In early December, on the border of Bangladesh and Burma, hundreds of people boarded rickety wooden boats and embarked on a journey to find a better place to live, in Thailand or Malaysia. On Dec. 28, 98 of them were found drifting by India's remote Andaman Islands , starving and dehydrated.
The story of Muzaffar, a survivor has led to investigations in Thailand. He said that Thai security forces first forcibly detained him and hundreds of other refugees offshore, and then towed them back into international waters in a motorless barge, where they were at the mercy of the shark-infested sea. Over 300 people who were with Muzaffar are missing; they are all believed to be dead.
Thailand's new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said he will meet human-rights officials to discuss claims of Thai army abuse of these asylum seekers. Privately, some Thai military and police sources have admitted to the BBC that this has been happening.
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