High time for Asean to step up, Jaran says

Myanmar must do its part on Rohingya

Asean nations should work to solve the Rohingya problem together while pressuring Myanmar to tackle the issue at its roots as it is now affecting most of the region, an international affairs academic said yesterday.

However, Thailand and the other nine members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should find a balance between Asean’s principle of non-interference and human rights in dealing with the Rohingya migrants issue, said Jaran Maluleem, the head of Thammasat University’s international relations department.

“We have to find the way out. Asean can provide economic or educational opportunities to migrants as a part of solving the problem in the long-term,” he said, adding it is necessary for Asean to uphold its people-centric principle as it moves towards becoming the Asean Community.

Mr Jaran, who is an Islamic studies expert, added that Myanmar is the only player that can truly end the crisis. “Asean will not be able to solve the Rohingya issue unless Myanmar agrees to fully step in and take a leading role,” he said.

Asean members have reached agreement on a range of issues, including promoting human rights across the region, but the Rohingya problem shows how much work remains to be done, Mr Jaran said.

Rohingya people should not be regarded as stateless, homeless or boat people, but rather Myanmar citizens, he said.

He said the upcoming election in Myanmar could be keeping political figures such as Aung San Suu Kyi silent on the Rohingya.

“She is afraid of losing support from the country’s Buddhist majority of voters in the election if she speaks out about the plight of Myanmar’s Muslim minority,” said Mr Jaran.

Although the Myanmar government and Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) have different political stances, they have both been quiet over the problem, Mr Jaran said.

The election in Myanmar is tentatively scheduled for either late October or November this year.

Meanwhile, police will postpone for six days submitting documents on their probe into Rohingya human trafficking in the South to the Office of the AttorneyGeneral (OAG) from June 19.

Deputy national police chief Aek Angsananont said yesterday police need more time to review the investigation documents. The decision came after a meeting on Monday between police and a deputy director-general of the OAG’s investigation office.

After the papers are handed over to the attorney-general on June 25, it could take about 20 days for the case review to wrap up, Pol Gen Aek said.

The case should be forwarded to the Nathawee Provincial Court by July 24.

Pol Gen Ake said prosecutors have been asked to recommend the court interview key witnesses in advance since the case involves more than 50 suspects and numerous pieces of evidence covering several southern provinces, such as Songkhla, Satun, Ranong and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The director-general of the Office of Regional Public Prosecution Region 9 has formed a working committee to handle the southern human trafficking case, he said.

Speaking about the 11 Rohingya migrants who escaped from a detention centre in Songkhla’s Rattaphum district on Sunday night, Pol Gen Ake said five of them are still at large.

Police were notified by villagers who said they saw Rohingya people hiding in a forest in Nikhom village of tambon Kampheng Phet, but after a search officers found none of them there, and suspect they had gone deeper into the bush, Pol Gen Ake said.