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Roundup: No more Rohingyas allowed in Thai waters: premier

Xinhua, May 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

Thailand will no longer accept Rohingya migrants who may be sailing in the Andaman Sea and tempted to enter the country illegally, said Thai Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday.

Thai authorities including the navy will not allow any boat people who may have left Myanmar's Rakhine state seeking to enter Thai territorial waters, the premier said.

The premier made his comments following an exodus of the Rohingyas into Thai territory since earlier this month, prompting the military-led government to crack down on suspected human traffickers blamed for illegal entries of the migrants.

The Thai authorities have set up "floating" units in the Andaman Sea to see to it that no more seagoing migrants will encroach upon the Thai territorial waters, he said.

Thousands of the migrants had reportedly been trafficked from the sea to Thailand's southern areas of Padang Besar which shares border with Malaysia's Perlis state.

In addition, a makeshift graveyard for the remains of more than 30 deceased Rohingyas was found near the Thai-Malaysian border in Padang Besar area earlier this month.

The Rohingyas' destinations were believed to be inside Malaysia where they might be finally employed as cheap labor in rubber and palm plantations.

"Only those who may be found sickly will be allowed to get ashore for humanitarian reasons and on temporary basis."

"We will by no means set up a center for those migrants whose illegal entries might possibly otherwise affect the Thais," said Gen. Prayut.

He confirmed that all the boat people sailing in the Andaman Sea, which accosts several southern Thai provinces, will be kept out of Thai territorial waters, if ever found encroaching again.

Thai navy patrol units had earlier turned away a boat carrying 100 Rohingyas as they were trying to get ashore in an island off Satun province.

Others had reportedly gone further down to Malaysian and Indonesian territorial waters and finally driven off.

Meanwhile, an international forum will be held in the Thai capital on Friday to debate matters pertaining to irregular migrations in the Indian Ocean during which the Thai government's stands will be reconfirmed, according to the premier. Endi