Plight of boat people is talk of the town

@pongJung_SJ: To those who want to comment on Rohingya issues, please beware of the drama. I’m summarising them here, as I have faced all of them: 

If you say you should be cautious in offering help, you will be criticised as cold-hearted;

If you say Thais should give initial aid like food and water to keep them alive, many people are panicking about the word “aid” like it is the end of the world. You would have to face sarcastic lines like “Life is Beautiful”.

If you say you have pity for them, you will hear suggestions like “You take them home.” Oh, my!

@can_nw: Rohingya [issues] are not only about refugees but also the religious fight, nationalism politics of Myanmar soldiers and UNHCR-style of humanitarian [work].

@nuling: The Rohingya and Myanmar have a painful history [against each other] but does this generation of [Rohinya] deserve the karma? 

@fernnnfernnfern: I feel pity for the Rohingya. I think they deserve development, education and birth control.

@KornkarnL posted a picture of the Rohingya and wrote: #USA Please Help Rohingya: All they want is a chance to live. 

Some people shared information from the Thai national security agency posted by PPTV such as that refugees were not all Rohingya from Rakhine state in Myanmar but about half were from Bangladesh. Some were refugees who had fled from the UNHCR’s camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and should be sent back there. Most of them were not considered victims of human trafficking as they voluntarily took the boat with the intention to migrate.

Moreover, social media users over the week also discussed the role of TV news reporter Thapanee Ietsrichai for tearfully reporting and calling on Thai military to bring the Rohingya ashore to Thailand instead of just providing them food and water. 

@Bangkok_2474: The Rohingya have brought many problems. Thailand will have to face more problems if it accepts [Rohingya] on Thai soil. Has Thapanee [Ietsrichai- TV reporter] forgotten to say that? That’s another thing, don’t assume too soon. Thapanee did not mention those problems maybe because: 1) She was focusing on the pitiful condition of the Rohingya. Other problems could come later; 2) She mistakenly forgot; 3) She intentionally forgot. 

@NalinNil: I will not stop following up on Rohingya issues. 

On Facebook, the Rohingya issue was as much a subject of discussion as on other social media. Phra Paisal Visalo, a monk who was an activist, posted that almost 40 years ago a lot of refugees from Vietnam fled from communism to the Gulf of Thailand and their survival depended on people on the shore. Thais helped them and luckily Thailand won the war on communism so Thais did not have to flee to other countries too. Think of being in their shoes and with a sense of humanitarian feeling, he said – Thais should not leave the Rohingya to die in their boats.

“Letting humans die in the sea is not what we should do. Meanwhile, it is difficult to bear all the burden. We should push for collaboration among neighbouring countries to help, with funds from the international community. At the same time, we need cooperation from the country of origin to stop the flow of refugees in the long run. There are many solutions. But the first and foremost is the will to help the people as fellow humans and with the sense of humanitarian [spirit],” he wrote.

Although yesterday was the first anniversary of the May 22 military coup, social media was not so active on the issue though some shared memories of what they were doing at that time or expressed their thoughts on the post-coup phase. Social media users became active on the coup-related issue when they shared the news of students and activists being arrested and detained and taken to police stations after holding anti-coup protests.

@I0I93: I don’t remember the moment Prayut announced the power seizure. I only remember the picture of red-shirt leaders having a meeting with the military and posting selfie pictures on social media. They seemed to have had a good time together. 

@Fantastic2499: One year after the NCPO [took power], the mafia of public vans, motorcycle taxis, illegal oil smugglers and lottery still remain the same. 

Besides hard issues, many Thai social media users yesterday shared pictures of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra with his baby granddaughters, who he reportedly met for the first time in Singapore.