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UN refugee agency welcomes commitment by Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand to solve migrant crisis

Xinhua, May 21, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Wednesday welcomed the commitment announced by Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand to resolve the issue of thousands of refugees and migrants stranded in the Bay of Bengal and off the coast of Southeast Asia, said a UN spokesman.

UNHCR said this is an important initial step in the search for solutions to this issue, and vital for the purpose of saving lives, deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq said here at a daily news briefing.

"It (UNHCR) added that it is now urgent for people to be brought ashore without delay, and that immediate first aid and other care is provided for all who are in need," Haq said.

UNHCR said it agrees with the Foreign Ministers of the three countries that further action will be needed, and that this includes addressing root causes and looking properly at the needs of those in need of international protection, said Haq.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a migrant boat with over 400 aboard which had been blocked from coming ashore for more than a week, was finally brought to land by Indonesian fishermen on Wednesday.

Some 25,000 migrants boarded smugglers' boats on the Bay of Bengal between January and March of 2015, nearly doubling the number during the same time last year, according to a recent report of UNHCR.

Conditions in the smugglers' camp are horrific, with people being held and abused until their relatives pay for their release. Endite