By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, February 14 -- After Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya declared victory in the UN Security Council Monday over Cambodia's request for peacekeepers, Inner City Press asked him about Thailand expelling and denying UN refugee agency access to Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Let us deal with Rohingya later, Minister Kasit first said. Then, after accusing Cambodia of putting its soldiers inside the contested Preah Vihear temple, he said that Thailand has accepted a range of refugees in the last 20 to 30 years, naming boat people from Viet Nam.
Why then is Thailand refusing UNHCR access to and expelling the Rohingya? One clue was found in Kasit's praise of Myanmar's recent military dominated election, which he cited as proof of the effectiveness of ASEAN's diplomacy.
Inner City Press has repeatedly queried the Spokeperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for the comment of Ban's chief of staff and part time envoy on Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, to the plight of the Rohingya, asking
What is Ban Ki-moon's, Vijay Nambiar's (as envoy) and the UN system's response tohttp://www.ibtimes.com/articles/104251/20110124/thailand-rohingya-boat-people-unhcr-deport.htm#
“Thai police said on Monday as many as 91 Rohingya boat people, who ended up in the country while fleeing from Myanmar, will be deported”?
What will the UN do? What does Mr. Nambiar say?
After weeks, the following arrived from the UN:
“Regarding the Rohingya boat people, UNHCR is trying to obtain access; please follow up with UNHCR on that matter.”
On when Ban would acting on the request by the UK, Mexico and others that he replace Nambiar with a full time envoy to Myanmar, the UN has continued to dodge, assources tell Inner City Press the plan is to try to kill off the UN General Assembly mandate on Myanmar, replacing it with ASEAN.
UN's Ban & Kasit, protection of ejected Rohingya not shown
Now, on the Rohingya, BBC reports that
Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Thani Thongphakdi said in a statement that the group of 91 "illegal migrants" were found ashore in Trang province... "Since they were found to be [from Burma] they were later deported at a border crossing in Ranong province to Burma," Mr Thongphakdi said, adding that the move was "in line with their wish". He said that Thailand's authorities had "no knowledge how this group could have travelled further".
The Rohingyas who are now in Andamans have told Indian police that they suffered beatings and torture at the hands of the Thai law enforcing agencies after their arrest in Trang province. "Later we were taken to the sea and put on a boat which had no engine and with very little food and water in it," one of the Rohingyas told the police in a recorded statement.
Yet Minister Kasit told Inner City Press on Monday that there is a dialogue with UNHCR, and not to worry. This calls even Thailand's claims about its fighting with Cambodia into questions. Watch this site.
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