On 29 May 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Royal Thai Government, hosted the Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean at Anantra Siam Bangkok Hotel in Bangkok. The Meeting was attended by senior officials from 17 key affected member countries^[1] of the Bali Process^[2], the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN resident coordinator, together with the representatives from Japan, Switzerland, and the United States as observers. Ambassadors and Chargé d’Affaires based in Bangkok from over 40 countries also observed the meeting.

The meeting was aimed to find urgent solutions for the irregular migrants currently stranded in the Indian Ocean as well as actions-oriented and long-term solutions for the outflow of the irregular migration on the basis of international burden-sharing.        

At the opening session, H.E. General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand delivered his remarks reiterating the urgency for all relevant countries in the region (origin, transit, and destination), stakeholders and the international community to work together in handling the complex issue of irregular migration in the Indian Ocean, in a comprehensive and sustainable manner. The speech highlighted that while saving lives of those remaining at sea was placed at the utmost priority, the concerted efforts were also required to terminate the root causes and all contributing factors of the irregular migration and other related transnational crimes such as trafficking in persons.     

In addition to taking care of over a million refugees and displaced persons since the 1970s with some 130,000 still remain with us even today, Thailand is also currently hosting 600 irregular maritime migrants, including 300 migrants recently rescued. In this tradition of humanitarianism, the Royal Thai Government has recently advanced its efforts, in accordance with international obligations and domestic laws, by:

          1) Launching a special taskforce to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to irregular migrants stranded at sea;
          2) Deploying navy vessels serving as floating platforms to provide those rescued with necessary assistance and medical help while in transit;
          3) Deploying aircrafts to patrol Thai waters, monitor movements, and assist with the humanitarian operation.

To enhance the above-mentioned operation and ensure timely response to the irregular migration, the Royal Thai Government will be setting up a coordinating center, working closely with IOM and relevant stakeholders, to serve as a focal point facilitating support by the international community wishing to join hands.

For Thailand, irregular maritime migration has been one of the country’s primary concerns over the years and further efforts will be wholeheartedly committed in cooperation with the international community in response to the situation.

During the morning session chaired by Mr. Norachit Sinhaseni, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Representatives of IOM and UNHCR also presented overview on the current global and regional situation of irregular maritime migrations. They appreciated Thailand’s initiative in organising this timely Meeting. They recognised that large-scaled migrations are now occurring at a global level, not only limited to any particular region and reasserted the importance of burden sharing in addressing this challenge.

Representatives of the key affected countries, namely Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar also made statements about the situation in their counties and their efforts to address the problem.

In the afternoon session, participants discussed ways and measures to work cooperatively in solving the issue.