Myanmar, Thailand join hands to solve problems of Rohingya migrants

INDONESIA, June 13 (TNA) - The Myanmar and the Thai governments have agreed to cooperate on solving problems related to Rohingya migrants in Thailand. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul told TNA on Thursday that the agreement was reached during his meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin earlier in the day, on the sidelines of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), being held on Bali Island in Indonesia from June 13-14. Surapong said that he and the Myanmar foreign minister discussed concerns of the European Union (EU) over about 2,000 Rohingya people who have migrated to Thailand since early this year and the EU’s call for Thailand to help the ethnic Muslims from Myanmar. Surapong quoted the Myanmar foreign minister as saying that Myanmar has already formed a working group to verify the nationality of the ethnic Rohingya migrants, headed by the Myanmar Ambassador to Thailand, and the verification was set to begin next week. According to the Thai deputy prime minister, Thailand has set a six-month period of its assistance for the Muslim Rohingya migrants and four months have passed, leaving the remaining two months for the task to be concluded. The Thai deputy premier revealed that he and the Myanmar foreign minister also discussed bilateral diplomatic relation, which will reach the 65th anniversary next year, and Thailand's plan to borrow beautiful white elephants from Myanmar to be on shows at the Chiang Mai Zoo in the Thai North for six months to promote local tourism, like giant pandas on loan from China; while the Myanmar foreign minister promised to forward the request to the Myanmar government. (TNA)