BANGKOK, 23 January 2013 The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday visited the detained Rohingyas in Songkhla Province to determine their need to move to another country.
Representatives of the UNHCR, along with Foreign Affairs officials, have visited the Rohingyas to check up on their living conditions while being detained as refugees at the Thai-Malaysian border.
They also visited Rohingya children and women who were separately detained in the Songkhla Children and Families shelter to assess their needs and listen to their problems. One of their requests was for them to be moved to a third country instead of being sent back to their home country for fear of being persecuted.
According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Manasvi Srisodapol, the government has set up a budget to take care of these refugees and will continue to provide them with humanitarian assistance.
As for allegations that 8 soldiers have been involved in human trafficking, the spokesman said the government was seriously looking into the matter as the incident could tarnish the country’s image, adding that he Foreign Ministry had forwarded this matter to the Royal Thai Police for further investigation.
