June 10, 2016

NGOs Call on Thailand to Better Protect Rohingya Refugees, Victims of Trafficking

A group of NGOs has marked the anniversary of the 2015 Andaman Sea migration crisis by calling on Thailand to end “arbitrary and indefinite detention” of refugees from Myanmar who came ashore then, and do more to protect survivors and witnesses of human trafficking.

“Thailand’s policies and practices towards Rohingya refugees are putting lives at risk and must be addressed immediately,” Amy Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights, one of six NGOs that issued a joint statement after convening a one-day forum in Bangkok on Wednesday.

“The Thai government should ensure protection for Rohingya refugees and human trafficking survivors without delay.”

More than a year after close to 3,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar and undocumented Bangladeshi migrants landed in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in May 2015, after human traffickers had abandoned them at sea, Rohingya refugees are still being held at Thai detention centers and state-run shelters, said the half-dozen NGOs that advocate human rights and rights for migrant workers and refugees. (Courtesy of benarnews.org)

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