Navy ships were scouring Southeast Asian waters for boats believed to be carrying thousands of migrants with little food or water, and a top US diplomat said Myanmar needs to shoulder some responsibility for the crisis.
That's something it has been reluctant to do. US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said yesterday that Rohingya Muslims fleeing the predominantly Buddhist nation were risking perilous journeys and putting their lives in the hands of human traffickers because "they are in despair and don't see a future" at home.
They have been denied citizenship and chased off their land in the latest bout of ethnic violence that left them with little access to education, medical care or freedom to move around.
The persecution has sent them fleeing to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, but recently, the exodus has erupted into a humanitarian crisis.
Because of arrests after a crackdown on human trafficking networks in the region, captains earlier this month started abandoning boats that were packed with Rohingya Muslims as well as Bangladeshis escaping poverty.
More than 3,600 migrants have washed ashore in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand since May 10, and thousands more are believed to be trapped at sea. The United Nations has warned that time is running out to save them.
"The root of the problem for those leaving Myanmar is the political and social situation on the ground," Blinken told reporters at a news conference in Yangon.
He said Rohingya Muslims "should have a path to citizenship," adding: "The uncertainty that comes from not having any status is one of the things that may drive people to leave."
He said he made that point when he met with President Thein Sein, the army commander-in-chief and other top officials.
At first, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand were reluctant to help, worried that accepting even a few refugees would open the floodgates for more.
But on Wednesday, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to shelter new arrivals as long as the international community promised to help resettle them to third countries within a year.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today also called for addressing the crisis that causes the flight of the migrants. "At the same time, it's important to save human lives," he said on a visit to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Ban said he has been in discussion with regional leaders in Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand, among others, to urge them to provide search and rescue operations and options for resettlement and reintegration.
