Islam has nothing to do with sluggish response
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Re: "Innocent Rohingyas' suffering a consequence of their ideology", Letters, May 20.
JC Wilcox’s contention that the Rohingya “are being rejected because they are followers of Islam” is way off the mark given the current situation that Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are facing. Wilcox is obviously wrong to include the two Islamic countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, and also presumptuous to blame Thailand.
First, the Rohingya definitely have no wish to enter Thailand as permanent residents if they can enter Malaysia or Indonesia. Second, Thailand’s reluctance to take them has nothing to do with their religion, but is based on economic and social-assimilation worries. Boat-people of any faith – Christian, Jewish, Hindu or even Vietnamese Buddhist – would be treated in the same light. And finally, no country wants to carry the burden of permanent refugee camps.
No, the problem is not Islam, but that of victims of historical misfortune in Myanmar striving for survival and a better life.
Songdej Praditsmanont
