Is the tide slowly turning for Southeast Asia's boat people?
Paul Letters says whether refugees cast adrift in regional seas are persecuted Rohingya or economic migrants, we all have a duty to ensure they are rescued from their desperate situation
The waves of refugees and economic migrants attempting to cross the seas has too often been seen as a threat to be repelled. Now, certain key countries are suddenly implementing progressive policies for helping rather than turning away desperate individuals and families smuggled across the seas. This needs to be the beginning - not the peak - of regional and international cooperation on what is fundamentally a humanitarian issue.
UN figures suggest that 25,000 refugees and migrants left Myanmar and Bangladesh in the first quarter of this year, double the number over the same period in 2014. The region has been slow to act. Asean's motto of "One Vision, One Identity, One Community" hardly stands up in the face of its members turning away boatloads of human suffering. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, currently chaired by Malaysia, has had nothing to say about Myanmar's persecution of its Rohingya minority.
However, last week, following the Philippines' announcement that it is prepared to receive up to 3,000 potential refugees, Malaysia, together with Indonesia and then Thailand, announced a reversal of the policies of turning away boats. Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to temporarily receive up to 7,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi people, and offers of resettlement are dripping in from countries as far flung as Gambia in West Africa.
Recently, the Thai government has targeted the human trafficking gangs with action that the Asian and international community must develop into a broader, coordinated approach against this dirty business. One boatload of desperate people can be sold to Thai smugglers for US$30,000. Smugglers then hold these people prisoners, often around the Thai-Malay border - where mass graves have been found - and demand over US$1,000 per person in ransom from their families.
The effects of cracking down on the smugglers have resulted in the gangs now abandoning refugee boats far out to sea. The Thai authorities need support from the international community.
Now, even Myanmar is changing its stance. It has long refused to participate in any talks that threatened to mention the Rohingya people by name. But it is sending officials to Bangkok this Thursday, when Southeast Asian nations will discuss the human trafficking crisis. According to a Myanmar government spokesperson, assurances that the term "irregular migrant" will be used instead of "Rohingya" have brought them to the table.
The US is also getting involved, offering financial aid and indicating a willingness to receive some of the Rohingyas permanently. It would be gratifying to see Beijing step up and offer assistance: that could only help reduce the impression that China tends only to get involved in Southeast Asia when seeking opportunities to advance territorial claims.