Still in peril

摘要

Confronted with haunting images of ships stuffed with desperate Rohin-gyas and Bangladeshi migrants floating helplessly in the Indian Ocean, and evidence that hundreds of other migrants' journeys had ended in mass graves in traffickers' camps in Malaysia and Thailand, South-East Asia's politicians did what they do best: they held a summit. On May 29th representatives from 18 Asian countries, as well as Switzerland, America and several un agencies, met in Bangkok where they produced expected statements of "grave concern" and calls to establish task forces, improve communication and boost data-sharing and co-operation among various law-enforcement agencies. Mercifully, Indonesia and Malaysia had already taken steps a few days earlier to ease the crisis, by agreeing to stop pushing boats with stranded migrants backto sea. The passengers would be given shelter until they could be repatriated or resettled. Nearly 3,000 have now been registered as having landed, but hundreds remain adrift at sea.