The rights of boat refugees of Southeast Asia and international law

The refugee issue is a critical subject in Southeast Asia. States in the region are non-signatories to basic international refugee laws. There is no refugee law or policy in the region. Refugees have no rights, and there is no difference between illegal immigrants and refugees in Southeast Asia. Rohingya boat refugees are turned back to the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. As a consequence, thousands of refugees become stranded on the high seas and many of them have been lost and died at sea. Refugee issues are considered on an ad hoc basis without any strategy, even though, in theory, refugees are well protected under international law. The International Law of the Sea and other maritime laws also oblige coastal states and ship-masters to assist persons who are in distress at sea. The paper will analyse the existing legal arrangements of refugee protection mechanisms.