May 20, 2015

What good is asylum if you can't even get there?

located:	Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand
editor:	FairPlanet Editorial Team

Finally a state has offered asylum to the migrants currently floating aimlessly off the coast of Myanmar, but with little fuel and food and a long distance to travel, the chances of them reaching refuge is growing slimmer by the day.

Today the Philippines signalled it would provide asylum to those fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladesh, many of whom are Rohingya people, living in but not recognised by either state.

Looking at a map, it's hard to see how the boats would actually make it as far around as the Philippines. Let's remember the migrants have been offered refuge, not rescue, so they need to get themselves there first.

3000 migrants have been rescued near Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, but it is now known how many more boats full of people are still floating nearby, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

One boat carrying 300 people was pushed back and forth between Malaysian and Thai waters last week, with neither state offering assistance and both refusing to provide asylum.

International Organisation for Migration spokesman Joe Lowry told press that the boat has not been heard from for three days now, so its fate is unknown.

As if the Mediterranean migration crisis wasn't enough, we now have an even more obvious display of nation states refusing to participate as global citizens by providing asylum to those seeking refuge from persecution, war and poverty.

If these twin crises tell us anything, it's that the world needs stronger legislation for protecting our most vulnerable people. Right now EU and Asian leaders are refusing to meet their international obligations, because what punishment do they face? The UNHCR Refugee Convention simply isn't enough.

Read more on fairplanet's dossier ESCAPE