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5/17/2015 Adrift | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21651286-thanks-crackdown-thailand-thousands-boat-people-are-left-out-sea-adrift 1/4
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May16th2015|SINGAPORE| Fromtheprintedition
PeopletraffickinginSouthEastAsia
AdriftThankstoacrackdowninThailand,thousandsofboatpeopleareleftoutatsea
FORdecadespeopletraffickershavepliedalucrativetradeonSouthEastAsianwaters.OnMay10ththeirgrimbusinessburstintotheopenandontoanIndonesianbeach.PanickedbyarecentgovernmentcrackdowninThailandthathasmadeithardforsmugglerstolandthere,criminalsabandonednearly600migrantsinboatsjustoffthenortherncoastofSumatra.Themen,womenandchildrenwhosplashedontothesandweresickandexhausted,butlucky.Some7,000migrantsarethoughtstilltobetrappedonvesselsintheBayofBengalandtheAndamanSea.Somearestillinthechargeofpeoplesmugglersothershavebeencastadrift.Itisanemergencywhichtheregionsbickeringneighboursseemillequippedtoresolve.
RoughlyhalfofSouthEastAsiasboatpeopleareeconomicmigrantsfromBangladesh.TheotherhalfareRohingyas,alongpersecutedMuslimminority,originallyfromBangladeshbutwhosehomeisnowincoastalRakhinestateinnorthwesternMyanmar,whereRakhineofficialsandmanyfromtheBuddhistpopulationarekeentogetridofthem.
Migrantspayupto$2,000forapassagetosmugglercampsinsouthernThailand,fromwheretheyhopetosneakacrosstheborderintoMalaysia,oneofSouthEastAsiasrichestcountries(andMuslimtoboot).Itisalonganddangerousjourney.SomesuccumbtodiseaseorabuseinThaicamps,wheretheyareoftenhelduntilfriendsorfamilycoughuparansom.OthersarewaylaidbyslaversandforcedtoworkonThaifishingandshrimpingboats.
ForyearsthetradehascarriedonunderThaiofficialsnoses.Bigwigshave,attheveryleast,turnedablindeye.Insomeplacesthepoliceandnavymayhavehelpedtraffickerstomovepeoplealong.Yetthegeneralswhohave
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5/17/2015 Adrift | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21651286-thanks-crackdown-thailand-thousands-boat-people-are-left-out-sea-adrift 2/4
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runThailandsinceacoupayearagohavesteppeduptheireffortstocombattheproblem.OnMay1sttheauthoritiesfound26bodiesatanabandonedtraffickingcampinthesouthernprovinceofSongkhla.Theyhavevowedtoclosetherest.EuropeancountrieshavethreatenedtobanimportsofseafoodunlessThailandstampsoutslavery.SanctionsloomshouldThailandgetanotherblackmarkintheAmericangovernmentsannualreviewofeffortstodealwithpeopletrafficking.
ExpectingfirmeractionfromtheThaigovernment,somesmugglingnetworkshadalreadystartedtoprocessmigrantsonshipsservingasholdingpensfarfromshore.Butthatmadethejourneyevenmoretreacherous,justasthenumberofmigrantshasclimbed.AccordingtotheUN,about25,000peoplesetsailfromtheBayofBengalbetweenJanuaryandMarchthisyear,roughlydoubletherateofthetwopreviousyears.
ThisispartlybecauselivingstandardsamongpersecutedRohingyasareworsening.Also,morefamiliesarechoosingtojoinmenwhohavealreadymadeittoMalaysia.Athirdofthemigrantsareundertheageof18,andoneinsevenisawoman.Boatsaregettingmorecrowded,withavesseltypicallycarryingover400people.TheUNguessesthat300peoplediedatseainthefirstthreemonthsoftheyear.
Thaipolicesaythattheyhavefoundatleastsevenabandonedtraffickingcampsandhaverescuedover300migrants.Thegreatestworryisforthosestillatsea.NotlongafterthelandingsinIndonesiaanother1,000migrantsstreamedfromsmallfishingboatsontotheMalaysianresortislandofLangkawi.ButonMay14thMalaysianauthoritiessaidtheyhadturnedbackanothermigrantboatandwouldpreventanymoremigrantsfromlanding.OnMay12ththeIndonesiannavysaidthatithadescortedavesselcarrying500migrantsbackintointernationalwatersafterprovidingitwithmorefuelandsupplies.Noonewantstheexpenseofshelteringnewcomers,butRohingyasareespeciallyproblematicbecauseMyanmaroftenrefusestotakethemback.NeitherThailand,IndonesianorMalaysiahavesigneduptotheUNsrefugeeconvention.Thereislittlehandwringingabouttheboatpeople.
ThecrackdownhasslowedthenumberofvesselsleavingfromBangladeshandMyanmar,atleastfornow.Yettheknottysocialandeconomicproblems(and,inthecaseofmanyRohingyas,theviolence)thatdrivemigrantstofleearestilltherealongwiththepervasivecorruptionencouragingthepeopletrafficking.Forallthetalkofdeepening
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5/17/2015 Adrift | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21651286-thanks-crackdown-thailand-thousands-boat-people-are-left-out-sea-adrift 3/4
integrationamongSouthEastAsiannations,theirresponsetothecrisishasbeenpiecemeal.Thailandhasatleastnowcalledforaninternationalsummittodiscussregionalapproachestocombatingpeopletrafficking,totakeplaceonMay29th.Forsomeofthosenowafloat,thatwillbetoolate.
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5/17/2015 Adrift | The Economist
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21651286-thanks-crackdown-thailand-thousands-boat-people-are-left-out-sea-adrift 4/4
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