ASEAN to send Rohingya migrants back to Myanmar

By Martin Petty

HUA HIN, Thailand (Reuters) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations said on Friday it will send hundreds of Rohingya boat people back to military-ruled Myanmar, which rights groups fear gives them little in the way of protection.

Meeting at its annual summit, the 10-member bloc agreed to compile and pool information and interviews on the Rohingyas, who washed up on the shores of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia having fled oppression in Myanmar.

Those found to have originated from the former Burma, which denies the Rohingya Muslims are from its soil, would be returned, under the proposal agreed on Friday.

"They have been trying to flee Burma because of extreme persecution. They will be tragically hopeless if they are returned," said Debbie Stothard of the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma.

"They won't be monitored or supervised to ensure they aren't tortured, detained or simply put on another boat.

"This doesn't tackle the root problem. This shows a fundamental lack of political will in ASEAN," she said.

ANNUAL MIGRATIONS