Myanmar | Gov’t says migrants sought jobs, weren’t fleeing persecution 

Myanmar said yesterday that thousands of migrants left the country to seek better jobs elsewhere, and were not fleeing persecution, a day after bringing to shore about 730 migrants, the latest arrivals in Southeast Asia’s ongoing crisis.
Foreign Affairs Minister Wunna Maung Lwin’s remarks were Myanmar’s latest denial of any blame for the humanitarian crisis. More than 4,600 desperate and hungry boat people have been rescued in five countries since early May after a regional crackdown on smugglers prompted some captains to abandon their human cargo at sea.
The United Nations has said about half of those who have come ashore were Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar, and the rest were Bangladeshis escaping poverty.
“It is not true that the migrants from Myanmar fled because of discrimination or persecution in Myanmar,” the foreign minister said during a briefing to foreign diplomats about the crisis. “They are just the victims of human smugglers.”
“These are migrants who are seeking better jobs in other countries,” he added.
Myanmar authorities intercepted boats packed with more than 730 people and brought the group ashore Wednesday in western Rakhine state, said Wunna Maung Lwin. Those on board included 611 men, 72 women and 51 children whose nationalities the government was still verifying, he said.
“Those who are verified as citizens of Bangladesh will be sent back to their country starting Sunday,” he said. “Myanmar is not in a position to give assistance to the migrants long term, as it is a developing country.”
U.N. agencies and other groups said they were not getting full access to the verification process, which is seen as crucial to ensure that Myanmar is not falsely labeling Rohingya on the boat as citizens of Bangladesh.
“We are still trying to get full access to the 700-plus who just landed,” said Dom Scalpelli, country director for the U.N.’s World Food Program. “We are on the ground and discussing with the government to give us access as quickly as possible.”
The U.N. has called the Rohingya one of the world’s most persecuted minorities. Esther Htusan, Yangon, AP