Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday said he has ordered the navy and coast guard to comb the sea to look for stranded migrants — the first country to announce it will search for the refugees in desperate need of help instead of waiting for them to wash up on Southeast Asia’s shores.
In a positive sign, Myanmar — the country which many of the refugees, ethnic Rohingya, are fleeing — said it would attend a regional meeting in Bangkok on Friday next week, creating a chance for the nations most affected by the crisis to discuss long-term solutions.
Earlier, it hinted it would skip the meeting, which will bring together more than a dozen governments from the region and beyond.
Photo: Reuters
The decision came as Malaysia’s foreign minister was scheduled to visit Myanmar.
The ministry issued a delicately worded statement saying the two sides would “exchange views on irregular movements of people ... in Southeast Asia,” using politically correct language so as not to offend Myanmar, which refuses to shoulder any blame for the crisis or discuss the matter if the word “Rohingya” is mentioned.
In the past three weeks, more than 3,000 people — Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis trying to escape poverty — have landed in overcrowded boats on the shores of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. After initially pushing many boats back, Malaysia and Indonesia announced on Wednesday that they would offer temporary shelter to incoming migrants.
Although the announcement was seen as a major breakthrough, rights groups said the proposal addressed only part of the problem, and urged countries to start actively searching for those stranded at sea. The UN refugee agency believes that more than 3,000 could still be at sea, although some activists put the number at 6,000.
Najib addressed the concern via Twitter, saying he had ordered the navy and coast guard “to conduct search and rescue efforts [for] Rohingya boats. We have to prevent loss of life.”
Malaysian navy chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the navy has deployed four vessels and will render assistance if they see any migrant boats. Three helicopters and three other naval boats are on standby and will be deployed if necessary, he said.
Aid groups estimate that thousands are adrift on vessels without food and water, following a crackdown on human traffickers that prompted captains and smugglers to abandon their boats.
The UN says the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted groups in the world. Neither Myanmar nor Bangladesh recognizes them as citizens. In Buddhist-majority Myanmar, even the name Rohingya is taboo. Burmese officials refer to the group as “Bengalis” and insist they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though most have lived in the country for generations.
While Indonesia and Malaysia said they would temporarily take in some refugees for up to one year, they also appealed for international help, saying the crisis is a global, not a regional, problem.
So far there have been two offers from the international community.
In Washington, the US Department of State said the US was willing to take in Rohingya refugees as part of international efforts to cope with the crisis.
Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the US was prepared to take a leading role in any multicountry effort, organized by the UN refugee agency, to resettle the most vulnerable refugees.
Gambia has also said it was willing to take in Rohingya refugees.
“As human beings, more so fellow Muslims, it is [our] sacred duty to help,” the presidency said in a statement.
The US’ No. 2 diplomat, currently visiting Southeast Asia, said he would raise the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya during his meeting with senior Burmese government leaders scheduled for yesterday.
“The only sustainable solution to the problem is changing the conditions that let them put their lives at risk at the first place,” US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told reporters in Jakarta.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft