A human rights activist sent a letter expressing strong disapproval of a cartoon in the newspaper’s ‘Stephff’s View’ for its racist mocking of the refugees. Interestingly, the cartoonist manages to mock the usual suspect, Thaksin, as well. Here is the cartoon, and the unpublished letter to the Nation.

Cartoon on Rohingya Extremely Racist

Re: Cartoon on Burmese Rohingya, February 4

I am deeply disgusted by your unprofessional work in making fun of the Burmese Rohingya in Steff's Cartoon. While, there have been trends in many Thai newspapers and weekly journals to compare Thaksin with the Rohingya refugees, all these trends show the level of professionalism of the Thai media in understanding the rights of the refugees, that making fun of anyone or being racist can be regarded as a humour by the country's journalists' sector.

While, the message in the cartoon is to show the linkages between the government with the Thai Navy and how the government is closely linked with the army, it is seriously disturbing that one of the most respected dailies could not see that this is a serious insensitivity in making fun of the Rohingya, that given the belief that the PM Thaksin's fate should be the same as a Rohingya, therefore they should be barred from entering Thailand's soil.

The Nation and especially its cartoonist should try to look at the Rohingya refugees issue by looking at it as we are facing the same situation, by putting ourselves in their shoes. If the Rohingya are any of our relatives, parents, or siblings and are being harassed, killed, or having their basic rights violated such as the rights to nationality, and are forced to flee the discrimination, should we not comfort them, provide them with humanitarian assistance, or ensure that their rights should be protected as much as possible.

Again, I am extremely disturbed by the insensitivity of your paper and I suggest that the editor should seriously apologise to the readers for the unprofessional act the paper has made.

It should be recognised sadly that while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the UN General Assembly 60 years ago, highlights in its first article that "[all] human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They […] should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood", the declaration is still not being recognised here in this country.

Pokpong Lawansiri

Bangkok

And here is a letter from a reader named PP, which has been published in the Nation’s website.

Rohingya refugees are not getting the right reaction

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's response to the alleged mistreatment of Rohingya refugees on Thailand's shores was one of denial and a complete lack of integrity. The silence from the Burmese civil society groups based in Thailand is even more worrying.

Your cartoon published on the Opinion page on February 4 indicates why the responses have been cowardly. It is an openly racist cartoon, depicting the Rohingya as a group of undesirable people cursed by ill fate for the next life that you would only only wish on someone you hate [in this case, Thaksin Shinawatra].

At least the cartoon brings to the surface the discrimination that the Rohingya people have faced for decades inside Burma. In the process, however, your cartoonist has also suffered from the same loss of integrity.

PP

BANGKOK