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Urgent measures needed to address refugee crisis: Amnesty International
Amnesty International has urged the governments of ASEAN member countries, along with Australia and Bangladesh, to take urgent measures to address the crisis on refugees and migrants
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a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/">Amnesty International has urged the governments of ASEAN member countries, along with Australia and Bangladesh, to take urgent measures to address the crisis on refugees and migrants.
ASEAN foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 6, 2015.
Richard Bennett, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director, said in an open letter on Wednesday that the measures must include stepping up coordinated search and rescue efforts, ensuring that human rights of migrants and refugees are protected and respected, as well as addressing the root causes of the current crisis, in particular by calling on the government of Myanmar to end systematic discrimination against the Rohingya minority.
The International Organization for Migration estimated in May that there were as many as 8,000 people ' refugees and migrants mainly from Myanmar and Bangladesh ' stranded on boats close to Thailand.
Indonesia and Malaysia have since committed to providing temporary protection for up to a year for 7,000 people, on the condition that third governments resettle or repatriate them.
'Now is the time not to relax but to intensify efforts to address the situation of refugees and migrants who have or are likely to undergo dangerous journeys at sea. This latest episode in a long-standing crisis is by no means over and should be at the top of the agenda for regional governments," Bennett said.
"The upcoming ASEAN meeting is another opportunity to put in place comprehensive measures for regional action,' Bennett said. (hhr)
