One of the big stories over here is the alleged human rights abuse of Rohingya boat people. The Rohingya people are Muslims from western Burma. Many of them flee Burma because they are abused by the Burmese government. Many of them pay human traffickers $300 per person to help them illegally enter Thailand. They then often pay almost another one thousand dollars to sneak into Malaysia.
Recently, a tourist took some pictures of some one hundred and twenty-six Rohingya boat people being detained by the Thai military. The pictures show the detainees bound with their hands tied behind their backs. Some witnesses say that the Thai military forced some of the boats back into the water, despite the fact that they were severely short on food and fuel.
The press and the international community have expressed outrage at the treatment of the refugees. The Thai military has denied abusing the refugees and further denied that it sent some boats back into the water. The Thai government has pledged to fully investigate the matter. I would be very surprised if the result of their investigation shows wrong doing on the part of any Thai; at least wrong doing on the part of anyone with any real authority.
This is really not the distraction that the new Democrat-led government needs. Their plate is already full with an economic down turn and protests from the UDD. Their government is somewhat fragile, relying on two dozen former Thaksin allies to maintain their majority.
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