JOINT STATEMENT
MINISTERIAL MEETING ON IRREGULAR MOVEMENT
OF PEOPLE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, Indonesia
and Thailand met in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Wednesday, 20 May 2015 to
discuss the issue of irregular movement of people into Indonesia,
Malaysia and Thailand. This is with a view to finding a solution to the crisis of influx of irregular migrants and its serious impact on the national security of the affected countries.
They
agreed to resolve this issue in keeping with the spirit of unity and
solidarity of ASEAN as well as the aspiration to have a people-oriented
and people-centered ASEAN.
Acknowledging
the dire humanitarian circumstances of the crisis, the Ministers
expressed their deep concern on the plight of the irregular migrants,
including those currently on the high seas, and in particular women and children.
The
Ministers emphasized that necessary measures have been taken by the
three (3) countries on humanitarian grounds, beyond their international
obligations, in addressing the current influx of irregular migrants and
further underlined that the issue cannot be addressed solely by the
three (3) countries.
The
Ministers strongly condemn people smuggling and human trafficking and
expressed their governments’ determination to continue to take the
necessary action, individually and collectively, to bring the
perpetrators of such heinous crimes to justice.
The
Ministers acknowledged that a comprehensive and durable solution to the
crisis requires, inter alia, the involvement of relevant stakeholders
and through the various existing international mechanisms. This notwithstanding, they agreed to implement the following interim measures:
1. Addressing the Root Causes
The
root causes and other contributory factors to the recent influx of
irregular migrants should be immediately identified and addressed by the
parties concerned. To this end, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand remain prepared to continue to assist and work, in a constructive manner with the parties concerned.
2. Role of Affected Countries
Malaysia,
Indonesia and Thailand will continue to uphold their responsibilities
and obligations under international law and in accordance with their
respective domestic laws, including the provision of humanitarian
assistance to the irregular migrants.
Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those 7,000 irregular migrants still at sea. We
also agreed to offer them temporary shelter provided that the
resettlement and repatriation process will be done in one year by the
international community. In the meantime, Malaysia and Indonesia invite other countries in the region to join in this endeavour.
The enforcement agencies of the countries concerned will continue to share intelligence information in their efforts to combat people smuggling and human trafficking.
3. Role of the International Community
Malaysia,
Indonesia and Thailand call upon the international community to uphold
their responsibility and urgently share the burden of providing the
necessary support to Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand in addressing the
problem. Subject to assurances by the international community to provide the necessary support, the Ministers propose the following:
i. The
international community will be responsible in providing Malaysia,
Indonesia and Thailand with the necessary support, particularly
financial assistance, to enable them to provide temporary shelter and
humanitarian assistance to the irregular migrants currently at risk. These migrants will be sheltered in a designated area to be agreed by the affected countries and administered by a joint task force to be established by the affected countries;
ii. The international community will take responsibility for the repatriation of the irregular migrants to their countries of origin or resettlement to third countries within a period of one year.
4. Role of ASEAN
The
Ministers called on ASEAN to play an active role in addressing the
issue in an effective and timely manner, in the spirit of ASEAN
solidarity. The Ministers further
recommended the convening of an emergency meeting by the ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime to address the crisis at
hand. They welcomed ASEAN’s
initiative to establish a regional framework to address trafficking in
persons as well as provide assistance to victims through the ASEAN Convention on Trafficking in Persons.
Putrajaya
20 May 2015