Rescued migrants suffer from exhaustion. Photo: Reuters
Increasingly concerned about the plight of migrants and refugees
stranded in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca, the UN chief and his
deputy have spoken separately to leaders in Southeast Asia reiterating
the need to protect lives and uphold the obligation of rescue at sea.
A statement issued in New York on May 17 by a UN spokesperson said in
recent days, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spoken to
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak and Thai
Premier Prayuth Chan-ocha.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has also spoken to the
foreign minister of Bangladesh Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali and the
Deputy-Minister for Multilateral Affairs of Indonesia Hasan Kleib,
according to UN News Centre.
“In their discussions with leaders in the region, they reiterated the
need to protect lives and uphold international law. Furthermore, they
stressed the need for the timely disembarkation of migrants. They also
urged leaders to uphold the obligation of rescue at sea and maintain the
prohibition on refoulement,” the statement said.
Ban
Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the UN, gestures during the session
'Tackling Climate, Development and Growth' in the Swiss mountain resort
of Davos January 23, 2015. Reuters file photo
Refoulement is the forcible return of individuals to their country of origin where they could face persecution.
It went on to say the secretary-general and deputy secretary-general
also encouraged leaders to participate in the upcoming regional meeting
in Bangkok on the migrant situation.
“They hope that the meeting will lead to comprehensive outcomes at
the regional and international levels,” said the statement, underscoring
that the UN stands ready to assist all efforts to address the
situation, including at the proposed meeting.
The statement by the top two UN officials comes in the wake of a
strong call issued this past Friday by UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who urged governments in Southeast Asia to
take swift action to protect the lives of migrants stranded in
precarious maritime conditions and warned against the policy of pushing
boats back out to sea.
“I am appalled at reports that Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have
been pushing boats full of vulnerable migrants back out to sea, which
will inevitably lead to many avoidable deaths,” the UN rights chief
said. “The focus should be on saving lives, not further endangering
them.”
While Zeid praised Indonesia for disembarking 582 migrants on 10 May,
and Malaysia for disembarking 1,018 the following day, he said the
“incomprehensible and inhumane” policy of “pushbacks” was endangering
lives. He also spoke against countries' plans to criminalize vulnerable
migrants and asylum seekers who have crossed borders irregularly.
“Governments in South-East Asia need to respond to this crisis from
the premise that migrants, regardless of their legal status, how they
arrive at borders, or where they come from, are people with rights that
must be upheld,” he said. “Criminalizing such vulnerable people,
including children, and placing them in detention is not the solution.”
Around 6,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants are believed to remain
stranded at sea in precarious conditions in the region and the High
Commissioner said the individual circumstances of all migrants and
asylum seekers at international borders should be assessed, and
appropriate protection provided according to international human rights
and refugee law, including ensuring that the principle of
non-refoulement is upheld.
He called for further action against traffickers and abusive
smugglers and welcomed the announcement that Thailand would host a
regional meeting on irregular migration in the Indian Ocean on 29 May.
In discussions on comprehensive responses, the regional meeting would
seek to address root causes, one of which, he said, was the importance
of addressing the serious human rights situation in Rakhine state, in
Myanmar.