Rohingya in Thailand 'stateless': rights group

By Meryem Goktas

ANKARA (AA) - Nearly 80 percent of 10,000 Rohingya Muslims living near the Thai border are "stateless", a London-based rights group said Tuesday.

The Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) interviewed 36 Rohingya Muslims on their struggle to survive on the margins of their host and home countries from March to May in the Thai city of Mae Sot.

The group said most of these refugees do not have a citizenship document, as a result they are unable to acquire work permits and end up working illegally.

"This is a clear violation of article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- to which Burma is a signatory -- which states that all people are entitled to a nationality and must not be arbitrarily denied...a nationality," the group said in a report.

The Thai government set a deadline for the worker registration of Rohingya Muslims until June 30 which includes a proof of an identity from Myanmar.

As Rohingya Muslims face systematic discrimination from Myanmarese authorities, they cannot obtain this verification.

The report added that not only fines for Rohingya without official paperwork await them but also deportation and prohibition from applying for a Thai work permit for two years.

"Without the adoption of a citizenship scheme based on human rights norms and a new, democratic, federal Constitution that removes the military from any political role in the country, Burma's most marginalized will continue to struggle to live with dignity within and outside the country’s borders," it added.

- Rohingya Muslims in Mae Sot

Situated on the Moei River on Thailand’s western border with Myanmar, Mae Sot is a transit point and destination for Rohingya Muslims who are fleeing persecution and poverty in their country.

According to the report, there are no official numbers of Rohingya Muslims living in Thailand, but multiple sources said their numbers are likely to exceed 10,000.

The report said that most of the Rohingya Muslims live depending on daily labor with a daily payment of $6.

The Rohingya Muslims which were interviewed by BHRN were not new arrivals but were on the average living in the country for 17-20 years, the report added.