Burma refuses to take the blame for refugee crisis
RANGOON, Burma — Burma refused to shoulder the blame for an escalating refugee crisis on Saturday, and cast doubts on whether it will attend a meeting to be hosted by Thailand later this month aimed at easing an emergency that has left boatloads of refugees stranded at sea.
“We are not ignoring the migrant problem, but our leaders will decide whether to attend the meeting based on what is going to be discussed,” said Maj. Zaw Htay, director of the office of the president of Burma, which is also known as Myanmar. “We will not accept the allegations by some that Myanmar is the source of the problem.”
Boats filled with more than 2,000 desperate and hungry refugees have arrived in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia in recent weeks, and thousands more refugees are believed to be adrift at sea after a crackdown on human traffickers prompted captains and smugglers to abandon their boats.
Many of those on the overcrowded vessels are ethnic Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Burma. Others are Bangladeshis fleeing poverty.
Both groups seem intent on reaching Malaysia, a Muslimmajority country that has hosted more than 45,000 Rohingya over the years but now says it can’t accept any more. Indonesia and Thailand have voiced similar stances.
All three countries have their navies stationed at maritime borders to push boats away or execute a “help-on” policy of giving the boats food and water — and pointing them to other countries.
Burma appeared to direct some of the blame for the current crisis on its neighbors.
“From a humanitarian point of view, it’s sad that these people are being pushed out to sea by some countries,” said Zaw Htay.
Thailand has organized its May 29 regional meeting with officials from 15 countries to discuss the causes of “irregular migration in the Indian Ocean.”
An increasingly alarmed United Nations warned Friday against “floating coffins” and urged regional leaders to put human lives first. The United States urged governments not to push back new boat arriv- als.
Thai authorities, long accused of turning a blind eye to human trafficking in exchange for pay, launched a crackdown May 1 after finding dozens of bodies buried at traffickers’ jungle camps on Thailand’s border with Malaysia. Dozens of Thai officials were arrested and more than 50 police are under investigation for complicity.