Friday, May 15, 2015

Grave refugee crisis in South East Asian Seas

Can you imagine the life in boats which are adrift on high seas without food or water and future is death only? Can you imagine a boat full of people trying to escape from country of their birth, fearing persecution; not allowed to enter any other country and forced to spend their life in sea (or in detention centres, if they land).

I am not talking about what will happen if Saudi attacked Iran or Iran went nuclear or IS capture Iraq; neither I am talking about IS forming a government in Syria or Russia attacking Ukrainian forces or Al Shabab capturing Nairobi. I am talking about the Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar and not able to land anywhere else. 

As per UN reports more than 130,000 people fled from Myanmar by sea; for most of them destination was Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia. However, these countries won’t take refugees and less interested in search and rescue of refugee ships (fear is, if they rescued them, then they may have to offer asylum. After all these people don’t have a place to go back).

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia are not alone in refusing asylum to refugees; most of the countries across the world are not. But, that doesn’t mean, international community can simply close their eyes and ignore the grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in South East Asian seas. If UN and international community can’t press Myanmar authorities regarding refugee issue then what is the use of such bodies? World is not only about oil and gas or IS or Nuclear bomb; it’s also about the numerous people dying in South East Asian seas. 

Sajeev.

References

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