A seemingly simple refugee boat stopover has set off alarm bells among authorities. Last week's Krabi sojourn by 56 Rohingya has revived memories of past atrocities, as well as human trafficking. Police chief Chakthip Chaijinda suspects that the stop at Koh Ha and Koh Lanta by the Rohingya could mark a resurgence of the vicious, murderous trafficking of this minority people.
Pol Gen Chakthip is right to order a complete investigation of last Saturday's incident. On the surface, nothing notable happened. The 56 hapless people aboard the boat were seeking temporary shelter from stormy weather. Local officials and people gave them food and water and the boat was put back to sea. Those aboard said they were trying to reach Malaysia, landing and then setting sail peacefully.
While early reports on that stopover seemed innocent enough, there are two pressing questions for Pol Gen Chakthip and other officials. The first is whether the refugee boat's stop in Thailand was accidental, as reported. The police chief said on Monday he wants to determine whether the refugees were driven to Thailand by weather conditions, and not as a test by human traffickers.
