Narathiwat residents show kindness to young Rohingyas
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Local residents, both Buddhist and Muslim, of Narathiwat province on Friday extended help to young Rohingyas who escaped violence in Myanmar and fled to Thailand.
A group of 18 young Rohingyas who surfaced recently in the province, are now taking shelter in a children and family centre.
Today, they received visits from Nussarun Salaema, director of Akkarasas Witthaya School, representatives of Imams as well as from local Buddhists and Muslims.
All provided food and necessities including clothes and cash to the group via Mohamas Sakiee, the centre’s chief.
Some of the groups looked well while others were suffering from fever and fatigue following months of travelling to escape violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Public health officials will soon check on their health.
What is worrying officials the most is their mental health, as they reportedly witnessed violence against their family members.
Both the visitors to the centre and the young Rohingyas wept when 14yearold Muhammad Zabrae, 14, led prays for those who had helped them. He also asked blessing from God to protect his parents who went missing during the violence and hoped that they would soon meet again.
He asked via a translator for the Thai government to help the Rohingyas and thanked all the Thais who had helped them. “If Myanmar is like Thailand, no one would escape out of the country,” he said.
Meanwhile Supreme Commander Gen Thanasak Patimakorn criticised foreign organisations for demanding that the Thai authorities help Rohingyas while they themselves didn’t.
It is Thailand that has to shoulder the burden of taking care of the Rohingyas. Although the country is willing to provide preliminary assistance, such as providing food and shelter, he noted that group should return to their original country.
“Foreign agencies always demand that we help them but they themselves don’t. So the burdens, followed by other problems would follow. Our assistance will follow the rules. For security reasons, Thailand is just a transit route not the destination,” he said.
