It is estimated that 25,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar since November of last year in search of freedom and opportunity. They have discovered that what lies beyond those shores is every bit as inhospitable as the world they tried to leave behind. The result is a refugee crisis in Southeast Asia that demands an immediate response from the region's governments. Thus far, they have not risen to the challenge.

According to the United Nations, the Rohingya, a distinct Muslim ethnic group living mainly in Myanmar, are one of the world's most persecuted minorities. It is estimated that as of two years ago there were 1.3 million Rohingya living in Myanmar, where they are considered illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh. While Bangladesh has its own Rohingya population, variously estimated to range from 7,000 to 300,000 in number, the Rohingya have in fact been residents of Myanmar for generations.

In 2012, sectarian clashes with the Buddhist majority in Rakhine state resulted in hundreds of deaths and left more than 140,000 people homeless. The Myanmar government forcibly separated the Rohingya from the rest of the state, restricting their movement and declaring them stateless. Earlier this year, their temporary registration certificates were revoked, meaning that they would not be able to vote in the elections to be held in Myanmar later this year. It is a great irony that an election process that is supposed to bring greater democracy and expression to the Myanmar people has instead become an instrument of repression for one of the country's minorities.

At least 100,000 Rohingya have fled the country in the last two years, providing sustenance to a well-oiled regional network of human traffickers. Those networks are unscrupulous, often the equivalent of modern slave traders — when they do not just take the money and set their human cargo adrift at sea.

In recent weeks, the number of Rohingya taking to boats has increased radically, reportedly a result of a crackdown on human smugglers operating in Thailand. The closure of the camps where the refugees were housed on their journeys has forced them to sea, and no country is prepared to accept the influx. As boats approach their shores, coast guards and navies have been deployed to either shoo the vessels away or to give them food and water and then urge them on to other destinations. The result is pitiful scenes of desperate people crammed onto overloaded and rickety boats, pleading for help as the international media broadcast their plight to the world.

International condemnation prodded Malaysia and Indonesia to announce last week that they will offer temporary shelter for refugees currently on the high seas, but they made no commitment to resettle them permanently or take in future migrants. They also noted that the international community will be expected to provide "necessary support, particularly financial assistance." For its part, Thailand, which also attended an emergency meeting in Kuala Lumpur to assess the situation and produced that statement, said it will not force migrants to enter the country: "We cannot force them to do anything."

Clearly, these are the barest minimum of stopgap measures. A broad, coordinated response is needed. The first step is the creation of facilities, and the provision of food, water, shelter and other emergency needs, to house the thousands of people who are already adrift. As U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pointed out earlier this month, there is an "obligation of rescue at sea" and "a prohibition on 'refoulement,' " the forcible return of refugees to a country where they will likely be prosecuted.

Second, there must be a more permanent solution to the fates of the Rohingya. They cannot be left to fend for themselves in camps, stateless people with no rights nor homes. As a Muslim country, Malaysia would seem to be an obvious destination, and thus far Kuala Lumpur has accepted more than 45,000 Rohingya. But it is unrealistic and unfair to expect that country to accept many more.

Another destination could be Bangladesh, which already has a large Rohingya population that has grown over the last two decades. Unfortunately, they are subject to discrimination there too and many are stuck in squalid camps.

The only enduring solution is for the government of Myanmar to end the hostile policies that force so many Rohingya to flee. The claim that they are recent arrivals is untrue. Evidence suggests that the Rohingya are descendants of Islamic traders who have been in the country for centuries. The Rohingya are subject to discrimination and chauvinism by the Buddhist majority. They must be afforded the full rights given to all Myanmar's citizens, and protected from abuse.

The sad truth is that the world, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, have turned a blind eye to the abuses perpetuated against the Rohingya because there has been a larger concern: the rehabilitation of the Myanmar government and its re-entry into the community of nations. That willful blindness must end. As Myanmar enters an election season, it must be reminded that elections do not define democracies. Rule of law and the fair and equal treatment of all its citizens are equally vital components. The Rohingya deserve as much.