(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
The United Nations has urged governments to address the core reasons for the scale of irregular migration occurring in south-east Asia, repeating the call for regional countries to save the lives of people stranded at sea.
As Kristina Kukolja reports, it comes amid reports from Malaysia that a location may have been proposed that could potentially house asylum seekers and migrants while their cases are processed.
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Rescued by the Burmese navy in the Bay of Bengal, a group of weary travellers receives desperately needed nourishment and medical care.
The men -- some 200 of them -- have been brought to Rakhine state.
Coincidentally, it's the part of Myanmar from which many Rohingya, a stateless minority, seek to flee violence.
Myanmar says they're illegal Bangladeshi migrants, and are being deported.
But before this could happen, the United Nations and other aid officials visited the camp to find out how the detainees were being treated.
Among them was UN Secretary General's special adviser, Vijay Nambiar, who's hopeful Myanmar's commitment to humanitarian help will continue.
"We hope that similar action will be taken in case there are further, other boats and other people who are suffering."
Malaysia and Indonesia, followed by Thailand, have taken the lead in dealing with the thousands of Muslim Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals seeking refuge.
But the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon wants to see a bigger response.
"Whatever the reasons may be when they are out on the sea, their life is endangered. Therefore, I'm urging, I have been urging all the leaders in the region to first of all search and rescue, and provide life saving assistance, humanitarian assistance, and discuss how they could settle this matter (of) resettlement, reintegration."
Malaysian media reports indicate it may relocate boat people in its custody to Penang, while their refugee statuses are assessed and they prepare for resettlement or repatriation.
Quoted is a senior police official, who allegedly describes the northern state as a suitable place from which they can be removed after one year.
But no sooner did the claims emerge they were countered -- again in the media -- seemingly by officials from within the very state that is apparently already home to tens of thousands of Rohingya.
Ban Ki-Moon says it's a deeply rooted issue that cannot be ignored.
"This is something which is happening in this region, and of course it should be very clearly addressing the root causes of this issue why people are fleeing their countries."
It's a talking point the UN Secretary General is hopeful will be raised at a special conference in Thailand later this month.
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