PHUKET: Fresh allegations are being made that the Royal Thai Navy intercepted Rohingya boatpeople off Phuket, brutally beat them and sold them on to human traffickers.
The alarming claims are being made in reports tonight on the national ABC radio, television and online network across Australia.
Bangkok-based reporter Zoe Daniel says she talked in Malaysia to Rohingya men who showed her scars they said were inflicted by Thai Navy sailors and traffickers in Thailand.
Asked about the allegations tonight, Vice Admiral Tharathorn Khajitsuwan, the Commander of Thai Navy Three, which patrols the Andaman Sea coast, said he could not talk about Rohingya issues. He rang off.
Strongest of the fresh allegations comes from a man named Zafar Ahmad who told the ABC that the Thai navy had played a role in ''pushing back'' a vessel earlier this year that ended up in Sri Lanka.
Ninety-six people died of starvation or thirst before the boat reached Sri Lanka, survivors said.
About 200 people are believed to have died in Thai military ''pushbacks'' in 2008-2009. The human rights abuse was first exposed by Phuketwan reporters working with the South China Morning Post newspaper. Soon after, the Thai Navy adopted a ''help on'' policy instead.
Would-be refugees intercepted at sea were given food, water and aid to keep travelling to a third country to prevent them landing in Thailand.
This year, with women and children joining their menfolk in fleeing ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state in Burma for the first time, allegations of the Thai Navy being connected to human traffickers have become more widespread.
Tonight's ABC report quoted Zafar Ahmad as saying: ''The navy arrested us and took us to an island, they took us into a forest, then they took our clothes so we had only underwear . . . They beat us and asked us why we came to this country.''
Within days, two Rohingya boats had their engines removed, more than 200 passengers were then put back on board, towed out to sea and abandoned.
One seemingly made it all the way to Sri Lanka, the ABC report said. It made headlines when it landed because 96 people died on the way due to lack of food and water.
''By the time Mr Ahmad's boat made it back to Thai shores, towed in by a fisherman, 12 people had died. Those left were then sold by villagers,'' the ABC reported.
The alarming claims are being made in reports tonight on the national ABC radio, television and online network across Australia.
Bangkok-based reporter Zoe Daniel says she talked in Malaysia to Rohingya men who showed her scars they said were inflicted by Thai Navy sailors and traffickers in Thailand.
Asked about the allegations tonight, Vice Admiral Tharathorn Khajitsuwan, the Commander of Thai Navy Three, which patrols the Andaman Sea coast, said he could not talk about Rohingya issues. He rang off.
Strongest of the fresh allegations comes from a man named Zafar Ahmad who told the ABC that the Thai navy had played a role in ''pushing back'' a vessel earlier this year that ended up in Sri Lanka.
Ninety-six people died of starvation or thirst before the boat reached Sri Lanka, survivors said.
About 200 people are believed to have died in Thai military ''pushbacks'' in 2008-2009. The human rights abuse was first exposed by Phuketwan reporters working with the South China Morning Post newspaper. Soon after, the Thai Navy adopted a ''help on'' policy instead.
Would-be refugees intercepted at sea were given food, water and aid to keep travelling to a third country to prevent them landing in Thailand.
This year, with women and children joining their menfolk in fleeing ethnic cleansing in Rakhine state in Burma for the first time, allegations of the Thai Navy being connected to human traffickers have become more widespread.
Tonight's ABC report quoted Zafar Ahmad as saying: ''The navy arrested us and took us to an island, they took us into a forest, then they took our clothes so we had only underwear . . . They beat us and asked us why we came to this country.''
Within days, two Rohingya boats had their engines removed, more than 200 passengers were then put back on board, towed out to sea and abandoned.
One seemingly made it all the way to Sri Lanka, the ABC report said. It made headlines when it landed because 96 people died on the way due to lack of food and water.
''By the time Mr Ahmad's boat made it back to Thai shores, towed in by a fisherman, 12 people had died. Those left were then sold by villagers,'' the ABC reported.
Not a pleasant story but removing boat marine engines sounds far fetched they would be worn out dungers not worth any effort to salvage & easily decommisioned forever.
Posted by slickmelb on June 14, 2013 03:42