“They [the Rohingya] are demanding to go to a third country,” he told journalists after flying in from Bangkok with national police chief Gen Somyot Poompanmuang for a meeting at the Royal Thai Navy 3rd Fleet HQ at Cape Panwa.
“So please be careful in your choice of words. What we are doing cannot be called ‘pushing’. We are giving them humanitarian assistance but we also have to follow the immigration laws of Thailand.
“I came here to talk with local officials. They have a good understanding of how to handle the situation. They are following the law and upholding human rights.
“We are not pushing them away. So please, use the correct words and don’t damage the reputation of our country.
“When they arrive in Thai waters we will warn them that it is illegal for them to come into these waters.
“If their boat engine is broken, we will repair it and we will give them medical treatment, food and water as a humanitarian duty. [The Navy] are already doing this.
“But anyone attempting to come into Thailand illegally will be arrested immediately.
“Today, I came to stress to [naval officers] and local officials that human trafficking is illegal, and there will no more human trafficking from now on.”
Asked whether there were any plans to set up a refugee camp in Ranong province, he replied, “We don’t have any places, either on the islands or on the mainland for [a camp].
“But [any who comes on land] will be looked after by Immigration Police. There are about 1,000 Rohingya currently being looked after.”
Although he ruled out Ranong as a place to keep Rohingya who land in Thailand, The Bangkok Post reported earlier in the day that, before flying to Phuket, he said Thailand is preparing to open a “transit area” where Rohingya migrants will be provided with humanitarian assistance.
It would not be an area where the illegal migrants would be confined or held under control, he said. It would be a transit area only.
Asked whether he was concerned that the existence of a transit area might attract more Rohingya to the country, Gen Prawit replied: “Don’t think too much. We will do everything the Rohingya need. We have done this in the past, not only with the Rohingya but also with Lao and Cambodian migrants.”
Gen Prawit said that no location has yet been chosen for the transit area. The matter would have to be discussed with several agencies and there would have to be effective measures to prevent local residents from being affected.
Asked in Phuket how much looking after Rohingya was costing Thailand, he said he did not know.
He added that Thailand had noted the concerns expressed by organisations such as the United Nations, which has been in contact with Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-Ocha.
Turning to the crackdown on trafficking, he said, “Sixty-five arrest warrants have now been issued [for people involved in trafficking], including some officials. Some have surrendered while others have fled.”
He added, “In fact, the Rohingya issue is not an intractable problem but we do have to figure out solutions. They are human beings and we are following international rules.”
Asked whether the proposed special international meeting to discuss the Rohingya crisis would go ahead as scheduled on May 29, he said it would.
“But I have no idea whether Myanmar will join the meeting. That is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”