Myanmar does not take the blame for the continuing "humanitarian crisis" on the Rohingya refugees who are currently adrift at sea as no state wants to take them.
More than 2,000 desperate and hungry refugees aboard boats have disembarked in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia these past few weeks. Rohingya refugees are a Muslim minority group living in the northern part of Rakhine, Burma (now Myanmar).
Reports say that this number includes the Rohingyas escaping persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis trying to flee poverty.
According to Aljazeera, Myanmar hints that it will not join a summit in Thailand before the month ends if the topic on the Rohingya peoples is to be brought up. The summit's goal is to address the migrant crisis that left thousands of Rohingya refugees trapped on their boats.
Major Zaw Htay, director of the office of Myanmar's president, said, "We are not ignoring the migrant problem, but our leaders will decide whether to attend the meeting based on what is going to be discussed."
Myanmar refused to be held liable for the plight of the Rohingyas.
"We will not accept the allegations by some that Myanmar is the source of the problem," he added.
According to BBC, the Rohingyas claim they came from Arab traders' descent living in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for generations. But Myanmar's government belies the minority group's legitimacy saying they are Bengali migrants.
Since the 1970s, the Myanmar government has continuous efforts to repress the Rohingyas. They have no right to own lands, are severely restricted, and are suffering from forced labor.
The repression has been strengthened since 2011 when reforms under Myanmar President Thein Sein started.
Thailand claims to have helped the migrant refugees by allowing them to camp ashore but firmly denies them with permanent residence. Malaysian navy is mandated to deter the Rohingyas, and Indonesia is stiff on its decision to turn away these migrant people. However, the Philippine government says it is willing to shelter up to 3,000 refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh.
