Five men recently detained near Hat Yai are among the first of the seasonal wave of boat people from Myanmar expected in South-east Asia in the coming months.
The boat people identified as Rohingya - minority Muslims from Myanmar's Rakhine state - were found just as Thailand hosts a Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean today in Bangkok. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia will be at the meeting, too.
The meeting of senior officials, plus UN organisations and diplomats based in Thailand, is a follow-up to the one in May that was called when thousands of boat people were coming ashore across Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Fewer are expected this year; observers tracking departures say it is likely only 1,000-odd individuals left Rakhine state last month.
The drop has been been credited to Thailand's crackdown this year on human smuggling and trafficking syndicates. But while there may not be huge numbers, there will remain a steady flow, activists warn.
Host Thailand will propose a plan it has drafted - on a regional response to the boat people - for discussion and agreement. (Courtesy of The Straits Times)
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