Rights group wants probe of Thai shooting of migrant worker

BANGKOK – A human rights group on Tuesday demanded an investigation into the fatal shooting of an ethnic Rohingya man who was among 21 to escape from an immigration detention centre in southern Thailand.

The Rohingya migrant workers escaped from the centre in Phang Nga province on Monday, and police shot the man in what they said was self-defence when he was cornered and assaulted them. Some of the escapees were captured but others were still at large Tuesday. They were reported to have been detained for a year.

The Bangkok-based human rights group Fortify Rights said in a statement Tuesday that in addition to allowing an independent probe, Thailand should end the indefinite and arbitrary detention of refugees and human-trafficking survivors.

Rohingya, a stateless ethnic Muslim minority, face persecution and poor economic opportunities in Myanmar, their homeland. Substantial numbers have sought work in neighbouring countries, but are usually undocumented and face arrest and exploitation.

“The authorities should initiate an independent investigation into this tragic incident without delay,” said Amy Smith, executive director of Fortify Rights. “The police need to demonstrate that a legitimate cause existed to justify the use of lethal force against a group of refugees.”

Many Rohingya pay smugglers to take them to Malaysia by boat, but often are at the mercy of traffickers, who extort money from their relatives for their freedom or sell them to employers who force them to work in degrading, slave-like conditions.

After graves were found at abandoned hidden camps on the Thai-Malaysian border last year, Thailand ordered a crackdown on human trafficking, in which some government officials were allegedly involved.

“There’s no justification to detain refugees and survivors of trafficking indefinitely. Yet, this is the situation for Rohingya in Thailand,” said Smith. “Now is the time for Thailand to end this abusive practice and fulfil its commitment to protect survivors of trafficking.”