Ministers discuss boat people issue, NLD stresses "human rights"

The first briefing for foreign envoys on Monday suggests that it has not completely ignored the international community’s concerns. 

Myanmar ministers Aung Min, Soe Thein, Khin Yi and Ye Htut were at the briefing at the Myanmar Peace Centre, which was attended by 41 ambassadors from embassies based in Myanmar and UN representatives.

"Union ministers met diplomats and talked about issues such as the general election and peace process at first. Later they discussed the migrants abandoned at sea. The diplomats say the region should cooperate to tackle the issue. They talked about their views on the issue and exchanged comments," said a meeting attendee.

Hundreds of Rohingya migrants from Myanmar and Bangladeshis were rescued in the past week in the territorial waters of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Aid groups said that several more boats are still in the sea, abandoned by their smugglers following Thailand’s crackdown on the smuggling ring.

Diplomats from the US, Malaysia, Britain, Bangladesh, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, India, China and Denmark exchanged their views and asked questions about the migrant policy. The diplomats also asked about Myanmar's peace process, white-card registration and migrants, according to the MPC. 

The Rohingya are not regarded as citizens in Myanmar but as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. It is estimated that there are 1.3 million of them in the country, mostly in Rakhine State. Some rights groups have complained that Myanmar authorities intentionally make the living conditions harsh for the Rohingya, forcing over 100,000 to flee ethnic violence in the past few years. Many paid smugglers for the escape and some are held hostage along the way until their relatives make additional ransom payments.

After the briefing, Information Minister Ye Htut said that his country understood "the concerns (of) the international community on the people in the sea". "Instead of blaming Myanmar for all these problems... all these issues should be solved by the regional partners," he said.

Thailand is hosting a regional meeting on the issue on May 29. Myanmar is yet to confirm whether it will join the meeting. The meeting today would concern foreign ministers from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Also on Monday, Nyan Win, a spokesman for National League for Democracy (NLD), made a strikingly bold comments on the issue. He said Muslim boat people fleeing dire conditions in Myanmar are entitled to "human rights", according to a report by AFP.

NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced criticism for not speaking strongly on the issue, as surging Buddhist nationalism has deepened the desperation of a group largely viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. 

But her party spokesman took the highly unusual step Monday of urging Myanmar to give stateless Muslims in the country a chance to get citizenship. 

"If they are not accepted (as citizens), they cannot just be sent onto rivers. Can't be pushed out to sea. They are humans. I just see them as humans who are entitled to human rights," Nyan Win told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting between political parties and President Thein Sein in Yangon.

Deadly communal violence in western Rakhine state between Muslims and Buddhists in 2012 saw their situation deteriorate dramatically, displacing tens of thousands who remain trapped in miserable camps.