BANGKOK, Jan 18: Thailand’s new premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday he will meet with human rights officials to discuss recent allegations that the Thai navy set hundreds of asylum-seekers adrift at sea.

Survivors accuse Thai authorities of detaining migrants from Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority after they washed up on the southern Thai coast, and then towing them to sea with scant food and water.

“Tomorrow (Monday) I will meet with human rights officials to talk about everything including the violation of human rights and a few current incidents which have been reported,” Abhisit said.

Asked whether that included the Rohingyas, he replied: “Yes.” Abhisit did not expand on who the issue would be discussed with, but foreign ministry spokesman Tharit Charungwat said earlier on Sunday: “We are still investigating and verifying all the facts.” Thailand’s navy on Saturday denied the claims.

Local human rights groups and media reports suggest that hundreds of Rohingya washed up in Thailand in December as they fled oppression, abuse and poverty in their military-run homeland, only to be sent back out to sea.

Indian authorities said on Sunday they had rescued 446 people from four boats since the end of December — mostly Rohingyas and a handful of people from Bangladesh — but said hundreds more remained missing.

They said survivors gave accounts of being beaten by Thai authorities, before being towed back to sea and set adrift without engines or navigational equipment and with just a few bags of rice.

Rights groups say the Rohingya are stateless and face persecution from Myanmar’s military regime, forcing thousands into rickety boats each year to try to escape poverty and oppression and head to Malaysia.—AFP