In response to recent media reports concerning a group of Rohingyas landing in Malaysia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sought clarification from the authorities concerned and wishes to make the following statement:
1. On 4 March 2010, the Royal Thai Navy’s vessels encountered a boat carrying a group of 93 individuals near Thai territorial waters.
2. After communicating with the people on board, with assistance from a nearby fishing boat’s Myanmar crew, it was established that the people were from Myanmar and heading south and had no intention of entering Thailand.
3. Hence, in accordance with the established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), the RTN vessels gave the people on board humanitarian assistance, which included the provision of food, water and fuel, and then allowed them to continue their journey.
4. Thailand denies the claims made by various news reports that the Thai authorities were involved in towing the boat.
5. Furthermore, the RTN had also investigated the claim that a number of Rohingya boats were also found arriving in islands near Phuket around this time, and found that there had been no such boat arrivals.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th