The Canadian Press
BANGKOK — A senior Thai diplomat has rebuked Hollywood star Angelina Jolie for speaking out on behalf of Muslim refugees from Myanmar.
Jolie is deeply involved in the plight of refugees in her capacity as a United Nations goodwill ambassador. She called on the Thai government to respect the human rights of Myanmar's Rohinyga "boat people" while touring a camp in northern Thailand for other refugees.
Virasakdi Futrakul, permanent secretary of Thailand's foreign ministry, said Jolie's mission last week was to inspect a camp that houses refugees mostly from Myanmar's ethnic Karenni minority - and not the Rohinyga.
He said Jolie's comments were out of place as "it was not the purpose of her visit."
The Rohingya, who are denied citizenship in their native land, have been trying to land in Thailand after treacherous sea journeys in recent months only to be towed back to sea and cast adrift by the Thai navy.
UNHCR spokeswoman Kitt McKinsey declined to comment on Virasakdi's remark.
"She was extremely touched by the plight of the Rohingya people. She expressed the hope that the human rights of the Rohingya people will be respected just as the human rights of everyone in the world should be respected," McKinsey said last week.
Jolie is deeply involved in the plight of refugees in her capacity as a United Nations goodwill ambassador. She called on the Thai government to respect the human rights of Myanmar's Rohinyga "boat people" while touring a camp in northern Thailand for other refugees.
Virasakdi Futrakul, permanent secretary of Thailand's foreign ministry, said Jolie's mission last week was to inspect a camp that houses refugees mostly from Myanmar's ethnic Karenni minority - and not the Rohinyga.
He said Jolie's comments were out of place as "it was not the purpose of her visit."
The Rohingya, who are denied citizenship in their native land, have been trying to land in Thailand after treacherous sea journeys in recent months only to be towed back to sea and cast adrift by the Thai navy.
UNHCR spokeswoman Kitt McKinsey declined to comment on Virasakdi's remark.
"She was extremely touched by the plight of the Rohingya people. She expressed the hope that the human rights of the Rohingya people will be respected just as the human rights of everyone in the world should be respected," McKinsey said last week.
