IT is heartwarming to read a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officer speak of providing assistance once boats full of political and economic refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh cross into Malaysian waters even while they act to prevent the intrusion. From Myanmar comes a minority Muslim ethnic group fleeing persecution by the Buddhist majority; while the latter are those driven by poverty for want of a decent job. These victims of human trafficking were left stranded by human trafficking syndicates in boats drifting without fuel in deep seas with barely any supplies. Illegal migrants though they may be, these unfortunates are very much in need of humanitarian assistance. The point is, however, where should help emanate from; the country of origin or the country where the tide took them? Recently, some 1,000 of them swam to shore and landed on Langkawi after surviving on starvation rations at sea for more than a month; all of them having paid their tormentor thousands of ringgit to be tortured on the high seas.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, there are several thousand more such migrants on vessels drifting in the high seas; “a massive humanitarian crisis waiting to happen” because countries of the region are cracking down on human trafficking. Just recently, Indonesia pushed a boatload of refugees back into international waters on the grounds that it is not their problem because the country is not the intended destination. Thailand’s reaction is understandable, especially after the discovery of jungle camps in the border areas with Malaysia, virtually prisons housing those who have made it. They found mass graves of people who ran out of time while waiting for relatives to cough up more money to free them to cross the border into Malaysia. A heart-sickening scenario of cruelty resulting from political and economic injustice.
But is it for Malaysia or Thailand or Indonesia to worry about? These are nationals of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The former has cruelly refused to recognise the minority Rohingya as their fellow countrymen and women, turning a blind eye to their vicious persecution. Even Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has ignored their plight. These migrants took to the seas pushed away by poverty and the need for some dignity through nothing more than employment.
Malaysia, together with Thailand, are initiating discussions with Myanmar and Bangladesh on the matter. Thailand has also announced that it is organising a meeting of 15 countries on May 29 to address the sudden surge of human trafficking in the Bay of Bengal. While catching the criminals may need a meeting of the many minds involved, the root cause of the problem can only be resolved by the countries of origin themselves. Myanmar must stop the persecution of the Rohingyas or be threatened with sanctions by its member Asean nations, if not the international community. To Bangladesh, meanwhile, the world must extend a helping hand to help stimulate economic growth — and, thus,
job creation — and demand for the introduction of some
welfare measures. The solutions must come from where the problems begin.