CALD Resolution No. 2 S. 2015

CALD Resolution No. 2 S. 2015

CALD resolution calling on all concerned states to treat Rohingyas and other minorities with dignity and respect for their basic rights, and urging a regional solution that addresses the plight of vulnerable minorities in South and Southeast Asia  

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD):

Aware that in recent weeks, thousands of political and economic refugees who have arrived by boat in some Southeast Asian countries were denied entry and pushed back to the sea in the latest round of the so-called “maritime ping-pong”;

Noting that thousands more are believed to be stranded in the Andaman Sea following a crackdown on human traffickers which prompted these transnational criminals to abandon boats carrying loads of economic migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, a significant number of which are women and children;

Noting further that many of these refugees are in desperate need of food, water and healthcare; and while some of the concerned countries provided them humanitarian aid, their refusal to let these refugees enter, or to grant them temporary shelter, means that these people are left in very vulnerable conditions in open sea;

Mindful that most of these refugees are ethnic Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshis fleeing political persecution or poverty in Myanmar and Bangladesh respectively;

Cognizant that the United Nations (UN) has particularly labeled the Rohingyas as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world as they are not only denied citizenship, but are also subjected to state-sanctioned discrimination;

Hereby:

Calls on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), guided by its vision of “caring and sharing community”, to convene an emergency summit that aims to arrive at regional measures to improve the plight of the Rohingyas and other vulnerable minorities in the region;

Believes that the May 29, 2015 meeting spearheaded by Thailand to discuss the “root causes” of “irregular migration in the Indian Ocean” is a good preliminary step towards a regional solution to the issue;

Trusts that any solution to this crisis should be in accordance with international human rights conventions, particularly International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

Urges the Philippines, being the only Southeast Asian state-party in the UN Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons, to spearhead efforts in safeguarding the rights of stateless persons, including the minimum standards of treatment that all concerned countries should observe; and

Calls on concerned Southeast Asian countries to recognize that it is their moral obligation to ensure that the Rohingyas and other minorities are accorded the human dignity and basic rights they deserve.

For the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats:

Oyun Sanjaasuren, MP

Chairperson

Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

18 May 2015

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