Gunnar45

'It's always the most vulnerable that gets hurt the most'
Yes indeed, I remember the 'dual use items' sanctions on Iraq which effectively destroyed their health care and other infrastructure systems there.

But - sanctions are also a cheap and easy way to show 'engagement'.
Maybe the theory (if any) is for the sanctions to create so much probems and unrest so the changes come from within.

In a dictatorship with a huge unsatisfied majority this may work, but it would hardly help the situation in Burma with its <1M muslims standing against 54M others.

Gunnar45

Further on the topic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Bu...i-muslim_riots

Being a bit dystopic, one could predict an externally sponsored muslim uprising coming with increased terrorism, IS gaining foothold, etc.......

Stuurman

Easy passage you say, if it was easy not so many drowned.
How many of the terrorists who carried out attacks in the last years mingled and came as boat refuges to Europe?
A lot of those terrorists are second generation and born in Europe, there are also westerners that converted and radicalised.

IS has access to large sums of money and, as was reported this week, has a lot of stolen European passports. You think they would rather step on one of those boats to get to Europe if they can just hop over the border and move around freely?
ISIL Able to Move Freely Around Europe Using Stolen Passports / Sputnik International

InVinoVeritas

Well easy compared to the risk of being picked up on Interpol's SLTD database (Stolen and Lost Travel Documents), access to which has recently been extended to airlines.

Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are currently participating in Interpol operations.

Stuurman

You are aware that several of the passengers on the MH370 were traveling on passports that were reported stolen years before? Neither immigration at KLIA nor MAS stopped them.

InVinoVeritas

Yes, that's one of the reasons that this is being tightened up. The terrorists don't know how joined up the system is (probably not very at the moment) and are having to look at other ways to travel so there is a real fear they are mixed in with refugees.

JC3

It looks like the MH370 event triggered the Malaysian authorities to fast track the implementation of a new Advanced Passenger Screening System (APSS) following trials at the border with Singapore.

The APSS roll-out started just three months after MH370 went missing, and links passport data with various databases holding previous records on criminal activity or blacklisted behaviour from across the region.

KLIA, Kuching, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and the newly opened low cost terminal klia2 are linked to Interpol's I-Checkit system (and probably other border points too by now).

Border control now has the capability to verify, in less than a second, if a passport has been stolen or reported lost, so hopefully people travelling on stolen passports would be much more likely to be spotted now.

JC3

InVinoVeritas

Seems Malaysia is more advanced than many other countries, particularly those in Europe. Very reassuring.

Gunnar45

Rohingyas are Sunni so they can expect support from the Arabian Gulf countries (That's probably why so many of them are in Saudi and Pakistan....
It seems to be a brewing conflict and as it involves religion it can get quite nasty.

Emerging Threat | Shias: Sectarian Targets | Assam: KPLT: Renewed Strength | South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), Vol. No. 12.4

As there is not much hospitality in the neighbouring countries, maybe the EU which already is accepting thousands of refugees via the mediterranean has room for some more?

Gunnar45

IVV,
In Europe Schengen Area there is no PP control once a person is inside.
And a PP is maybe not reported lost or stolen before it has been used to get in.

A lot of the refugees have no ID documents when they arrive in Europe.
In Sweden any refugee who claims to be from Syria is automatically granted permanent residency. And can then after a few years get a Swedish PP under his stated identity.

InVinoVeritas

There is a bit of a conflict brewing in the EU too as not all countries want to take in refugees:-

EU wants refugee quotas for member states and the UK’s not happy

Stuurman

That's pretty ironic given the fact that U.S./UK led war on Iraq plunged the whole region into chaos. I always thought the Brits are the kind that takes responsibility for their actions.

Gunnar45

Insurances don't normally cover consequential damages....

bakedbean

Tony Blair? Are you kidding?

bakedbean

Looks like Najib is making some good noises. From today's Star Online:

Asean needs to jointly address Rohingya refugee issue, says Najib

JOHOR BARU: An Asean solution through the network of its member countries must be taken to deal with the Rohingya refugees issue before it becomes a deadlier humanitarian catastrophe, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic).

The prime minister in stating Malaysia's stand as Asean chairman, said it was not only the concern of Asean leaders but was also voiced out by regional and international leaders, including United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

"We respect the Asean principles whereby we do not interfere with the internal affairs of other Asean countries.

"However when a certain problem has spread and affects the leadership of other Asean nations and possibly outside Asean, then we need to find solutions through an Asean forum and cooperate with other parties," he told reporters after officially handing over the Melana Indah Fasa 1 People's Housing Project (PPR) on Saturday.

Najib said the UN secretary-general had voiced the international body's concern on the issue via a telephone call to him Saturday morning.

"I told him (Ban) it is a humanitarian catastrophe that must be taken seriously by all countries."This is not only an Asean issue but a humanitarian issue, a global issue that must be taken seriously by all countries," said the Prime Minister.

Najib said Malaysia should not be burdened by the issue of ethnic Rohingya refugees, particularly when the source of the problem does not come from within the country.

"We are very sympathetic towards those who were floating in the open seas. Many were killed, including children and so forth,' he said.

"Because of that we allow some of them to land and provide humanitarian aid to them but Malaysia must not be burdened with this problem as there are thousands more waiting to flee from their region," said Najib.

Hence the prime minister has directed Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman to contact the Myanmar government to convey this message and hoped for a positive response from that country.

"I hope they will give a positive response as the refugees were due to internal problems that we cannot interfere but we want to do something before it gets worst.

"We will work through the Asean network to find an Asean solution and hope that the Myanmar government will not consider this as interfering with domestic matters but look at it as to avoid human tragedy of gargantuan proportions," he said in a firm tone.







Source: Asean needs to jointly address Rohingya refugee issue, says Najib - Nation | The Star Online