adopted a policy of pushing away boats from Thai shores after providing them with fuel, food and water. Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha called for a regional meeting on May 29 to address the situation, it said.
Bangladesh had long pushed back boats carrying Rohingyas, forcing them to make the dangerous journey to Southeast Asia, the release claimed.
"Those able to pay 60,000 to 70,000 baht (US$ 1800 to US$ 2100) in ransom were released and transported to Malaysia while those unable to pay were held and allegedly abused," the statement said.
"Thai authorities at the top levels have long known about these smuggling rings and turned a blind eye," the statement claimed.
"The Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian navies should stop playing a three-way game of human ping pong and instead should work together to rescue all those on these ill-fated boats," Robertson said. "The world will judge these governments by how they treat these most vulnerable men, women, and children."
"If Southeast Asian nations are genuinely concerned about the mass flight of Rohingyas from Burma, they should demand that Burma immediately end widespread rights abuses against this most vulnerable population," Robertson said.
"Ending discriminatory policies and ensuring full security so that Rohingyas can safely and with dignity return to their homes in Arakan State would be a good place to start."
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