Mrs Suwannee Sirivejchapun arrived at the Phang Nga Shelter for Children and Families, north of the tourist-popular beach area of Khao Lak, on Monday (May 25).
Her task, as deputy chair of the National Legislative Assembly committee for society, children, women, elderly and disabled people, was to receive first-hand reports from Rohingya about their persecution and perilous flight from their home country and their current living conditions.
“The Rohingya problem is a top priority for Thailand right now, and the law should be appropriate and address this – it should recognise the problem and reflect the correct action to be taken,” she said.
Mrs Suwannee also noted that the shelter, now home to home to 79 Rohingya and Bangladeshi women and children, was overcrowded.
“We must raise this issue at the National legislative Assembly, but Thailand should not discuss this problem only among its own relevant government departments as many other countries are affected by this as well.”
Mrs Suwannee’s whirlwind tour on Monday began with her visit to the shelter in Phang Nga in the morning. She then flew by helicopter to Sadao and Pedang Besar on the Thailand-Malaysia border to continue her fact-finding mission.