Thai Military Cast Burmese Refugees Adrift

After fleeing oppression in Burma, refugees were rounded up by the Thai military in a crackdown on illegal immigration.

Mainly Rohingya Muslims from western Burma, about 1,000 refugees were detained on the island of Koh Sai Baed before being towed into international waters and allegedly abandoned at sea.

Pictures have now surfaced allegedly showing the creative and harsh Thai resolution to the refugee problem.

About 500 men are now missing and feared drowned, and Thailand faces the possibility of bodies washing up on popular tourist beaches in Phang Nga and Phuket.

Since media reports began circulating about the mistreatment of the refugees, Thailand has faced international condemnation, and the Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has promised an investigation.

At the center of the scandal, Thai Army Colonel Manat Kongpat has reportedly denied the allegations.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.