BANGKOK, Jan 23 – Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials will meet with related state agencies Friday seeking practical solutions to the problem of Rohingya migrants in Thailand in preparation for further talks with international organisations.
Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the results of the Friday meeting will inform discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
He said international organisations should collaborate with Thailand in helping the Rohingya migrants.
Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat reported that 4,000 Rohingya migrants illegally entered Thailand in the past three months, while Thai authorities have had several rounds of fruitless talks with Myanmar, which insisted that Rohingya people are not Myanmar citizens.
He said army officers implicated in smuggling Rohingya people into the country will face severe punishment, adding that he has yet to receive an official report from the Fourth Army Region.
