Asean must act fast, first to save Rohingya lives and then resettlement

THE plight of the Rohingya appears to become more desperate by the day.

A Muslim minority group in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar, they lead a pitiful existence - stateless, without legal rights, denied citizenship by the Myanmar government, heavily restricted in where they can live and work. More than 1.3 million Rohingya - viewed by the United Nations (UN) as one of the world's most persecuted minorities - live in Myanmar's western Rakhine state. Thousands of Rohingya - some reports put the figure at 8,000 - are now stranded in rickety boats in South-east Asian waters, many without adequate food, water or sanitation. Many of these so-called "boat people" had been abandoned by people smugglers who were affected by Thailand's ongoing crackdown on human trafficking.

They seek asylum in various neighbouring countries, but nobody seems willing to accommodate them, fearful of the burden of having to care for them or the social problems they may cause and diseases they may bring. This effectively condemns them to death at sea due to the simple fact that they do not have anywhere to land. There has been international outrage over the handling of the Rohingya crisis, and rightly so. A solution needs to be found, and fast. What's clear is that Myanmar must take responsibility for the situation, but the government has refused to do so, claiming the group comprises illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.