Indonesia believes most migrants at sea not Rohingya: Australia
--
10 hours ago
Indonesia has told Australia that most of the migrants stranded at sea in Southeast Asia are illegal labourers from Bangladesh, not oppressed Muslim Rohingya, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in comments published Saturday.
More than 3,500 migrants have swum to shore or been rescued off the coasts of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh since a Thai crackdown on human-trafficking in early May threw the illicit trade into chaos.
Speaking to The Weekend Australian newspaper, Bishop said Indonesia estimated that only 30 to 40 percent of the thousands still stranded at sea were Rohingya -- an impoverished Muslim community from Myanmar's western Rakhine state.
"They (Indonesia) believe there are about 7,000 people at sea [and] they think about 30 to 40 percent are Rohingya, the rest are Bangladeshi; and they are not, in Indonesia's words, asylum-seekers, they are not refugees -- they are illegal labourers. They've been promised or are seeking jobs in Malaysia," Bishop said.
"They said the Rohingya have gone to Bangladesh and have mixed up with the Bangladeshis who are coming to Malaysia in particular for jobs."
Bishop said that Indonesia's director-general of multilateral affairs, Hasan Kleib, had told her that on one vessel, Bangladeshis accounted for 400 of the 600 people onboard.
Myanmar has faced increasing international pressure to stem the exodus from its shores and deliver urgent humanitarian relief to thousands still trapped at sea.
On Friday it said its navy had rescued a boat in the Bay of Bengal and brought to shore 208 people.
Tin Maung Swe, a senior official in the western state of Rakhine, told AFP that "about 200 Bengalis" were onboard.
"Bengalis" is a term often used pejoratively by Myanmar officials to describe the Muslim Rohingya minority, 1.3 million of whom live in the country but are not recognised as citizens.
Australia, which maintains a hardline policy of denying asylum-seekers who arrive by boats resettlement and which turns back vessels when it can, has maintained its refusal to resettle any stranded boat people, saying to do so would encourage people-smuggling.
"I will say or do nothing to encourage people to take to the sea in boats and any suggestion that there is some kind of special resettlement program here in Australia for people taking to the sea in boats just encourages people-smuggling," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday.
"So it would be utterly irresponsible of me or anyone to suggest for a second that we will reward people for doing something so dangerous."
source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-believes-most-migrants-sea-not-rohingya-australia-051531265.html
View Comments :
David 36 minutes ago
Now we all know that all Rohingyas originally comes from Bangladesh. First they crossed the border into Myanmar illegally years ago & settled there & the Myanmar government was kind enough to let them stay. Their population swelled to close to a million & tensions stated to rise with the locals who are the Rakhines. When things didn't go their way they turned violent & make it looked like they were the oppressed & the U.S & the west believed them & blame Myanmar. This is the problem of Bangladesh to begin with & it should be addressed to them. The boat people fleeing Bangladesh are posing to be Rohingyas from Myanmar with hope of getting U.N aid & assistance & possibly be accepted as refugees fleeing Myanmar. Australia has the right attitude not to accept them & the U.S should do the same. Once you accept them the flood gates will open & they will keep coming.
More
Reply
Nimbus 7 hours ago
Overpopulation is the root cause of a lot of problems.
More
Expand Replies (2)
Neo 6 hours ago
These so-called boat people aren't victim of human trafficking, the term "human trafficking" is for kidnapped people then sold into slavery, these boat people just want to leave their homeland for Malaysia(a Muslim country).
To do so, they can't just walk across Thailand to Malaysia, they have to hire someone who can provide them the transportation, temporary shelter, dealing with authorities etc.
Before reaching Malaysia border, they have to pay, that's it, you hire someone to do something, you have to pay.
This process go on and on for years, a lot of people have already made it to Malaysia.
If some of them didn't pay money upfront, their relatives who have already entered Malaysia have to pay. (you hire someone to do something, you have to pay.)
All of a sudden, those stupid NGOs thought it's human trafficking, they trigger the crack down, now the inland route was shutdown, they're floating in the sea with nowhere to go!
NGO, a group of useless clown, create this problem.
To do so, they can't just walk across Thailand to Malaysia, they have to hire someone who can provide them the transportation, temporary shelter, dealing with authorities etc.
Before reaching Malaysia border, they have to pay, that's it, you hire someone to do something, you have to pay.
This process go on and on for years, a lot of people have already made it to Malaysia.
If some of them didn't pay money upfront, their relatives who have already entered Malaysia have to pay. (you hire someone to do something, you have to pay.)
All of a sudden, those stupid NGOs thought it's human trafficking, they trigger the crack down, now the inland route was shutdown, they're floating in the sea with nowhere to go!
NGO, a group of useless clown, create this problem.
More
Mohan 8 hours ago
Look at the boat peoples, they are grown up, they take to the sea because some agent promise better live at other shore. If they make USD 100 a months and someone promise them USD 10000 at others shore. They will go. Thses are economy migrant. If you take in 1000 peoples you will get 10000 peoples. If the migrant resettled get a job and send money home, you will get 100000 peoples monthly, soon the locals will complaints because the migrants will take all the low end job for much lower salary and there will be a lot of crimes. If nothing is done next Malaysian PM will be Bangladeshi or Burmese.
More
Expand Replies (1) Reply
Timur 6 hours ago
Another scam, blame on the Myanmar for political purposes. Lies, lies.
More
Reply
--
No comments:
Post a Comment