In the latest tragedy to befall the already devastated Muslims of Myanmar, Thai police have shot dead a Rohingyan Muslim from Myanmar during a mass escape of detainees from an immigration camp in southern Thailand.
Tens of thousands of Rohingyan Muslims have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar since religious violence erupted there in 2012.
Many have attempted to reach Malaysia but find themselves wound up in human trafficking in the jungles of southern Thailand or arrested by authorities. Most are stateless and unrecognised by the two countries, Bangladesh and Myanmar, they call home.
We ask Allah (swt) to ease their situation after the ceaseless persecution they have faced over the last few years.
Thai police have shot dead a Rohingya Muslim from Myanmar during a dramatic mass escape of detainees from an immigration camp in southern Thailand, police say.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Noppadon Rakchart said 21 Rohingya fled the Phangnga Immigration Detention Centre at about 1:00am after sawing through an iron bar in their communal cell.
One was shot dead and three arrested after throwing stones and punches at police and immigration officers who gave chase, Mr Noppadon said. The other 17 escaped.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya asylum seekers have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar since religious violence erupted there in 2012.
Many headed for Malaysia but often got waylaid at human trafficking camps in the jungles of southern Thailand or arrested by the authorities.
Most Rohingya are stateless and unrecognised by the two countries, Bangladesh and Myanmar, they call home.
This complicates repatriation, which can lead to lengthy spells in overcrowded Thai detention centres, which Rohingya often try to escape.
‘Stress, homesickness’ triggered escape attempt: police
The latest attempt was triggered by “stress and homesickness,” Mr Noppadon said. “They have been inside for almost a year.”
The Rohingya was killed because “he resisted arrest and attacked the police”, Police Major General Worawit Parnprung, Phangnga police chief, told Reuters.
“The police had to defend themselves,” he said.
The Phangnga detention centre had held 28 Rohingya, all of whom illegally entered Thailand by boat, he said.
The number of migrants leaving Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat in the past year plunged after both countries cracked down on human smugglers and traffickers.
Thai police launched a sweeping operation against gangs in May 2015 after the bodies of 30 suspected migrants were found in jungle graves near the Malaysian border.
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi asked to be given “enough space” at the weekend to address the plight of the Rohingya population, as visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry pressed the Nobel peace laureate to promote respect for human rights.
AFP/Reuters
