ID :
43527
Sat, 01/31/2009 - 19:53
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62 Rohingya migrants transferred to immigration custody
BANGKOK, Jan 31 (TNA) - Thai police in Ranong released 62 illegal Rohingya migrants on Saturday after they had each served five-day jail terms for failing to pay a fine of 1,000 baht for illegal entry to the country, and referred them to immigration police pending deportation to their home country.
The 62 Rohingyas were the adult men present among 78 boat people detained by the navy at sea on Tuesday. They had been found adrift near the Surin Islands off coastal Ranong province in a boat with an engine that was no longer working.
Many of the detainees have open wounds on their backs, which the migrants said were caused by caning. Four migrants were seriously injured and remain hospitalised.
Twelve of the Rohingya migrants were found to be minors-- too young for the Thai authorities to prosecute. They have been in police custody at the Ranong immigration police office.
Pol.Lt-Col. Notchtharit Pinpak, Ranong Immigration Police chief, told reporters after the handover of 62 migrants that he was unable to tell how long they would be detained at the immigration centre, but all of them would definitely be deported to their home country.
The migrants represent the latest influx of Rohingya who have been entering Thailand illegally amid accusations that the Thai military have mistreated them. Human rights groups fear that repatriation could lead to further difficulties.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs brushed aside claims that the illegal migrants were risk of being persecuted in their country, saying the sea-borne Rohingya migrants coming to Thailand in increasing numbers are economic migrants, not persons facing persecution in their home country.
Thailand is under growing pressure to allow international scrutiny of the Rohingya, after allegations the Thai navy pushed hundreds of them out to sea with limited supplies.
Thai naval and military authorities have denied the accusation. The issue has prompted the government to seek cooperation from other countries in the region who face the same concerns and the United Nations refugee agency to help find a solution to deal with the problem at its root cause. (TNA)
The 62 Rohingyas were the adult men present among 78 boat people detained by the navy at sea on Tuesday. They had been found adrift near the Surin Islands off coastal Ranong province in a boat with an engine that was no longer working.
Many of the detainees have open wounds on their backs, which the migrants said were caused by caning. Four migrants were seriously injured and remain hospitalised.
Twelve of the Rohingya migrants were found to be minors-- too young for the Thai authorities to prosecute. They have been in police custody at the Ranong immigration police office.
Pol.Lt-Col. Notchtharit Pinpak, Ranong Immigration Police chief, told reporters after the handover of 62 migrants that he was unable to tell how long they would be detained at the immigration centre, but all of them would definitely be deported to their home country.
The migrants represent the latest influx of Rohingya who have been entering Thailand illegally amid accusations that the Thai military have mistreated them. Human rights groups fear that repatriation could lead to further difficulties.
The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs brushed aside claims that the illegal migrants were risk of being persecuted in their country, saying the sea-borne Rohingya migrants coming to Thailand in increasing numbers are economic migrants, not persons facing persecution in their home country.
Thailand is under growing pressure to allow international scrutiny of the Rohingya, after allegations the Thai navy pushed hundreds of them out to sea with limited supplies.
Thai naval and military authorities have denied the accusation. The issue has prompted the government to seek cooperation from other countries in the region who face the same concerns and the United Nations refugee agency to help find a solution to deal with the problem at its root cause. (TNA)
