Malaysia detains Rohingya boat people: Thailand implicated?

After posting this, I came across two new reports -- one by AFP and the other VOA -- neither of which points to any evidence that Thailand may be responsible for having set adrift the latest group of Rohingya boat refugees now detained by Malaysia.

On the other hand, CNN's Dan Rivers, who produced last year's award-winning CNN documentary on the Rohingya and the abuse of refugees by Thailand, provides details that raise new questions:

A local Rohingya representative said that Thai authorities had towed the boat carrying the 93 boys and men out to sea and given them supplies, before cutting them adrift to float south into Malaysian waters.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi confirmed the Thai Navy did find a boat of refugees in international waters on March 4. The men told the Navy they were from Rakhine state in western Myanmar.

Thongpakdi insisted the Thai Navy gave them food and water supplies and then "let them go on their way," because they'd told the Navy they were heading to another country.

A CNN investigation last year of the plight of the Rohingya found compelling evidence that the Thai Navy had been towing boatloads of Rohingya away from the Thai coast, far out to sea, before cutting them adrift. It's still not clear how many died as a result.

It's worth recalling that when the USS Dubuque encountered some refugees adrift at sea in 1988 and its captain decided to simply "let them go on their way" that captain faced serious consequences, according to a NY Times report:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23— The Navy said today that it had charged a warship captain with failing to obey standing orders by refusing adequate assistance to a boat carrying Vietnamese refugees, many of whom later died of exposure and starvation.

Some of the refugees said they eventually resorted to cannibalism to survive 18 days in the South China Sea after the warship, the Dubuque, turned them away in June. In all, the refugees said, the voyage lasted more than a month in a 35-foot wooden boat whose engine failed shortly after the group left Vietnam. Fifty-eight of the 110 people on the boat died. Inadequate Assistance

Officials familiar with the Navy's investigation said today that crew members said the warship avoided an on-board inspection of the small boat even though the passengers were apparently in trouble. Although the American ship did give food and water to the refugees, the aid was far from sufficient, the report is said to have found.

The officials said the Navy report, which was prompted by press reports of the refugees' ordeal, provided harrowing details of an inadequate effort to aid dozens of Vietnamese boat people crammed in a small vessel.

As a result, the ship's captain will face a hearing that could lead to his court-martial, the officials said.

According to the charges, Captain Balian violated both a 1973 regulation governing assistance to refugees and specific orders issued to Navy ships operating in the Pacific region. Navy ships are told to be alert for refugees and to give them appropriate aid, taking them on board if necessary.

Here's how the case against the captain of the USS Dubuque was decided in the end:

Captain Balian was relieved of command by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He refused Admiral's Mast and per his rights under the Uniform Code of Military Justice requested court martial, where he was found guilty of dereliction of duty and given a letter of reprimand.

Does the Royal Thai Navy have no such regulations? If not, why not?

From the GJBKK blog which had quoted a Canadian Press story (no link available): 

Thailand’s government has been asked by Washington, DC-based Refugees to “ instruct its military to desist from its new and troubling policy of pushing refugees and migrants intercepted on boats back out to sea.”