Thailand grants access to presumed Rohingya: UN
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BANGKOK (AFP) - The UN's refugee arm said on Wednesday it had permission from Thailand to access some 850 people, many thought to be from Myanmar's Rohingya minority, held after raids on hidden camps in the Thai south.
Hundreds of migrants have been arrested in the past week in police sweeps on remote areas in rubber plantations near the border with Malaysia, leading the UNHCR to seek to confirm whether any of them plan to seek asylum.
"The Thai authorities have agreed in principle to give us access to this group," Ms Vivian Tan, spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office, told AFP.
"There are likely to be Rohingya among them, but we can't confirm their identity without us first talking to them and doing a preliminary assessment."
