Burma is in keeping with a bizarre official policy which denies Rohingyas official status, the right to move around, even to marry without permission, despite the fact that they have lived in western Burma for more than a thousand years.A memo faxed to journalists by the Burmese consul in Hong Kong last week insisted Rohingyas could not be real Burmese, as they were dark-skinned and "as ugly as ogres".
However, it will only do so if they identify themselves as Bengalis, as it refuses to recognise the Rohingyas as one of its official minorities.
The Burmese foreign minister told his Thai counterpart that his country might be willing to take back Rohingyas. But only if they were categorised as Bengalis who reside in Burma, not Burmese citizens.This week's ASEAN summit would seem to be the ideal opportunity. It is one of the few international venues attended by senior Burmese leaders.
But the other ASEAN states are getting little co-operation from their Burmese colleagues.
In any case, sending them back to a country where they face even worse treatment than the average Burmese citizen does not appear to be a practical solution.Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the only option his country had was to turn them back.
But that just raises the prospect of hundreds more being left to drift and die on the high seas.
Courtesy: BBC NEWS,
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