Thailand Pushed Back Myanmar Refugees To Border

 

Gwede Mantashe, the minister of mineral resources, told the media following the catastrophic accident at the Impala Platinum mine, where thousands of refugees from Myanmar had been living in danger for some months, that “a worker has a right to refuse to enter a dangerous place.” The human cost of the ongoing political upheaval is reflected in their terrifying escape stories from Myanmar and the uncertainty of their future in neighboring nations.

In a study titled “Thailand: Recent Refugees Pushed Back to Myanmar,” Human Rights Watch said that thousands of refugees from Myanmar had been forced back by Thailand at the border, endangering their lives in Myanmar, a country spanning over 100 ethnic groups in Southeast Asia.

The Thai military began forcibly repatriating Myanmar refugees to Karenni State in Myanmar last month after they had taken asylum in border districts. They were forced to choose between Myanmar and Thailand. They made the decision to go back to Thailand out of fear of becoming stuck in Myanmar. But the Thai government began rebuffing refugees from Myanmar.

This occurs subsequent to Indonesia’s denial of sanctuary to Rohingya refugees. Recently, 58 Rohingya refugees who were attempting to embark on a maritime voyage to Indonesia were apprehended by Bangladeshi police forces.

One million Rohingya refugees have made their way to Bangladesh after the Myanmar junta’s brutal assault.