Thailand has no policy to set up refuge center for Rohingya migrants

BANGKOK, May 12 (TNA) - Thailand is helping Rohingya migrants based on the humanitarian basis and will not open a refuge center for them to prevent security problems consequently. Anusit Kunakorn, Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC), told journalists of the stance on Tuesday, noting that the Cabinet, at its weekly meeting earlier in the day, did not raise any special point for discussion relating to Rohingya migration but Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha told concerned agencies to seriously solve the Rohingya-related problems. Anusit proposed that many countries join forces to solve the problems, urging the countries of origin and destination and the United Nations, in particular, to help address the issues. Anusit stressed that Thailand has always taken good care of refugees, but the case of Rohingya Muslims is illegal immigration into the Thai Kingdom as a transit point and a refuge center is, therefore, considered unnecessary to prevent security problems and aid has been offered on the humanitarianism and human rights. According to the NSC chief, the Thai prime minister has also ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss solutions with Myanmar, the country of origin of Rohingya migrants, and Malaysia, the country of their destination, and other concerned parties. The Thai Ministry of Interior has, in the meantime, ordered the governors of Thai provinces where the Rohingya problems exist to check graves and search for possible migrant detention camps in their respective areas. Meanwhile, 51 arrest warrants have been issued against suspects in the alleged cross-border Rohingya trafficking case and local police will ask his Malaysian counterparts and the Interpol to help arrest escaping suspects. Deputy National Police Chief Police General Aek Angsananont told reporters that out of the total wanted suspects, 19 were arrested and 32 remained at large, while local police were scheduled to ask the Na Thawi Court in Songkhla Province in the Thai far South to approve more arrest warrants against more suspects in Songkhla, Satun and Ranong Provinces. The deputy national police chief stated that Thai police have, so far, interrogated 19 witnesses plus eight migrants whose accounts are useful and all the witnesses have been well protected, assuring that investigation has been straightforward based strictly on evidence. Thai Authorities have found 276 migrants so far, comprising 213 illegal immigrants and 63 human trafficking victims. For the illegal migrants, four of them guarded others. Seventy-three migrant detention camps have been discovered on mountains and on May 11 alone, authorities searched 15 locations allegedly involving in the trafficking in Satun Province, including a location owned by the president of the Satun provincial administrative organization, where his assets, worth over 10 million baht, were seized for further probe. Thailand's Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has also seized title deeds of many land plots in Satun for further investigation. (TNA)