Premier showing no compassion

ACHARA ASHAYAGACHAT

It is sad to see Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej treating the Rohingya minority as if they were a beast of burden by suggesting that they be relocated to a deserted island to stop their influx into the country.

This is certainly a sour note from him for the Muslim ethnic minority migrants, compared to the premier's sweet remarks after returning from Naypidaw, the Burmese capital, on March 14 that the junta was not heartless and the Burmese generals have also shown they are good Buddhists by meditating.

Some countries, such as Bangladesh, have accepted several million Rohingya refugees over the past few years after members of the Muslim minority group were forced to flee from Arakan state due to persecution by the military and other hardships inside Burma.

What Prime Minister Samak has said simply reflects how much Thailand really cared for the minorities, having no proper long-term policy to respond to the problems facing the ethnic minority refugees in the country.

Instead of developing a balanced policy between security and human rights, Thailand could only introduce more stringent measures to make life even more miserable for the displaced.

If any of the ethnic minority groups in Thailand is seen as a security threat, the country should first come up with a well-rounded strategy to better understand their culture, before taking any steps to drive them out of the country.

In addition to the Rohingya, other such groups include the Hmong, who mostly come from areas bordering Thailand, Burma and Laos.

State authorities have yet to properly understand these people and deal with their problems individually.

Society should show compassion and adopt a more positive attitude towards these groups and stop treating them like an unwanted lot.

After all, they are also human beings like us.

Preparing the appropriate mindset will require long-term education for the new generation.

A long-term solution to stop the influx of ethnic groups from neighbouring countries could not be achieved without social and economic integration.

For Burma, democratisation, both politically and economically, is the only way to stop their citizens from sneaking into other countries to seek a better life.

For Thailand, while calling for assistance from such international organisations as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other non-government organisations to help end the problems of the displaced, certain conditions are still required for their active involvement.

Thailand is among several countries that has been called upon by the international civil society to receive a visit by an independent UN expert to look into the situation of their minorities.

The country has tried in several unacceptable ways to deal with the issue and should by now have learned a lesson that relocating or putting them in a restricted area is simply a short-term measure, not a long-term solution.

The country should take courage in raising a serious debate on the related issues with the host problem countries in the presence of third parties such as the UNHCR and the International Migration Organisation, if a proper solution is to be found.