Thailand offers medical treatment to boat people
Migrants travelling by boat and are in a critical condition will be brought ashore for medical treatment, Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan said on Monday.
Should the migrants decide to enter the Thai waters, they would be treated as illegal immigrants, he added.
“If they decide to on to a third country, Thailand will provide fuel, food and medicine,” he said.
Prawit was speaking during a visit to the Andaman area to follow up the progress on Rohingya refugee relief and human trafficking issues. He also confirmed that aid would be provided in line with basic humanitarian principles.
He told local officials to regulate all actions taken for the Rohingya refugees with fairness, and to suppress human trafficking activities in the area.
Rohingya centres will not be established for now, but immigration officials have been appointed to allocate proper locations for the detention centres.
About 1,000 Rohingya refugees under Thai care cannot be deported to the country of origin or a third country. On this issue, the DPM said UNHCR has voiced its intention to provide support and care for these unfortunate refugees.
He also added that the Rohingya issue is not a big problem, but it is a problem that needs to be solved, and Thailand is willing to help, based on humanitarian principles, rule of law, and international conduct. Thai officials have confirmed that there no remaining Rohingya vessels in Thai waters.
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