Thailand 'closely watching' Rohingya crisis, ready to provide aid
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Thailand 'closely watching' Rohingya crisis, ready to provide aid

Foreign Ministry spokesman Busadee Santipitaks says Thailand is prepared to provide aid if any Rohingya arrive in Thailand. (Post Today photo)
Foreign Ministry spokesman Busadee Santipitaks says Thailand is prepared to provide aid if any Rohingya arrive in Thailand. (Post Today photo)

The Foreign Ministry, in a rare statement on an ongoing crisis in neighbouring Myanmar's Rakhine state, said during the weekend it was "closely following the situation" and would provide aid to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh.

"Thailand is closely following the situation in the Rakhine State with concern," the ministry said.

"The Royal Thai Government has always placed great importance to providing care and protection to Myanmar displaced persons," it added, pointing to some 100,000 refugees from Myanmar who live in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.

But many of those living in the camps are long-term residents who fled conflict decades ago. None are Rohingya, according to non-governmental organizations who work there.

So far, "none of the affected victims from the August unrest in Rakhine State have been found in Thailand," the foreign ministry said.

The Thai foreign ministry said its statement was in response to views raised by some human rights groups regarding Thailand's position on the unrest in Rakhine.

Amnesty International last week said Thailand must not "push back" Rohingya fleeing violence and that it should provide refugees formal legal status and protection.

Thailand does not recognise the status of any refugees or recognise the Rohingya as legitimate migrant workers.

Thailand said it supported a statement from the Asean chairman on the issue.

The statement condemned the tacks on Myanmar's security forces and "all acts of violence which resulted in loss of civilian lives".

Malaysia, an Asean member, disassociated itself from the statement, saying it misrepresented issues relating to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya.

More than half a million ethnic Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in the past five weeks, and accuse the Myanmar army and militant Buddhist mobs of a brutal killing campaign.

The United Nations has described the Myanmar army's offensive as ethnic cleansing.

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