Rohingya boat people: Navy shot them Thai villagers say

Forced back to sea to die, trafficked & sold, now shot at by Navy, Rohingyas escape violence in Burma, only to meet violence once again here.

Click button to listen to Rohingya Killings download

HUMAN RIGHTS

Navy accused of killing Rohingya

13 Mar 2013
DPA News agency
Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Rohingya boat people, refugees from violence in Burma (Source: AFP)

A leading human rights group on Wednesday accused Thai navy personnel of shooting at least two Rohingya asylum seekers and called on the government to investigate the incident.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said that Thai sailors on Feb 22 opened fire on a group of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after forcing them onto a boat being sent back to sea in Phang Nga province, 600 kilometres south-west of Bangkok.

At least two were killed after they jumped off the boat and attempted to swim back to shore, Human Rights Watch said, citing testimony from Thai villagers and Rohingya survivors.

The predominantly Muslim Rohingya are an ethnic minority group from Rakhine State in western Myanmar who were the target of communal violence last year. A Myanmar law passed in 1982 denies them nationality.

"Rohingya fleeing Burma should be given protection, not shot at," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Thai government should urgently investigate why sailors opened fire at boat people helpless in the sea and prosecute all those found responsible."

The Thai military has been accused on several occasions of forcing Rohingya asylum seekers back to sea and of involvement in trafficking Rohingyas to jobs in Malaysia and elsewhere.

"Our government has a policy to take care of the Rohingya on humanitarian grounds, so they won't be pushed back," Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatara told journalists Monday.

"We will investigate this," she said of the alleged deaths in Phang Nga. 

(Source: Bangkok Post, HUMAN RIGHTS, Navy accused of killing Rohingya, 13 Mar 2013, DPA News agency, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, link) 


Human Rights & Refugees Vocabulary
 
Rohingya people - a group of mostly Muslim and people who live near Burma's border with Bangladesh and who speak a language related to Indian languages  (See Wikipedia)

refugees - people feeling from some bad political situation  ผู้ลี้ภัย,  ผู้ลี้ภัยการเมือง, ผู้หนีภัย (See Wikipedia)
Rohingya refugees

rights - something you are legally or morally allowed to do or have สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
human rights - the rights that everyone should have in a society (such as freedom from harm and freedom of speech) สิทธิมนุษยชน (See Wikipedia)
human rights group

Human Rights Watch - a human rights organization in New York (See Wikipedia & website & article on this issue)

authorities - government officials; the police or people in official organisations who have the legal power to make people obey laws or rules เจ้าหน้าที่ (ตำรวจ หรือผู้มีอำนาจ)
Thai authorities

intercept - to stop, catch or take control of something (before it reaches its destination); block, obstruct, seize, stop สกัดกั้น,  สกัด, ขัดขวาง, หยุดไว้, จับไว้
 
a boat is intercepted off the sea in Phuket
a boat carrying 73 Rohingya refugees is intercepted by Thai authorities off the sea in Phuket.

In this photo taken Jan 1, 2013, a boat carrying 73 Rohingya refugees is intercepted by Thai authorities off the sea in Phuket

leading - the most important or famous
a leading human rights group

Navy - กองทัพเรือ
accuse - say that someone broke the law or did something wrong กล่าวหา
Navy accused of killing Rohingya

asylum - the right to stay in a country, given by a government to protect someone who has escaped from war or political trouble in their own country การลี้ภัย
asylum seekers - people who have left their own country because of some danger (and are trying to get permission to live in another country)
Rohingya asylum seekers

personnel - people who work for a company or organisation
Thai navy personnel

investigate - ตรวจสอบหาความจริง, ค้นหาความจริง
incident - an unpleasant event (something that happened that was unpleasant)
investigate the incident.
called on the government to investigate the incident.

A leading human rights group on Wednesday accused Thai navy personnel of shooting at least two Rohingya asylum seekers and called on the government to investigate the incident.

based in - located in (the organization has its headquarters or main operations center in ... )
New York-based - located in New York
New York-based Human Rights Watch

open fire - start shooting a gun at someone
Thai sailors opened fire on a group of Rohingya refugees

New York-based Human Rights Watch said that Thai sailors on Feb 22 opened fire on a group of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar after forcing them onto a boat being sent back to sea in Phang Nga province, 600 kilometres south-west of Bangkok.

survivors - people who did not die (in a dangerous life-threatening incident)
survivors from the incident

citing - claiming; mentioning as a reason ให้ อ้างอิงเหตุผล
testimony - a formal and official statement about something that you say, know or experienced, usually given to a court of law คำให้การ

citing testimony - mentioning things that people said officially about something
citing testimony from survivors

At least two were killed after they jumped off the boat and attempted to swim back to shore, Human Rights Watch said, citing testimony from Thai villagers and Rohingya survivors.

predominantly - mainly or mostly ส่วนมาก มีอิทธิพลเหนือ, มีมากกว่า
predominantly Muslim - mostly Muslim
the predominantly Muslim Rohingya

minority - a small percentage, less than 50% จำนวนน้อย ชนกลุ่มน้อย
ethnic minority - a group of people who have the same culture, language and traditions (such as hilltribe groups)
ethnic minority group

violence - physical force with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people ความรุนแรง

community (noun) - a local area where people live close to each other and know each other
communal (adjective)
communal violence - violence in a local community (in the provinces; not a big city or the capital)

target - a goal; to deliberately try to do something to someone  เป้าหมาย
the target of communal violence

nationality - the official and legal right to belong to a particular country สัญชาติ,เชื้อชาติ, ชนชาติ
a Myanmar law denies them nationality

The predominantly Muslim Rohingya are an ethnic minority group from Rakhine State in western Myanmar who were the target of communal violence last year. A Myanmar law passed in 1982 denies them nationality.

urgently - needing to be dealt with immediately อย่างเร่งด่วน
prosecute - charge someone officially with a crime and put them on trial ตั้งข้อหา to official accuse someone of a crime and to try to prove them guilty in a court of law ดำเนินคดี ฟ้องร้อง ซักฟอก

flee - run away or go away from a place quickly  หนี
Rohingya fleeing Burma

responsible
those found responsible

prosecute - bring a legal case against sometime (that may result in a prison term or fine as punishment) ฟ้องร้อง, ดำเนินคดี
prosecute all those found responsible

boat people - refugees in boats; people who have escaped from some bad situation (economic or political) in boats (See Wikipedia)

urgently - must be done quickly
urgently investigate
the government should urgently investigate why sailors opened fire at boat people

helpless - cannot protect or defend themselves from danger (so easily harmed); vulnerable
helpless in the sea
boat people who were helpless in the sea

"Rohingya fleeing Burma should be given protection, not shot at," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Thai government should urgently investigate why sailors opened fire at boat people helpless in the sea and prosecute all those found responsible."

occasion
accused on several occasions

force back to sea
forcing Rohingya asylum seekers back to sea
involvement in trafficking Rohingyas to jobs in Malaysia

The Thai military has been accused on several occasions of forcing Rohingya asylum seekers back to sea and of involvement in trafficking Rohingyas to jobs in Malaysia and elsewhere.

policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieve outcomes นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
a policy to take care of the Rohingya

humanitarian - trying to help people who are suffering มีมนุษยธรรม, ใจบุญ, มีเมตตา
grounds - reasons for what you say or do บนมูลเหตุว่า บนพื้นฐานว่า
on humanitarian grounds

"Our government has a policy to take care of the Rohingya on humanitarian grounds, so they won't be pushed back," Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatara told journalists Monday.

alleged - claimed, but not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
the alleged deaths

"We will investigate this," she said of the alleged deaths in Phang Nga.