Myanmar gov't adopts policy to settle boat people crisis

Migrants from Bangladesh who were found at sea carry their belongings as they cross the Myanmar-Bangladesh friendship bridge to return to Bangladesh, in Taungpyo, northern Rakhine state June 8, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

YANGON -- Myanmar's House of Nationalities (upper house) has passed a motion to adopt a decisive policy for detained "boat people," sources with the parliament said Tuesday.

"On humanitarian grounds, investigating the origin of the 'boat people' and giving them temporary shelter is in the interest of Myanmar people and the Myanmar government has adopted a policy to settle the boat people crisis," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs U Thant Kyaw was quoted as saying.

Myanmar authorities on Monday deported 150 "boat people" to Bangladesh, their country of origin, after citizenship verification.

The 150 Bengali "boat people" are among the 208 on board a fishing trawler rescued on May 21 by Myanmar navy that was patrolling off the western coast of Maungtaw, western Rakhine state.

Speaker of the upper house U Khin Aung Myint has rejected foreign pressure on Myanmar to accept about 30,000 "boat people" stranded at sea in Malaysia and Indonesia.