Indonesia's former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Sunday urged nations to seek a solution instead of assigning blame over the migrant crisis engulfing Southeast Asia, warning that hundreds of lives are at stake.
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand have triggered international outrage by turning away boatloads of desperate Rohingya migrants from Myanmar as well as Bangladeshis, who are now in limbo at sea with little food and nowhere to go.
Yudhoyono, whose presidency ended in October after ten years as leader, said the situation -- Southeast Asia's biggest migrant crisis since the end of the Vietnam War -- needed an urgent regional response, not endless finger pointing.
"It is not fair that the blame is Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand's alone," he wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday.
"Myanmar and Bangladesh cannot wash their hands of this."
READ:
Bay of Bengal migrant crisis: the boats and the numbers
US urges Asian nations not 'to push back' Rohingya migrant boats
Myanmar's cooperation is deemed vital to solving the crisis as thousands of those at sea are Muslim Rohingya fleeing oppression in the mainly Buddhist country.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is scheduled to travel to Kuala Lumpur on Monday to meet her Malaysian and Thai counterparts to discuss the surge in boat people.
But Myanmar -- which denies the Muslim Rohingya citizenship -- has already rejected a Thai call for a regional summit on the issue on May 29.
Yudhoyono, who during his presidency grappled with a major uptick in refugees arriving in Indonesia en route to Australia, said the crisis was not a "test" for any one nation.
"I sincerely hope ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the UN could soon look for solutions and not just blame," he said.
"Action is needed quickly and appropriately so that hundreds of refugees do not die at sea."
Nearly 3,000 migrants have been rescued or swum to shore in the three countries over the past week.
Activists say thousands more are feared to be drifting at sea in rickety boats after a Thai crackdown on human-trafficking disrupted busy smuggling routes to Southeast Asia.
AFP
Sun May 17 2015
Activists say thousands more are feared to be drifting at sea in rickety boats after a Thai crackdown on human-trafficking disrupted busy smuggling routes to Southeast Asia.
Kontroversi UM: Sarjana ‘berkualiti rendah’ tak patut dijemput - PM Anwar
Anwar menyindir ahli akademik AS yang terbabit dalam kontroversi pro-Israel sebagai sarjana berkualiti rendah dan tidak mempunyai pencapaian luar biasa atau istimewa.
Agong, Raja Permaisuri zahir ucapan Ulang Tahun Keputeraan kepada Sultan Terengganu
Ucapan itu dizahirkan Seri Paduka Baginda berdua menerusi poster yang dimuat naik di Facebook Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar hari ini.
Ada wajah kita tak mahu berpisah, tapi terpaksa melepaskannya - Datuk Red
Menerusi perkongsian itu, Adnan mengatakan ada perkara yang dia terpaksa reda dan menerima takdir yang sudah tertulis untuknya.
Komen jelik nahas helikopter Lumut, peniaga didenda RM23,000
Seorang peniaga dalam talian didenda RM23,000 di Mahkamah Sesyen di sini, selepas mengaku bersalah atas tuduhan memuat naik komen jelik berhubung nahas helikopter TLDM.
Bursa Malaysia dibuka rendah, jejaki prestasi Wall Street
Pada 9.10 pagi, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) susut 2.29 mata kepada 1,566.96 daripada 1,569.25 ketika ditutup pada Khamis.
AWANI Ringkas: Pesawat ringan mendarat cemas di Subang
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Cambodia Airways mulakan penerbangan terus Phnom Penh-Kuala Lumpur
Syarikat penerbangan Kemboja, Cambodia Airways, secara rasmi memulakan penerbangan terus dari ibu negaranya, Phnom Penh ke KLIA pada Khamis.
Semangat baharu bina ekosistem inovasi lebih dinamik
Perbadanan Pembangunan Teknologi Malaysia, MTDC meneruskan kesinambungan dalam memacu pembangunan teknologi negara, dengan melancarkan Citra MTDC, untuk mewujudkan ekosistem inovasi yang lebih dinamik.
Polis tahan guru disyaki liwat tiga pelajar
Tiga pelajar tahfiz dipercayai menjadi mangsa seks luar tabii apabila didakwa diliwat seorang guru agama dari pusat tahfiz berkenaan sejak dua tahun lalu.
Rumah Terbuka Aidilfitri Selangor di KKB langgar Akta - Bersih
Penganjuran Rumah Terbuka Aidilfitri Peringkat Negeri Selangor yang akan dianjurkan di Pekan Kuala Kubu Bharu Sabtu ini, boleh bercanggah dengan banyak peruntukan dalam Akta Kesalahan Pilihan Raya 1954 (AKPR).