Record on Myanmar defended

A newly arrived Rohingya girl carries food rations in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, on Saturday. (AP photo)

The Foreign Ministry has issued a rebuttal to an Amnesty International (AI) report which criticised Thailand for failing to protect refugees and repelling Rohingya fleeing Myanmar.

The government has been monitoring the unrest in Rakhine state of Myanmar with concern, said ministry spokeswoman Busadee Santipitaks.

In fact, the government supports Asean chairman Alan Peter Cayetano's statement on Saturday at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he expressed his concern over the recent developments in northern Rakhine state in the aftermath of the Aug 25 violence in which 77 Rohingya Muslims and 12 security forces were reportedly killed, said Ms Busadee.

Ms Busadee maintained that the government has consistently provided humanitarian assistance to refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar, many of whom have been sheltering in Thailand for more than 30 years. To date, more than 100,000 still reside in Thailand.

As for the help given to those affected by the situation in Rakhine state, she said the government had donated US$200,000 to the Myanmar government in January in response to the violence that broke out in the state in October last year.

After the latest violence on Aug 25, the Thai government pledged to give out about $149,000 in humanitarian aid to both the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

She added that the government is also planning to provide medium and long-term help to assist with sustainable development goals and to help tackle the problem at its root.

Last month Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government had prepared measures to accommodate Rohingya fleeing violence from Myanmar and will help them on their way when they are ready.