TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thai authorities announced on Monday that it plans to turn away 259 Rohingya refugees back to sea. The decision immediately sparked numerous protests from Thailand's human rights activists, who criticised the government for putting the lives of the refugees in danger. The Rohingya refugees had initially fled from Myanmar before they were arrested by Thai authorities in its tumultuous Southern provinces.

"They are illegal immigrants. Once they are returned to Myanmar, then its up to the Myanmarese government to deal with them," said Col. Sanya Prakobphol, the Chief of Kapoe District Police to Reuters over the phone.

The Rohingya refugees initially intended to sail through to Malaysia in search of a better life with relatives and families who had successfully made the journey before them. Thailand's decision to return the Rohingyas to Myanmar is currently being scrutinised by a number of human rights observer groups from across the world.

"Up until last month, it has been estimated that at least 10,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar due to the discrimination they faced in their so-called homeland. This is one of the largest Rohingya exodus ever recorded," said Chris Lewa from the Arakan Project, a Rohingya advocacy group.

Tens of thousands of Rohingyas have left Myanmar to seek refuge in neighbouring stats since a sectarian conflict broke out in the Rakhine state in 2012. Since then, the religious violence perpetrated by the Buddhist majority against the Rohingya minority have resulted in the displacement of more than 140,000 Rohingyas, forcing many of them to flee abroad in search of refuge.

A number of observer groups have drawn parallels between the current state of Rohingyas in Myanmar and the experiences of black Africans under the tyranny of Apartheid in South Africa - Rohingyas are barred from accessing the job market, education, and even basic healthcare.

The degradation of Rohingyas in Myanmar has pushed the United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to call on President Obama to witness the plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, as he is scheduled to go on a state visit to Myanmar. In its report that was released last Thursday, USCIRF noted that violence against ethnic minorities in Myanmar has reached its' nadir, and urgent action is called for.

"Political reform in Myanmar is undermined by the risk posed by the curtailing of religious freedom and discrimination against ethnic minorities," said the report.

REUTERS | IBT | SITA PLANASARI AQUADINI