Refugees from Burma about to Face Trial in the Thai Courts

Soch Mel

There has been for while in Thailand a mass influx of people fleeing the military government of present-day Myanmar. Recently about 78 men of the Rohinya minority group fled in boats from Myanmar where they are being persecuted because of their ethnicity. Many of the refugees have burns marks and wounds when they arrive in Thailand. A refugee named Mohamed told CNN that his boa had been at sea for a month and been attacked and detained by Myanmar's military before being set on fire!

Currently, 62 of them will fact the Thai court system, 4 other are hospitalized, and the remaining 12 who are younger than 18 will have separate legal hearings according to Thai officials. Many refugees are concern that if they go back to Myanmar they will be killed because of their minority status and their ethnicity. They lack enough bribe money to obtain identifications cards!

Refugees are unwelcome in Thailand where Thai authorities say about 20,000 have settled illegally. Local villages claim that the refugees are stealing from them as well as threating them. Because of this, would it be surprising if I were to tell you that the Thai military towed hundreds of refugees into open water where they are abandoned. Though the government and military denies this, one source in the Thai military confirms this dump-at-sea-policy; the source also stated the the Thai authorities have ensured that there is enough food and water for them to make it out in the open sea.

The Thai government still insists that "there is no reasonable ground to believe" that the Rohingya are fleeing Myanmar because of persecution.

All I have to say is how ignorant is the Thai government! Thailand did not have good relations with any of its neighbor especially Cambodia and Burma, but I feel that the Thai should either help out the refugees more by adequately taken care of them or pressure the government of Myanmar to cooperate with other nations to have peace and progress for its people. But Thailand refuses to take on that role which is shame as Thailand has the capacity to be an influencing policy maker in the region.

The government and the Thai people don't really understand history, or choose to ignore history of it neighbors who have affected Thai history, and current political situation. Thailand has a lot of trouble brewing which is odd for a nation never colonized by Europeans! Even though Thailand is concerns with its own problems they cannot ignore what is going on with all of it neighbors.