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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

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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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integrationamongSouthEastAsiannations,theirresponsetothecrisishasbeenpiecemeal.Thailandhasatleastnowcalledforaninternationalsummittodiscussregionalapproachestocombatingpeopletrafficking,totakeplaceonMay29th.Forsomeofthosenowafloat,thatwillbetoolate.

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