The Latest on Rohingya: US military preparing air patrols
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| School children hand out food to a Rohingya young girl from outside the fence of a temporary shelter in Bayeun, Aceh province, Indonesia, Thursday, May 21, 2015. In the past three weeks, thousands of people — Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar and Bangladeshis trying to escape poverty — have landed in overcrowded boats on the shores of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. After initially pushing many boats back, Malaysia and Indonesia announced on Wednesday that they will offer temporary shelter to all incoming migrants. (Binsar Bakkara/Associated Press) |
May 22, 2015
4 a.m. (2200 GMT) - May 21, 2015
The U.S. military says it is preparing to help countries in the region address the humanitarian crisis of the Rohingya migrants stranded at sea.
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeffrey Pool told The Associated Press Thursday that the Department of Defense “is responding to this crisis and taking this seriously. We are preparing to stand up maritime aviation patrols throughout the region and working with local partners to help with this issue.”
It was the first indication that the U.S. military is ready to take direct role. Washington has been urging governments in the region to work together to conduct search and rescue and provide shelter to thousands of vulnerable migrants.
— Martha Mendoza, Santa Cruz, California
