Myanmar opposition party calls for cooperation in tackling "boat people" issue

Myanmar opposition party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), on Monday called for cooperation in tackling the issue of "boat people" who are drifting on sea in distress.

To prevent re-emergence of "boat people," the NLD emphasized in its announcement rule of law, border security, rehabilitation of victims living in refugee camps, enhancement of socio-economic status of people living in the region and prompting scrutinization of citizenship in a fair and transparent manner.

Estimating that thousands of "boat people" are being found at sea who were mostly from Bangladesh and also from Myanmar, the announcement urged prompt provision of security and comfort to the victims first and then settlement of the current issue through international assistance and identification of citizenship of the "boat people".

The announcement also called on the international community to handle the world-concerned human trafficking issue effectively.

During this month, Myanmar authorities rescued "boat people" for two times in its waters with the prior being 208 and the latter 727 and repatriation of them to the original country were being arranged through diplomatic channels.

Meanwhile, a Thai human trafficking boat owner, who attempted to traffick over 200 Bengalis to Thailand and Malaysia over the past week, has been reportedly arrested in Yangon. Endi