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MARCO WERMAN: Thailand is being criticized for its treatment of Muslim refugees from Myanmar, or Burma. Those refugees are members of the Rohingya ethnic group. Hundreds of them have been rescued adrift at sea. They say Thai authorities took them out there and abandoned them. The United Nations is investigating the matter. Today, movie star and UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie urged Thailand to welcome the Muslim Burmese refugees. She made the plea following a visit to refugee camps in Northern Thailand, which house more than 100,000 mostly Christian refugees from Myanmar. Zominswe Abdu Rouf is a Rohingya activist. He now lives in Portland, Oregon. Now, in the last few weeks, there has been a lot of news about the Rohingya, but for many of us it's the first time we've heard about them. Just explain briefly who they are. Who are the Rohingya?

ABDU ROUF: Rohingyas are indigenous people of Burma. Their home dates back to 7 centuries. They are one of the ethnic minorities of Burma.

WERMAN: Is it fair to say that what seems to be going on here is prejudiced against a Muslim minority on the part of Thailand and perhaps Burma as well?

ABDU ROUF: Exactly. Exactly. They are victims of political and religious persecutions by the Burma's military region. Expulsions from their homelands, restrictions on movement, education, healthcare.

WERMAN: How many Rohingya are there in Burma today?

ABDU ROUF: Rohingya are comprised of more than 3.5 million.

WERMAN: And those Rohingya who remain in Burma, do they live in a particular region of the country, or are they scattered all over the place as well?

ABDU ROUF: Yes, predominantly in northern part of [INDISCERNIBLE] state, which is western Burma.

WERMAN: Let's switch gears to Thailand now. What's the evidence that the Thai authorities have actually been leading hundreds and maybe even thousands of Rohingya out to sea to die?

ABDU ROUF: From the survivors who were able to reach Indonesia, various news networks – CNN, BBC, and the local newspaper of Thailand has documented that Thai authorities has treated inhumanly then set them adrift so that the people will not come to the shore again or will die.

WERMAN: Abdu Rouf, tell us why you left Burma and how long you've been in the United States?

ABDU ROUF: Because of the political persecutions, I was arrested in 1991 for the political involvement during the 1990 general elections. Then I was able to flee by bribing them, then I took shelter in Bangladesh. Then I lived there for some years, and then I fled to Malaysia. Then I decided to go to United States in 2001.

WERMAN: Right. And now you're something of a Rohingya activist, and I'd like you to tell us what the issue is that is most critical to you at the moment?

ABDU ROUF: Rohingyans are not recognized as citizens of Burma although they have been living there for centuries. So we want our citizenship in our own land. We don't want to be a stateless people.

WERMAN: Right. You say the Rohingya are stateless people. Is this formal policy? Is this written down in law in Burma that Rohingya are not to be recognized, or has it been an ad-hoc policy over the years?

ABDU ROUF: Yes. This is the official policy. 1982, they adopted a policy. They tried to depict to the world that we are the colonial immigrants, that way they can remove our citizenship.

WERMAN: What exactly do you do in Portland on behalf of the Rohingya? I mean, what are you able to do from there?

ABDU ROUF: Yeah. We advocate the Rohingya cause. We have an organization named Oregon Rohingyan Society. So we draw attentions from the international community. We approach the various organizations to re-settle the Rohingya refugees who have been lingering in Bangladesh and some in Malaysia and Thailand.

WERMAN: Zominswe Abdu Rouf is a member of the Rohingya ethnic group, originally from Burma and now lives in Portland, Oregon. Abdu Rouf, thank you very much for speaking with us.

ABDU ROUF: You're welcome. It's my pleasure with you.

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