Thailand hosts 2nd Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in Indian Ocean

BANGKOK, December 4 (TNA) - Thailand hosts the 2nd Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean in Bangkok on December 4, in which some 140 senior officials of 23 countries and 27 international organisations participated, aimed to follow up progress in attempts to handle irregular migration in the Indian Ocean. Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai opened the regional meeting, telling journalists after the opening ceremony that he expected the meeting to come up with a mechanism for the participating parties to exchange relevant information and formulate solutions. Don said that the mechanism should also inform the international community of the migration problem and the meeting would lead to a campaign for solutions, especially from the countries of origin which should take good care of their people to reduce the number of migrants in the region. According to the Thai foreign minister, the issue is not a responsibility of any single country, but all parties should join forces to work out long-term solutions. Participants included representatives of five countries directly affected by the migration, namely Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, as well as countries outside the region like the United States, Australia, Japan and Switzerland and such international organizations as the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the European Union (EU), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (TNA)