ROHINGYA REFUGEES

ROHINGYA REFUGEES: 4.

Ms Eunice Elizabeth Olsen:

Ms Eunice Elizabeth Olsen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what concerns does the Government have about the plight of the Rohingya refugees; (b) what is the Government doing within the auspices of ASEAN to solve the problem; and (c) what will be our approach should Rohingya refugees flee to our shores.

Ms Eunice Elizabeth Olsen asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) whether any Rohingya refugees have entered Singapore waters so far and, if so, what has been the response by the authorities; and (b) if not, how are the authorities going to manage the situation if the Rohingya refugees were to attempt to do so.

The Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Dr Balaji Sadasivan) (for the Minister for Foreign Affairs): Mr Speaker, as Ms Olsen's two questions are on the topic of Rohingya refugees, please

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allow me to take Question Nos. 4 and 5 together.

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: ASEAN has discussed the issue of the Rohingyas, most recently on 1st March 2009 at the 14th ASEAN Summit in Thailand. Prime Minister Lee told the ASEAN Leaders that ASEAN member countries should not "export" their problems to one another. He also stressed that the problem should be addressed at the source. Singapore agreed that cooperation among the countries of origin, transit, and destination was of great importance. We also agreed that the Rohingya issue has to be viewed in a larger context, as it involves countries outside of ASEAN as well. To this end, the Bali Process, which is a regional Ministerial-level Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crimes, was the appropriate forum to tackle this issue. ASEAN will continue to contribute, where possible, to the resolution of this issue. Among other things, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers tasked the ASEAN Secretary-General, Surin Pitsuwan, to work with the Myanmar government to obtain relevant statistics and information related to the Rohingya population. Such information will help in the formulation of a coordinated response by the various stakeholders.

The Prime Minister also stressed to his ASEAN colleagues that the humanitarian angle must be addressed seriously. We have a responsibility to treat the Rohingyas and other illegal migrants in a humane manner.

Any reports of abuse should be investigated. We should also alleviate their plight where possible, including for naval vessels which encounter Rohingyas at sea to render appropriate assistance, such as by providing food, water and fuel.

As a small country, Singapore understands why countries are not in a

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position to accept every refugee who arrives on their shores. Thus far, the authorities here have not encountered any Rohingya refugees seeking to enter Singapore waters. Given our limited land and natural resources, Singapore is not in a position to accept persons seeking political asylum or refugee status. This has been our policy for decades. However, we will assist such persons by providing humanitarian assistance, so that they can depart for a third country.

Ms Eunice Elizabeth Olsen (Nominated Member): I like to thank the Senior Minister of State. As he said, the Prime Minister previously said we have to treat the Rohingyas humanely, so if they are caught trying to seek refuge in Singapore, will they be treated as all other illegal immigrants, which means that they will be brought to court and face caning?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Mr Speaker, Sir, as the Prime Minister has mentioned, we will deal with them humanely.

Mr Speaker: Frame your last question.

Mdm Halimah Yacob: I just want to ask the Senior Minister of State whether the Rohingya issue, which is a long-standing issue and obviously a humanitarian issue and the way it is dealt with, reflects poorly on ASEAN in the sense that it is not able to handle an issue like this. And what does it augur for future issues of this nature or other issues that come about in terms of how ASEAN is able to effectively deal with such issues?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: The issue is, of course, not good publicity for ASEAN. In fact, it is bad publicity for ASEAN. However, the fact that the ASEAN leaders have met and agreed to deal with the issue and ensure that we try and solve the problem at source, and the fact that ASEAN has tasked the Secretary-General to look into the issue and report to the various countries, is very positive. But

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the issue cannot be dealt with within ASEAN itself because it involves non-ASEAN countries and so the Bali process would be the better forum and ASEAN will be represented within the Bali process. And so we hope that all the countries involved will work towards resolving this issue and Singapore's position is to encourage and nudge the countries towards that end.